Union Budget 2023-24 + FINANCE Bill, 2023

Relief from special provision for higher rate of TDS/TCS for non-filers of income-tax returns

1. Section 206AB of the Act provides for special provision for higher TDS for non-filers of income-tax returns. Similarly, section 206CCA of the Act provides for special provision for higher TCS for non-filers of income-tax returns. These non-filers in these sections are referred to as “specified person”.

2. These sections define “specified person” to mean a person who has not furnished the return of income for the assessment year relevant to the previous year immediately preceding the financial year in which tax is required to be deducted or collected (as the case may be)-

(i) for which the time limit for furnishing the return of income under sub-section (1) of section 139 has expired; and

(ii) the aggregate of tax deducted at source and tax collected at source in his case is rupees fifty thousand or more in the said previous year.

3. The provisos to these definitions exclude a non-resident from the definition of specified person, if the non-resident does not have a permanent establishment in India.

4. There may be certain persons who are not required to furnish the return of income. It is not the intention to include such persons in the category of non-filers. Hence, in order to provide relief in such cases, it is proposed to amend the definition of the “specified person” in sections 206AB and 206CCA of the Act so as to exclude a person who is not required to furnish the return of income for the assessment year relevant to the said previous year and who is notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette in this behalf.

5. This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2023.

[clauses 89 & 91]

 

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Full Text:

Union Budget 2023-24 + FINANCE Bill, 2023

Specified person exclusion: amendment exempts those not required to file returns from higher TDS/TCS consequences, effective April. The definition of specified person for higher TDS/TCS is amended to exclude any person who is not required to furnish a return for the relevant assessment year and who is notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette, thereby relieving persons not required to file from the special higher withholding regime.