The tax laws cast on an employer the responsibility for calculating the tax payable by each employee on his income which needs to be deducted at source while paying salary every month. In the computation of taxable amount, several deductions and rebates have to be incorporated while determining the tax which has to be withheld from the salary of each employee.
In large organisations employing thousands of persons, a full-fledged department has to be set-up which virtually has to do the work of the Income Tax Department. Since employees are eligible to claim deduction and rebates permitted under various sections of the law, the question which generally arises is whether the employer can base the tax calculation for each employee on a claim or declaration made by an employee in respect of the rebates which he is entitled to claim under the law.
It is well-nigh impossible for an employer to scrutinise the documents, receipts and other pieces of evidence. Most companies and employers take a written statementor declaration signed by each employee who claims that he has made certain investments, for example, in the Public Provident Fund, National Savings Certificate, or has paid premium to Life Insurance Corporation or any other expenditure which qualifies for the rebate under Section 88 of the Income Tax Act, 1961.