Penalty for under-reporting and misreporting of income - Section 270A - Income Tax - Ready Reckoner - Income Tax

Penalty for under-reporting and misreporting of income - Section 270A The Assessing Officer or the Joint Commissioner (Appeals) or the Commissioner (Appeals) [Amended by FA, 2023 ] or the Principal Commissioner or Commissioner may, during the course of any proceedings under this Act, direct that any person who has under-reported his income shall be liable to pay a penalty in addition to tax, if any, on the under-reported income [ Section 270A(1) ] . Determination of under reported income and its computation thereof:- When a person shall be considered to have under reported his income [ Section 270A (2) ] The amount of under-reported income [ Section 270A(3) ] First Time Assessment (a) In case of Return Filed - The income assessed is greater than the income determined in the return processed u/s 143(1)(a) The difference between the amount of income assessed and the amount of income determined u/s 143(1)(a) (b) In case of Return not Filed - Where no return of income has been furnished and the income assessed is greater than the maximum amount not chargeable to tax (A) The amount of income assessed, in the case of a company, firm or local authority (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) Reassessment (c) The income reassessed is greater than the income assessed or reassessed immediately before such reassessment The difference between the amount of income reassessed or recomputed and the amount of income assessed, reassessed or recomputed in a preceding order Note: 'Preceding order' means an order immediately preceding the order during the course of which the penalty u/s 270A(1) has been initiated. Income Assessed or re-assessed as per section 115JB /JC (MAT/AMT) (d) In case of ROI Filed - The amount of deemed total income assessed or reassessed as per the provisions of section 115JB or 115JC, is greater than the deemed total income determined in the return processed u/s 143(1)(a) (e) In case of ROI not filed - Where no return of income has been filed, and the amount of deemed total income assessed as per the provisions of section 115JB or section 115JC is greater than the maximum amount not chargeable to tax (f) In case of Reassessment - The amount of deemed total income reassessed as per the provisions of section 115JB or section 115JC, as the case may be, is greater than the deemed total income assessed or reassessed immediately before such reassessment Where under-reported income arises out of determination of deemed total income in accordance with the provisions of section 115JB or section 115JC , the amount of total under-reported income shall be determined in accordance with the following formula:- (A - B) + (C - D) where, A = the total income assessed as per the provisions other than the provisions contained in section 115JB or section 115JC (herein called 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 underreported income ; C = the total income assessed as per the provisions contained in section 115JB or section 115JC; D = the total income that would have been chargeable had the total income assessed as per the provisions contained in section 115JB or section 115JC been reduced by the amount of under-reported income Provided further that where the amount of under-reported income on any issue is considered both under the provisions contained in section 115JB or section 115JC and under general provisions, such amount shall not be reduced from total income assessed while determining the amount under item D. (g) The income assessed or reassessed has the effect of reducing the loss or converting such loss into income The amount of under reported income shall be the difference between the loss claimed and the income or loss, as the case may be, assessed or reassessed. Penalty leviable in certain cases where no penalty was levied on under-reported income in any preceding year [Section 270A(4)] Subject to the provisions of section 270A(6), where the source of any receipt, deposit or investment in any assessment year is claimed to be an amount added to income or deducted while computing loss, as the case may be, in the assessment of such person in any year prior to the assessment year in which such receipt, deposit or investment appears (hereinafter referred to as 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. Years for which penalty proceedings for amount referred u/s 270A(4) be initiated [Section 270A(5)] The amount referred to in section 270A(4) shall be deemed to be amount of income under-reported for the preceding year in the following order- the preceding year immediately before the year in which the receipt, deposit or investment appears, being the first preceding year; and 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. The under-reported income, for the purposes of this section, shall not include the following, namely [Section 270A(6)]:- Sr. No. Cases Conditions 1. the amount of income in respect of which the assessee offers an explanation AO/CIT/CIT(A) is satisfied that explanation is bona-fide; and All material facts have been disclosed to substantiate the explanation. 2. the amount of under-reported income determined on the basis of an estimate, if the accounts are correct and complete to the satisfaction of relevant income tax authority, but the method employed is such that the income cannot properly be deduced therefrom 3. 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 4. 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 maintained information and documents as prescribed under section 92D, declared the international transaction under Chapter X, and, disclosed all the material facts relating to the transaction 5. the amount of undisclosed income on account of search Where penalty is leviable u/s 271AAB in respect of such undisclosed income Quantum of Penalty: - For Under Reporting - The penalty for under-reported income shall be a sum equal to 50% of the amount of tax payable on under-reported income [Section 270A(7)]. For Misreporting - Notwithstanding anything contained in section 270A(6) or 270A(7), where under-reported income is in consequence of any misreporting thereof by any person, the penalty referred to in section 270A(1) shall be equal to 200% of the amount of tax payable on under-reported income [Section 270A(8)]. Cases of misreporting of income [Section 270A(9)] The cases of misreporting of income referred to in section 270A(8) shall be the following, namely:- Misrepresentation or suppression of facts (Ex: Normal LTCG shown as LTCG u/s 112A) Failure to record investments in the books of account (Ex ; AO discovered investment) Claim of expenditure not substantiated by any evidence (Bogus Bills) Recording of any false entry in the books of account (Bogus Expenditure) Failure to record any receipt in books of account having a bearing on total income 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 The tax payable in respect of the under-reported income [Section 270A(10)] where no return of income has been furnished and 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 where the total income determined u/s 143(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 in any other case, determined in accordance with the formula- (X-Y) where, X = the amount of tax calculated on the under-reported income as increased by the total income determined u/s 143(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 u/s 143(1)(a) or total income assessed, reassessed or recomputed in a preceding order. In other words it will be tax on total income inclusive of under reported income. No addition or disallowance of an amount shall form the basis for imposition of penalty, if such addition or disallowance has formed the basis of imposition of penalty in the case of the person for the same or any other assessment year. [Section 270A(11)] The penalty referred to in section 270A(1) shall be imposed, by an order in writing, by the Assessing Officer, the Commissioner (Appeals), the Commissioner or the Principal Commissioner, as the case may be. [Section 270A(12)]