439.(1) The Competent Authority may, during the course of any proceedings
under this Act, impose penalty on any person whohas under-reported his income
and such penalty shall be payable in addition to tax, if any.
(2)A person shall be deemed to have under-reported his income, if—
(a) the income assessed is greater than the income determined in the
return processed under section 270(1)(a);
(b) the income assessed is greater than the maximum amount not
chargeable to tax, where no return of income has been furnished or where
return has been furnished for the first time under section 280;
(c) the income reassessed is greater than the income assessed or
reassessed immediately before such reassessment;
(d) the amount of deemedtotal income assessed or reassessed as per
section 206(1) and (2), is greater than the deemedtotal income determined in
the return processed under section 270(1)(a);
(e) the amount of deemedtotal income assessed as per section 206(1)
and (2), is greater than the maximum amount not chargeable to tax, where no
return of income has been furnished or where return has been furnished for the
first time under section 280;
(f)the amount of deemedtotal income reassessed as per section 206(1)
and (2), is greater than thedeemedtotal income assessed or reassessed under
the saidsections immediately before such reassessment;
(g)the income assessed or reassessed has the effect of reducing the loss
or converting such loss into income.
(3)The amount of under-reported income shall be,—
(a)if income has been assessed for the first time,—
(i)wherereturn has been furnished, the difference between the
amount of income assessed and the amount of income determined under
section 270(1)(a);
(ii)whereno return of income has been furnished or wherereturn
has been furnished for the first time under section 280,—
(A)the amount of income assessed, in the case of a company,
firm or local authority; and
(B) the difference between the amount of income assessed
and the maximum amount not chargeable to tax, in a case not
covered in item (A); (b) in any other case, the difference between the amount of income
reassessed or recomputed and the amount of income assessed, reassessed or
recomputed in a preceding order.
(4) If under-reported income arises out of determination of deemed total
income as per section 206(1) and (2), the amount of total under-reported income
shall be determined as under—
(A-B) + (C-D)
where,—
A = the total income assessed as per the provisions other than the
provisions contained in section 206 (herein referred to as “general
provisions”);
B = the total income that would have been chargeable had the total
income assessed as per the general provisions been reduced by the
amount of under-reported income;
C = the total income assessed as per section 206;
D = the total income that would have been chargeable had the total
income assessed as per section 206been reduced by the amount of
under-reported income.
(5)(a) If the amount of under-reported income on any issue is considered both
under section 206(1) and (2)and under general provisions, such amount shall not be
reduced from total income assessed while determining the amount under
Dreferred to in sub-section (4);
(b)in a case where an assessment or reassessment has the effect of reducing
the loss declared in the return or converting that loss into income, the amount of
under-reported income shall be thedifference between the loss claimed and the
income or loss, assessed or reassessed.
(6)Subject to sub-section (8), where the source of any receipt, deposit or
investment in any tax year is claimed to be an amount added to income or deducted
while computing loss, in the assessment of such person in any year prior to the tax
year in which such receipt, deposit or investment appears (hereinreferred to asthe
preceding year) and no penalty was levied for such preceding year, then, the
under-reported income shall include such amount as is sufficient to cover such
receipt, deposit or investment.
(7)The amount referred to in sub-section (6) shall be deemedto be income
under-reported for the preceding year in the following order:—
(a)the preceding year immediately before the year in which the receipt,
deposit or investment appears, being the first preceding year; and
(b)where the amount added or deducted in the first preceding year is not
sufficient to cover the receipt, deposit or investment, the year immediately
preceding the first preceding year and so on.
(8)The under-reported income, for the purposes of this section, shall not
include the following:—
(a) the amount of income in respect of which the assessee offers an
explanationand the Competent Authority, is satisfied that the explanationis
bonafideand the assessee has disclosed all the material facts to substantiate
the explanationoffered;
(b)theamount of under-reported income determined on the basis of an
estimate, if the accounts are correct and complete to the satisfaction of the
Competent Authority, but the method employed is such that the income can properly be deducted there from; (c)the amount of under-reported income determined on the basis of
an estimate, if the assessee has, on his own, estimated a lower amount of
addition or disallowance on the same issue, has included such amount in
the computation of his income and has disclosed all the facts material to the
addition or disallowance; and
(d)the amount of under-reported income represented by any addition
made in conformity with the arm’s length price determined by the Transfer
Pricing Officer, where the assessee had maintainedsuchinformation and
documents as may be prescribed under section 171, declared the
international transaction under Chapter X, and, disclosed all the material
facts relating to the transaction.
(9)The penalty referred to in sub-section (1) shall be 50% ofthe tax payable
on under-reported income.
(10) Irrespective of anything contained in sub-section (8) or (9), where
under-reported income is in consequence of any misreporting thereof by any person,
the penalty referred to in sub-section (1) shall be 200% of the tax payable on
under-reported income.
(11)The cases of misreporting of income referred to in sub-section (10) shall
be the following:—
(a)misrepresentation or suppression of facts;
(b)failure to record investments in the books ofaccount;
(c)claim of expenditure not substantiated by any evidence;
(d)recording of any false entry in the books of account;
(e)failure to record any receipt in books of account having a bearing on
total income; and
(f) failure to report any international transaction or any transaction
deemed to be an international transaction or any specified domestic
transaction, to which the provisions of Chapter X apply.
(12)The tax payable in respect of the under-reported income shall be—
(a)where no return of income has been furnished or where return has
been furnished for the first time under section 280and the income has been
assessed for the first time, the amount of tax calculated on the under-reported
income as increased by the maximum amount not chargeable to tax as if it
were the total income;
(b) where the total income determined under section 270(1)(a) or
assessed, reassessed or recomputed in a preceding order is a loss, the amount
of tax calculated on the under-reported income as if it were the total income;
(c)in any other case, determined as follows—
(X-Y)
where,—
X = the amount of tax calculated on the under-reported
income as increased by the total income determined under section
270(1)(a) or total income assessed, reassessed or recomputed in a
preceding order as if it were the total income; and
Y = the amount of tax calculated on the total income
determined under section 270(1)(a) or total income assessed, reassessed or recomputed in a preceding order . (13)No addition or disallowance of an amount shall form the basis for
imposition of penalty, if such addition or disallowance has already formed the basis
for penalty in the case of the person for the same or any other tax year.
(14)The penalty referred to in sub-section (1) shall be imposed, by an order
in writing by the Competent Authority.
(15)For the purposes of this section,—
(a) “Competent Authority” means the Assessing Officer or the Joint
Commissioner (Appeals) or the Commissioner (Appeals) or the
Commissioner or the Principal Commissioner; and
(b)“preceding order”means an order immediately preceding the order
during the course of which the penalty under sub-section (1) has been initiated.
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