Notable Changes in Form 15CA and 15CB

The CBDT has amended Rule 37 BB of the Income-tax Rules and made notable changes which are as under:

i. No Form 15CA and 15CB will be required to be furnished by an individual for remittance which do not requiring RBI approval under its LRS.

ii. Further the list of payments of specified nature mentioned in Rule 37 BB which do not require submission of Forms 15CA and 15CB has been expanded from 28 to 33 including payments for imports. 

iii. A CA certificate in Form No. 15CB will be required to be furnished only in respect of such payments made to non-residents which are chargeable to tax and the amount of payment during the year exceeds Rs. 5 lakh.

The furnishing of information for payment to a non-resident, not being a company, or to a foreign company in Form 15CA has been classified into 4 parts- Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D, wherein:

Part A

Where the remittance is chargeable to tax under the provisions of the Income-tax Act,1961 and the remittance or the aggregate of such remittances does not exceed five lakh rupees during the financial year. 

Part B

Where the remittance is chargeable to tax under the provisions of the Income-tax Act,1961 and the remittance or the aggregate of such remittances does not exceed five lakh rupees during the financial year and an order/ certificate u/s 195(2)/ 195(3)/ 197 of Income-tax Act has been obtained from the Assessing Officer.

Part C

Where remittance is chargeable to tax under the provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961 and the remittance or the aggregate of such remittances exceeds five lakh rupees during the financial year and a certificate in Form No. 15CB from an accountant as defined in the Explanation below sub-section (2) of section 288 has been obtained.

Part D

Where the remittance is not chargeable to tax under the provisions of the Income-tax Act,1961 {other than payments referred to in rule 37BB(3)} by the person referred to in rule 37BB(2).

Notification is as follows:-

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE)
(CENTRAL BOARD OF DIRECT TAXES)
NOTIFICATION No. 93/2015
New Delhi, the 16th December, 2015
INCOME-TAX

G.S.R. 978(E).- In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (6) of section 195 read with section 295 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the Central Board of Direct Taxes hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Income-tax Rules, 1962, namely:-

1. (1) These rules may be called the Income-tax (21st Amendment) Rules, 2015.

(2) They shall come into force on the 1st day of April, 2016.

2. In the Income-tax Rules, 1962 (hereafter referred to as the said rules), for rule 37BB, the following rule shall be substituted, namely:-

“37BB. Furnishing of information for payment to a non-resident, not being a company, or to a foreign company.- (1) The person responsible for paying to a non-resident, not being a company, or to a foreign company, any sum chargeable under the provisions of the Act, shall furnish the following, namely:-

(i) the information in Part A of Form No.15CA, if the amount of payment or the aggregate of such payments, as the case may be, made during the financial year does not exceed five lakh rupees;

(ii) for payments other than the payments referred in clause (i), the information,-

(a) in Part B of Form No.15CA after obtaining,-

(I) a certificate from the Assessing Officer under section 197; or

(II) an order from the Assessing Officer under sub-section (2) or sub-section (3) of section 195;

(b) in Part C of Form No.15CA after obtaining a certificate in Form No. 15CB from an accountant as defined in the Explanation below sub-section (2) of section 288.

(2) The person responsible for paying to a non-resident, not being a company, or to a foreign company, any sum which is not chargeable under the provisions of the Act, shall furnish the information in Part D of Form No.15CA.

(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (2), no information is required to be furnished for any sum which is not chargeable under the provisions of the Act, if,-

(i) the remittance is made by an individual and it does not require prior approval of Reserve Bank of India as per the provisions of section 5 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999) read with Schedule III to the Foreign Exchange (Current Account Transaction) Rules, 2000; or

(ii) the remittance is of the nature specified in column (3) of the specified list below:

SPECIFIED LIST

(4) The information in Form No. 15CA shall be furnished,-

(i) electronically under digital signature in accordance with the procedures, formats and standards specified by the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) under sub-rule (8) and thereafter printout of the said form shall be submitted to the authorised dealer, prior to remitting the payment; or

(ii) electronically in accordance with the procedures, formats and standards specified by the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) under sub-rule (8) and thereafter signed printout of the said form shall be submitted to the authorised dealer, prior to remitting the payment.

(5) An income-tax authority may require the authorised dealer to furnish the signed printout of Form No.15CA referred to in clause (ii) of sub-rule (4) for the purposes of any proceedings under the Act.

(6) The certificate in Form No. 15CB shall be furnished and verified electronically in accordance with the procedures, formats and standards specified by the Principal Director-General of Income-tax (Systems) under sub-rule (8).

(7) The authorised dealer shall furnish a quarterly statement for each quarter of the financial year in Form No.15CC to the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) or the person authorised by the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) electronically under digital signature within fifteen days from the end of the quarter of the financial year to which such statement relates in accordance with the procedures, formats and standards specified by the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) under sub-rule (8).

(8) The Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) shall specify the procedures, formats and standards for the purposes of furnishing and verification of Form 15CA, Form 15CB and Form 15CC and shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration in relation to the furnishing and verification of information, certificate and quarterly statement in accordance with the provisions of sub-rules (4), (6) and (7).

Explanation.- For the purposes of this rule ‘authorised dealer’ means a person authorised as an authorised dealer under sub-section (1) of section 10 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999).”.

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