9911796707
TMI Blog2022 (5) TMI 1006X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ccording to Ld. CIT(A), a default summary which consists of various defaults identified while processing the statement filed by a deductor u/s. 200A of the Act during a particular quarter of a financial year provides detailed information about the defaults that needs to be rectified by the deductor by filing correction statement by payment of the necessary interest/fees/other dues. According to Ld. CIT(A), such a default summary for Q3 of FY 2012-13 for Form 24Q in the case of assessee was passed on 23.01.2019, for Q4 of FY 2012-13 for Form 24Q in the case of assessee was passed on 25.01.2019 and for Q4 of FY 2012-13 for Form 24Q in the case of assessee was passed on 06.01.2017 vide which the assessee was intimated that an amount of Rs.73,000/- towards fee was computed in accordance with the provisions of section 234E of the Act. Thereafter, the Ld. CIT(A) notes that the AO had issued a letter to the appellant/assessee regarding payment of outstanding demand against which the assessee preferred an appeal with the grounds of appeal before the Ld. CIT(A) and thereafter he noted that main ground raised by the assessee was that the demand raised before 01.06.015 is unsustainable based ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... issue involved in this case in favour of the assessee which was dealt in the order of coordinate bench of this tribunal in the case of Bhaskar Roy ITA No. 415/Kol/2021 and ITA Nos. 416 to 422/Kol/2021 vide order dated 17.12.2021. Coordinate Bench of this Tribunal while placing reliance on the decision of Hon'ble Karnataka High Court also dealt with the decision of Hon'ble Gujarat High Court (supra) referred by Ld. CIT(A). Thus, the Tribunal held as under : "3. We have heard rival submissions and gone through the facts and circumstances of the case. At the outset, the Ld. Counsel for the assessee Shri K. M. Roy submitted that the issue involved in all these appeals are pertaining to levy of late fee u/s. 234E and which is prior to 01.06.2015. According to Ld. AR, the issue is no longer res integra. According to him, the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court in the case of Fatehraj Singhvi Vs. UOI (73 Taxmann.com 252 dated 26.08.2016) has held that the amendment in section 200A by way of insertion of clause (c) is only with effect from (w.e.f.) 01.06.2015 and therefore no fees would be payable by the assessee for any period prior to 01.06.2015. And further, according to the Ld. AR, this dec ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... K.V.Aravind, learned counsel appearing for Income Tax Department. 7. We may at the outset record that, learned counsel appearing for both sides have made submissions which shall be dealt with appropriately at the later stage. But, in order to appreciate the controversies including that of the background, certain aspects deserve to be taken note of which are as under: 8. As per Section 200(3) of the Act read with Rule 31A of the Income Tax Rules, 1962 (hereinafter referred to as 'Rules') a tax deductor is required to file quarterly statement of such taxes deducted at source by him as TDS and for the period in question, the relevant dates for filing of such statement is as follows: (i) 30th June - 15th July of the financial year; (ii) 30th September - 15th October of the financial year; (iii) 31st December - 15th January of the financial year; and (iv) 31st March - 15th May of the following financial year. 9. It may be recorded that Section 200(3) requiring to file formal TDS statement within the aforesaid each quarter was inserted on 1.4.2005 and at the relevant point of time, Section 272A(2)(k) provided for the penalty of Rs.100/- per day for each day of defau ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... s of the Act, [the Assessing Officer may direct that a person shall pay by way of] penalty, if, he-- (a) fails to deliver or cause to be delivered a statement within the time prescribed in sub-section (3) of section 200 or the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 206C; or (b) furnishes incorrect information in the statement which is required to be delivered or caused to be delivered under sub section (3) of section 200 or the proviso to subsection (3) of section 206C. (2) The penalty referred to in sub-section (1) shall be a sum which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees but which may extend to one lakh rupees. (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing provisions of this section, no penalty shall be levied for the failure referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (1), if the person proves that after paying tax deducted or collected along with the fee and interest, if any, to the credit of the Central Government, he had delivered or cause to be delivered the statement referred to in sub section (3) of section 200 or the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 206C before the expiry of a period of one year from the time prescribed for delivering or causing t ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ation.--For the purposes of this sub-section, "an incorrect claim apparent from any information in the statement" shall mean a claim, on the basis of an entry, in the statement-- (i) of an item, which is inconsistent with another entry of the same or some other item in such statement; (ii) in respect of rate of deduction of tax at source, where such rate is not in accordance with the provisions of this Act. (2) For the purposes of processing of statements under sub-section (1), the Board may make a scheme for centralised processing of statements of tax deducted at source to expeditiously determine the tax payable by, or the refund due to, the deductor as required under the said sub-section." 13. When the returns for TDS filed by the respective appellant-petitioners were processed in purported exercise of the power under Section 200A, the amount of fee under Section 234E is computed and determined. The demand is made and the ITA No.4902/Mum/2018 Assessment Year :2013-14 National Laminate Corporation intimation given under Section 200A includes the computation and the determination of the fee payable by the appellant-petitioners. 14. We may now deal with the contentions rai ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... was inserted in the Act simultaneously, Section 271H was also inserted in the Act providing for the penalty for failure of furnishing of statements etc. Therefore, if there was failure to submit the statement for TDS as per Section 234E, the fee payable is provided but the mechanism provided was that if there was failure to furnish statements within the prescribed date, the penalty under Section 271H (1) and (2) could be imposed. However, under sub-section (3) of Section 271H, the exception is provided that no penalty shall be levied for the failure referred to under clause (a) of sub-section (1) if the person proves that after paying TDS with the fee and interest the amount is credited and he had delivered or caused to deliver the statement within one year from the time prescribed for submission of the said statement. To put it in other words, for failure to submit the statements, the penalty provided under Section 271(1)(a) cannot be imposed if the deductor complies with the requirement of sub-section (3) of Section 271H. Hence, it can be said that the fee provided under Section 234E would take out from the rigors of penalty under Section 271H but of course subject to the outer ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ; (l) to deliver or cause to be delivered the statements within the time specified in subsection (1) of section 206A; [(m) to deliver or cause to be delivered a statement within the time as may be prescribed under sub-section (2A) of section 200 or sub-section (3A) of section 206C,] he shall pay, by way of penalty, a sum of one hundred rupees for every day during which the failure continues: Provided that the amount of penalty for failures in relation to a declaration mentioned in section 197A, a certificate as required by section 203 and returns under sections 206 and 206C and 71[statements under sub-section (2A) or sub section (3) of section 200 or the proviso to sub-section (3) or under sub-section (3A) of section 206C] shall not exceed the amount of tax deductible or collectible, as the case may be: Provided further that no penalty shall be levied under this section for the failure referred to in clause (k), if such failure relates to a statement referred to in sub- section (3) of section 200 or the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 206C which is to be delivered or caused to be delivered for tax deducted at source or tax collected at source, as the case may be, on o ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... considered before such provisions is held to be retroactive in nature. Further, when any provision is inserted for liability to pay any tax or the fee by way of compensatory in nature or fee independently simultaneously mode and the manner of its enforceability is also required to be considered and examined. Not only that, but, if the mode and the manner is not expressly prescribed, the provisions may also be vulnerable. All such aspects will be required to be considered before one considers regulatory mechanism or provision for regulating the mode and the manner of recovery and its enforceability as retroactive. If at the time when the fee was provided under Section 234E, the Parliament also provided for its utility for giving privilege under Section 271H(3) that too by expressly put bar for penalty under Section 272A by insertion of proviso to Section 272A(2), it can be said that a particular set up for imposition and the payment of fee under Section 234E was provided but, it did not provide for making of demand of such fee under Section 200A payable under Section 234E. Hence, considering the aforesaid peculiar facts and circumstances, we are unable to accept the contention of th ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... assessment year prior to 1.6.2015. Hence, the demand notices under Section 200A by the respondent- authority for intimation for payment of fee under Section 234E can be said as without any authority of law and the same are quashed and set aside to that extent. 25. As such, as recorded earlier, it is on account of the intimation received under Section 200A for making computation and demand of fees under Section 234E, the same has necessitated the appellant to challenge the constitutional validity of Section 234E. When the intimation of the demand notices under Section 200A is held to be without authority of law so far as it relates to computation and demand of fee under Section 234E, we find that the question of further scrutiny for testing the constitutional validity of Section 234E would be rendered as an academic exercise because there would not be any cause on the part of the petitioners to continue to maintain the challenge to constitutional validity under Section 234E of the Act. At this stage, we may also record that the learned counsels appearing for the appellant had also declared that if the impugned notices under Section 200A are set aside, so far as it relates to comp ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... g the tax in the Government within the time prescribed. With effect from 01.07.2012, section 234E was introduced in the Act for levying fee for default in furnishing the statement of tax deducted or collected at source. As per rule 31A of the Rules, the person responsible for deduction of tax in terms of sub-section (3) of section 200 would have to file quarterly statements in prescribed form. Sub-rule (2) of rule 31A prescribed dates by which such statements would have to be filed. 4. Section 200A of the Act pertains to processing of statements of tax deducted at source. This provision provides for processing the statement filed by person deducting the tax. Prior to 01.06.2015, this provision did not contain any reference to the adjustment of fee to be computed in accordance with the provisions of section 234E of the Act. This provision was made only with effect from 01.06.2015. 5. In the petition, the petitioner has raised following threefold grievances: I. That section 234E of the Act is ultra-vires and unconstitutional. II. Rule 31A of the Rules insofar as it prescribes longer period for the Government to file the statements as compared to the other assessees is discrimin ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... view that the amendment in section 200A with effect from 01.06.2015 cannot have retrospective effect. 8. On the other hand learned counsel Shri Manish Bhatt for the department opposed the petition contending that two different time limits for filing statements under rule 31A are for Government and nonGovernment agencies. Looking to the multilayered system of operation of the Government agencies and overall workload, the legislature thought it fit to grant 15 days additional time to the Government agencies to file the statements. This is therefore not a case of discrimination, but a case of reasonable classification. 9. With respect to the amendment in section 200A, counsel submitted that the charging provision is section 200E of the Act. Section 200A merely provides a mechanism. Such a provision cannot govern the charging provision. Even in absence of amendment in section 200A, the Assessing Officer was always authorized to levy fee in terms of section 200E of the Act. At best, the amendment in the said provision should be seen as clarificatory or providing a mechanism which till then was missing. Counsel referred to the decision of Rajasthan High Court in case of Dundlod Shik ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... (1) shall be paid before delivering or causing to be delivered a statement in accordance with sub-section (3) of section 200 or the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 206C. (4) The provisions of this section shall apply to a statement referred to in sub- section(3) of section 200 or the proviso to subsection (3) of section 206C which is to be delivered or caused to be delivered for tax deducted at source or tax collected at source, as the case may be, on or after the 1st day of July, 2012." 13. With effect from 01.07.2012, the legislature also introduced section 271H of the Act providing penalty for failure to furnish statements required to be filed under subsection (3) of section 200 or under proviso to sub-section (3) of section 206C of the Act. As per sub-section (2) of section 271H in case of default to file the statements, the assessee may be liable to penalty of not less than rupees ten thousand but not more than rupees one lakh. Under sub-section (3) of section 271H however, such penalty would be avoided if the assessee proves that he had paid the tax deducted or collected alongwith interest and he had filed the necessary statement within one year from the time prescrib ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... l mean a claim, on the basis of an entry, in the statement-- (i) of an item, which is inconsistent with another entry of the same or some other item in such statement; (ii) in respect of rate of deduction of tax at source, where such rate is not in accordance with the provisions of this Act; (2) For the purposes of processing of statements under sub-section (1), the Board may make a scheme for centralised processing of statements of tax deducted at source to expeditiously determine the tax payable by, or the refund due to, the deductor as required under the said sub-section." With effect from 01.06.2015, sub-section (1) of section 200A was amended. In the amended form, the same provision reads as under: Section 200A(1) "Processing of statements of tax deducted at source. 200A. (1) Where a statement of tax deduction at source [or a correction statement] has been made by a person deducting any sum (hereafter referred to in this section as deductor) under section 200, such statement shall be processed in the following manner, namely:-- (a) the sums deductible under this Chapter shall be computed after making the following adjustments, namely:-- (i) any arithmetical err ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ar ending with the date specified in column (2) of the Table below shall be furnished by- (i) the due date specified in the corresponding entry in column (3) of the said Table, if the deductor is an office of Government; and (ii) the due date specified in the corresponding entry in column (4) of the said Table, if the deductor is a person other than the person referred to in clause (i) TABLE Sl. Date of ending of Due date Due date No. quarter of financial year (1) (2) (3) (4) 1 30th June 31st July of the financial year 15th July of the financial year 2 30th September 31st October of the financial 15th October of the financial year year 3 31st December 31st January of the financial 15th January of the financial year year 4 31st March 15th May of the financial year 15th May of the financial year immediately following the immediately following the financial year in which the financial year in which the deduction is made. deduction is made." This rule thus, while laying down the last date by which such statements should be filed, draws two categories; in case of deductor is an office of government and in case of a deductor is a person other than the office of the government. Cons ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... e statements. Such fee would be levied at the rate of Rs.200/- for every day of failure subject to the maximum amount of tax deductible or collectible as the case may be. Section 271H was also introduced for the first time for levying penalty for failure to furnish the statements. Such penalty would be in the range of Rs.10,000/- and Rs.1 lakh. No penalty would be imposed if the tax is deposited with fee and interest and the statement is filed within one year of the due date. With addition to these two provisions prescribing fee and penalty respectively, clause (k) of sub-section (2) of section 272A became redundant and by adding a proviso to the said section, this effect was therefore limited upto 01.07.2012. 17. In essence, section 234E thus prescribed for the first time charging of a fee for every day of default in filing of statement under sub-section (3) of section 200 or any proviso to sub-section (3) of section 206C. This provision was apparently added for making the compliance of deduction and collection of tax at source, depositing it with Government revenue and filing of the statements more stringent. 18. In this context, we may notice that section 200A which pertains ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... cannot subscribe to the view that without a regulatory provision being found for section 200A for computation of fee, the fee prescribed under section 234E cannot be levied. Any such view would amount to a charging section yielding to the machinery provision. If at all, the recasted clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 200A would be in nature of clarificatory amendment. Even in absence of such provision, as noted, it was always open for the Revenue to charge the fee in terms of section 234E of the Act. By amendment, this adjustment was brought within the fold of section 200A of the Act. This would have one direct effect. An order passed under section 200A of the Act is rectifiable under section 154 of the Act and is also appealable under section 246A. In absence of the power of authority to make such adjustment under section 200A of the Act, any calculation of the fee would not partake the character of the intimation under said provision and it could be argued that such an order would not be open to any rectification or appeal. Upon introduction of the recasted clause (c), this situation also would be obviated. Even prior to 01.06.2015, it was always open for the Revenue to ca ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... the Hon'ble Supreme Court decision in Vegetable Products (supra) that if there is no jurisdictional High Court's decision on an issue then the view taken in favour of the assessee can be followed. Therefore, we are inclined to hold that the demand raised by the Income Tax Authorities for levying late fee u/s. 234E of the Act for the period prior to 01.06.2015 cannot be sustained and we order accordingly. However, we hasten to add that Hon'ble Karnataka High Court while passing the order had held the order to be prospective in operation and had clarified that if an assessee had made payment of fees u/s. 234E as per the demand/intimation u/s. 200A of the Act for the period prior to 01.06.2015 then it cannot claim the refund since the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court has held its order to be prospective in operation. 13. We note that this issue is covered in favour of the assessee by the decision cited supra and the Ld. DR could not point out any change in facts or law which would have warranted any interference on the part of us to take a view divergent from that taken by the coordinate bench of ITAT, Kolkata in the case of Bhaskar Roy (supra) which has considered decisions of both the ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
|
