Q.2 An assessee was having a total Income from Salary Rs25000/- for AY 2008-09 and had not filed any return but due to Assessment Order U/s147 Return is filed now. ITO has charged Interest U/s234A. Is he liable for Interest?
Ans: Where no return of income has been furnished by an assessee , although the total income exceeds taxable limit [income escaping assessment], the Assessing Officer will pass an Assessment order u/s 147 by issuing a notice u/s 148. The notice can be issued up to 4 years from the end of the relevant assessment year if the escaped income is of any amount or beyond 4 years but up to 6 years from the end of relevant AY if the escaped income is100000 or more.
The tax shall be chargeable at the rate at which it would have been charged had the income not escaped assessment.
The questioner has played with the question. It depend on us how to answer the question. Either we can take taxable income including other head income or simply salary as assessee’s total income giving suitable provisions.
If an assessment is made u/s 147, the assessee cannot be made liable to pay interest for period during which it was not possible on part of assessee to file return till issuance of notice u/s 148(i.e. after the expiry of one year from the end of the assessment till notice is issued under section 148).
However interest will be payable at the rate of 1% per month(or part thereof) for the period of default. The period of default commences on the date immediately following the expiry of time given by notice u/s 148 and ends on the date of furnishing the return. Interest is payable on the amount by which the tax on the total income as reassessed exceeds the tax on the total income determined on the basis of the earlier assessment.