Chartered Accountant
1375 Points
Joined August 2012
Shivani, Thats a good question you've raised here.
Can employer postope his TDS liability by simply not paying salary to its employees?
Firstly, section 192 is the one section for TDS where deductibility of tax at source solely depends on the date of payment. The date of credit (Accrual) has no relevance for TDS on Salaries.
Secondly, I have read some answers above quoting section 15(a) & (b) for arriving at conclusion that TDS on salaries is based on accrual or payment whichever is earlier. Well, I dont think that is right. Section 15 is a section governing the Computation of Total Income by Assessee. It has no role to play in determining the TDS liability u/s 192.
On a conclusive note, you seem to be right in saying that the employer can postpone his TDS liability by delaying the payment of salary.
Practically, I would say that delaying the payment of salaries to employees is the last thing an employer would want to do, since it would adversely affect the morale of employees and thereby ultimately affecting the performance of company. All for a meagre savings on TDS remittance which would not give him any significant returns.
But the final point is TDS need be made only at the time of payment.