CBDT allows taxpayers an opportunity to file application for settlement
PrintListen to this Article
The Finance Act, 2021 has amended the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (“the Act”) to inter alia provide that the Income-tax Settlement Commission (“ITSC”) shall cease to operate with effect from 01.02.2021. Further, it has also been provided that no application for settlement can be filed on or after 01.02.2021, which was the date on which the Finance Bill, 2021 was laid before the Lok Sabha. In order to dispose off the pending settlement applications as on 31.01.2021, the Central Government has constituted Interim Board for Settlement (hereinafter referred to as the “Interim Board”), vide Notification no. 91 of 2021 dated 10.08.2021. The taxpayers, in the pending cases, have the option to withdraw their applications within the specified time and intimate the Assessing Officer about such withdrawal.
It has been represented that a number of taxpayers were in advanced stages of filing their application for settlement before the ITSC as on 01.02.2021. Further, some taxpayers have approached High Courts requesting that their applications for settlement may be accepted. In some cases, the Hon’ble High Courts have given interim relief and directed acceptance of applications of settlement even after 01.02.2021. This has resulted in uncertainty and protracted litigation.
In order to provide relief to the taxpayers who were eligible to file application as on 31.01.2021, but could not file the same due to cessation of ITSC vide Finance Act, 2021, it has been decided that applications for settlement can be filed by the taxpayers by 30th September, 2021 before the Interim Board if the following conditions are satisfied:-
- The assessee was eligible to file application for settlement on 31.01.2021 for the assessment years for which the application is sought to be filed (relevant assessment years); and
- all the relevant assessment proceedings of the assessee are pending as on the date of filing the application for settlement.
Such applications, subject to their validity, shall be deemed to be “pending applications” under clause (eb) of section 245A of the Act and shall be disposed of by the Interim Board as per the provisions of the Act.
It is clarified that taxpayers who have filed such applications shall not have the option to withdraw such applications as per the provisions of section 245M of the Act. Further, the taxpayers who have already filed application for settlement on or after 01.02.2021 as per the direction of the various High Courts and who are otherwise eligible to file such application, as per para 3 above, on the date of filing of the said application shall not be required to file such application again.
Legislative amendments in this regard shall be proposed in due course.
Category : CBDT | Comments : 0 | Hits : 668
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), has issued Circular No. 07/2024 dated 25.04.2024 further extending the due date for filing Form 10A/ Form 10AB under the Income-tax Act, 1961 (the ‘Act’) upto 30th June, 2024. CBDT had earlier extended the due date for filing Form 10A/ Form 10AB by trusts, institutions and funds multiple times to mitigate genuine hardships of the taxpayers. The last such extension was made by Circular No. 06/2023 extending the date to...
Certain instances of mismatch of information as filed by the taxpayer and as available with the Income Tax Department have come to the notice of the Department as part of its routine exercise of verification of data. In such cases, the Department has alerted the taxpayers to enable them to take corrective action. However, some posts on social media, as well as articles in the media, have highlighted enquiries initiated by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in cases where employees have mad...
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has said the Income Tax department can file appeals irrespective of monetary threshold in cases relating to TDS/TCS, undisclosed foreign income, or information received from investigating agencies like ED and GST Intelligence. As per the present rules, tax authorities are allowed to file appeals before the ITAT, High Court and Supreme Court, if the disputed tax demand exceeds Rs 50 lakh, Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore, respectively. These thresholds were fi...
Income of any fund or institution or trust or any university or other educational institution or any hospital or other medical institution referred to in specified sub-clauses of section 10 (23C) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (the ‘Act’) or any trust or institution registered under section 12AA/12AB of the Act is exempt, subject to fulfilment of certain conditions specified under various sections of the Act. One of the conditions required to be fulfilled by the tru...
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday ordered withdrawal of small tax demands that finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in her FY25 budget speech to improve ease of living. CBDT said that tax demand up to ?25,000 for assessment year up to 2010-11 and demands up to ?10,000 from the next year up to assessment year 2015-16 will be extinguished. However, any criminal action initiated or planned under any law will not be dropped. Any tax demand raised against taxes collect...
Comments