Very Important update for Charitable Trusts and Exempt Institution registered under section 80G, 12A or section 12AA : New – Fresh Registration Required : Last Date 31.12.2020
All Charitable trusts and exempt institution which are already registered under section 80G, 12A or section 12AA of Income Tax Act, 1961 will now be required to obtain FRESH REGISTRATION by December 31, 2020.
Provisions of registration under section 80G, 12AA or section 12A will be redundant from 31st December, 2020 and a new section 12AB will come into force with effect from 01st January 2021.
All the existing registered trusts under the erstwhile section 80G, 12A or section 12AA would move to new provision section 12AB.
The new section 12AB proposes to change the registration process by prescribing the time frame for processing the application and validity of such a registration certificate so granted under the new section 12AB.
An order granting registration or approval shall be passed within 3 months of the application. Such registration or approval shall be valid for 5 years.
Similarly, charitable trusts and exempt institutions which already have Section 80G certificate will now be required to reapply for registration or approval by December 31, 2020.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Wednesday (July 29) extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for 2018-19 fiscal till September 30 due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
“In view of the constraints due to the Covid pandemic & to further ease compliances for taxpayers, CBDT extends the due date for filing of Income Tax Returns for FY 2018-19 (AY 2019-20) from 31st July, 2020 to 30th September, 2020,” the Income Tax Department said in a tweet.
It is to be noted that this is the third extension given by the Centre to taxpayers to file both original and revised tax returns for 2018-19 fiscal.
In March, the Centre had extended the due date from March 31 to June 30 due to corona virus COVID-19 pandemic. Later in June, the date was again extended by a month till July 31.
If an individual fails to file the belated ITR, if due, by the deadline (i.e., September 30, 2020), then he/she will not be able to file the income tax return for the financial year 2018-19.
The CBDT has said that an individual can also file a revised ITR for FY2018-19 within this deadline.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued refunds worth Rs 71,229 crore in more than 21.24 lakh cases upto 11th July, 2020, to help taxpayers with liquidity during COVID-19 pandemic, since the Government’s decision of 8th April, 2020 to issue pending income tax refunds at the earliest.
Income tax refunds amounting to Rs. 24,603 crore have been issued in 19.79 lakh cases to taxpayers and corporate tax refunds amounting to Rs. 46,626 crore in 1.45 lakh cases have been issued to taxpayers during COVID-19.
It is stated that the government has laid great emphasis on providing tax related services to the taxpayers without any hassles and is aware that during these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic, many of the taxpayers are waiting to see that their tax demands and refunds reach finality as quickly as possible.
It is further emphasized that all the refund related cleaning up of the tax demands are being taken up on priority and is likely to be completed by 31st August, 2020.
Also, all applications for rectifications and for giving effect to appeal orders are to be uploaded on the ITBA.
It has been decided to do all the work of rectification and appeal effect on ITBA only.
It is reiterated that taxpayers, for quick processing of their refunds, should provide immediate response to the emails of I-T Department.
A quick response from the taxpayer in this regard would facilitate the I-T Department to process their refunds expeditiously.
Many taxpayers have submitted their responses electronically for rectification, appeal effects or tax credits. These are being attended to in a time bound manner.
All refunds have been issued online and directly into the bank accounts of the taxpayers.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday notified the one-time relaxation for verification of tax return for the Assessment Year 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, which are pending due to non-filing of ITR- V form and processing of such returns.
It has been brought to the notice of CBDT that a large number of electronically filed ITR still remains pending with the Income-Tax Department for want of receipt of a valid ITR-V Form at CPC, Bengaluru from the taxpayers concerned.
In law, consequences of non-filing the ITR-V within the time allowed is significant as such a return is/can be declared Non-est in law. Thereafter, all the consequences for non-filing a tax return, as specified in the Income-tax Act,1961 follow.
“The CBDT, in the exercise of powers under section 119 of the Act, in case of returns for Assessment Years 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 which were uploaded electronically by the taxpayer within the time allowed under section 139 of the Act and which have remained incomplete due to non-submission of ITR-V Form for verification, hereby permits verification of such returns either by sending a duly signed physical copy of ITR-V to CPC, Bengaluru through speed post or through EVC/OTP modes as listed in para 1 above.
Such verification process must be completed by 30.09.2020,” the circular said.
However, the circular clarified that this relaxation shall not apply in those cases, where during the intervening period, the Income Tax Department has already taken recourse to any other measure as specified in the Act for ensuring filing of a tax return by the taxpayer concerned after declaring the return as Non-est.
“CBDT also relaxes the time-frame for issuing the intimation as provided in the second proviso to sub-section (1) of Section 143 of the Act and directs that such returns shall be processed by 31.12.2020 and intimation of processing of such returns shall be sent to the taxpayer concerned as per the laid down procedure.
In refund cases, while determining the interest, provision of section 244A (2) of the Act would apply,” the circular said.
In order to tighten the noose on those who don’t file income tax returns (ITR) despite earning taxable income and discourage cash transactions, the Finance Act 2020 introduced higher TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) rates on cash withdrawals for those who do not file ITR. The rates are applicable from 1 July.
Those who haven’t filed ITR for the past three financial years will have to pay TDS at the rate of 2%, if the amount withdrawn from the bank is above ₹20 lakh but doesn’t exceed ₹1 crore in a financial year. If the amount withdrawn exceeds ₹1 crore, TDS will be deducted at the rate of 5% under Section 194N of the Income-tax Act, 1961, for those who do not file ITR.
However, if you withdraw cash above ₹1 crore in a FY, you will still have to pay TDS whether you file ITR or not. In July 2019, the government, through Section 194N, had first introduced TDS at the rate of 2% on cash withdrawals above ₹1 crore in a financial year. This continues to be applicable.
“It is important to note that TDS shall be required to be deducted only when the aggregate amount of cash withdrawal during the FY by an individual from one or more of his bank accounts exceeds ₹20 lakh or ₹1 crore, as the case may be,” said Parizad Sirwalla, partner and head, global mobility services, tax, KPMG in India.
Further, tax will be deducted only on the amount exceeding the said thresholds. “If the individual withdraws a sum of money on regular intervals, the bank or financial institution will have to deduct TDS from the amount once the total sum withdrawn exceeds the threshold in a FY,” said Sirwalla.
For example, if person A has filed his ITR and if he withdraws cash up to ₹1 crore, then no TDS will be applicable. In case person A withdraws cash, which is more than ₹1 crore, then only 2% TDS will be applicable. If person A has withdrawn ₹1.25 crore in two transaction of ₹75 lakh in and ₹50 lakh, the TDS liability will only be on the excess amount that is ₹25 lakh.
On the other hand, if person B has not filed his ITR for the last three financial years and if he withdraws cash between ₹20 lakh and ₹1 crore, then 2% TDS will be applicable. In case person B withdraws cash which is more than ₹1 crore, then 5% TDS will be applicable.
“In case, the individual does not furnish the PAN to the bank or financial institution, then a TDS at a higher rate of 20% will become applicable,” said Sirwalla.
TDS will be applicable on withdrawals from banks, co-operative banks and post offices. The limit will apply on all accounts in the same bank. So, if you have multiple accounts with the same bank, then TDS will be applicable once you breach the mandatory limit across all the accounts or in any one of the account with the same bank. But for accounts with different banks, the limit will apply separately.
Banks will need to keep track of cash withdrawals and once the limit is breached, they will need to deduct TDS.
“Banks are asking declaration from people to ensure they have filed a return in the past three years or in any one of the last three years. This is done by banks for easier tracking as they wouldn’t know if the person has filed ITR or not,” said Sandeep Sehgal, director, taxes and regulatory, AKM Global.
The purpose of slapping this TDS is to minimize cash transactions and push digital payments.
“The levy is applicable only for large cash withdrawals in excess of ₹20 lakh/100 lakh per annum, as the case may be. The intent is to minimize cash transactions and expand digital payments to enlarge the ambit of organized transactions over time. So if individuals need to avoid this TDS levy, they should ensure that their cash withdrawals are restricted to the bare minimum and that the bulk of their payments happen through banking or digital means,” said Divakar Vijayasarathy, founder and managing partner, DVS Advisors LLP.
In view of the challenges faced by taxpayers in meeting the statutory and regulatory compliance requirements across sectors due to the outbreak of Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19), the Government brought the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020 [the Ordinance] on 31st March, 2020 which, inter alia, extended various time limits.
In order to provide further relief to the taxpayers for making various compliances, the Government has issued a Notification on 24th June, 2020, the salient features of which are as under:
I. The time for filing of original as well as revised income-tax returns for the FY 2018-19 (AY 2019- 20) has been extended to 31st July, 2020.
II. Due date for income tax return for the FY 2019-20 (AY 2020-21) has been extended to 30th November, 2020. Hence, the returns of income which are required to be filed by 31st July, 2020 and 31st October, 2020 can be filed upto 30th November, 2020. Consequently, the date for furnishing tax audit report has also been extended to 31st October, 2020.
III. In order to provide relief to small and middle-class taxpayers, the date for payment of self-assessment tax in the case of a taxpayer whose self-assessment tax liability is upto Rs. 1 lakh has also been extended to 30th November, 2020. However, it is clarified that there will be no extension of date for the payment of self-assessment tax for the taxpayers having self-assessment tax liability exceeding Rs. 1 lakh. In this case, the whole of the self-assessment tax shall be payable by the due dates specified in the Income-tax Act, 1961 (IT Act) and delayed payment would attract interest under section 234A of the IT Act.
IV. The date for making various investment / payment for claiming deduction under Chapter-VIA-B of the IT Act which includes section 80C (LIC, PPF, NSC etc.), 80D (Mediclaim), 80G (Donations) etc. has also been further extended to 31st July, 2020. Hence the investment / payment can be made upto 31st July, 2020 for claiming the deduction under these sections for FY 2019-20.
V. The date for making investment / construction/ purchase for claiming roll over benefit / deduction in respect of capital gains under sections 54 to 54GB of the IT Act has also been further extended to 30th September, 2020. Therefore, the investment / construction/ purchase made up to 30th September, 2020 shall be eligible for claiming deduction from capital gains.
VI. The date for commencement of operation for the SEZ units for claiming deduction under section 10AA of the IT Act has also been further extended to 30th September, 2020 for the units which received necessary approval by 31st March, 2020. VII.
VII. The furnishing of the TDS/ TCS statements and issuance of TDS/ TCS certificates being the prerequisite for enabling the taxpayers to prepare their return of income for FY 2019-20, the date for furnishing of TDS/ TCS statements and issuance of TDS/ TCS certificates pertaining to the FY 2019-20 has been extended to 31st July, 2020 and 15th August, 2020 respectively.
VIII. The date for passing of order or issuance of notice by the authorities and various compliances under various Direct Taxes & Benami Law which are required to be passed/ issued/ made by 31st December, 2020 has been extended to 31st March, 2021. Consequently, the date for linking of Aadhaar with PAN would also be extended to 31st March, 2021.
IX. The reduced rate of interest of 9% for delayed payments of taxes, levies etc. specified in the Ordinance shall not be applicable for the payments made after 30th June, 2020. The Finance Minister has already announced extension of date for making payment without additional amount under the “Vivad Se Vishwas” Scheme to 31st December 2020, necessary legislative amendments for which shall be moved in due course of time. The said Notification has extended the date for the completion or compliance of the actions which are required to be completed under the Scheme by 30th December, 2020 to 31st December, 2020. Therefore, the date of furnishing of declaration, passing of order etc under the Scheme stand extended to 31st December, 2020
Deferment of the implementation of new procedure for approval/ registration/ notification of certain entities u/s 10(23C), 12AA, 35 and 80G of the IT Act has already been announced vide Press Release dated 8th May, 2020 from 1st June, 2020 to 1st October, 2020. It is clarified that the old procedure i.e. pre-amended procedure shall continue to apply during the period from 1st June, 2020 to 30th September, 2020. Necessary legislative amendments in this regard shall be moved in due course of time.
The Finance Minister has already announced reduced rate of TDS for specified non-salaried payments to residents and specified TCS rates by 25% for the period from 14th May, 2020 to 31st March, 2021. The announcement was also followed by the Press Release dated 13th May, 2020. The necessary legislative amendments in this regard shall be moved in due course of time
CBDT notified Income Tax Return forms of FY 2020-21
G.S.R. 338(E).— In exercise of the powers conferred by section 139 read with section 295 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the Central Board of Direct Taxes has made the rules to amend the Income-tax Rules, 1962.
The principal rules were published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (ii) vide notification number S.O. 969(E), dated the 26th March, 1962 and last amended by the Income-tax (11th Amendment) Rules, 2020, vide notification number G.S.R. 329 (E) dated 28.5.2020.
In essence, the following are the key changes:
House ownership: Individual taxpayers who are joint owners of house property cannot file ITR 1 or ITR4.
Passport: One needs to disclose the Passport number if held by the taxpayer. This is to be furnished both in ITR 1-Sahaj and ITR 4-Sugam. Hopefully, it will be made mandatory in other ITR Forms as and when they are notified.
Cash deposit: For those filing ITR 4-Sugam, it has been made compulsory to declare the amount deposited as cash in a bank account, if such amount exceeds Rs 1 crore during the FY.
Foreign travel: If you have spent more than Rs 2 lakh on travelling abroad during the FY, you need to disclose the actual amount spent.
Electricity consumption: If your electricity bills have been more than Rs 1 lakh in aggregate during the FY, you need to disclose the actual amount.
Investment details: Details of investment qualifying for deduction under chapter VIA with bifurcation of details of investment made during the period from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020.
A new schedule ‘Schedule DI’ has been inserted to claim benefit of investment/ deposit/payments made between 01-04-2020 to 30-06-2020 for the previous year 2019-20.