Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Act, 2020

MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE
(Legislative Department)

New Delhi, the 29th September, 2020/Asvina 7, 1942 (Saka)

The following Act of Parliament received the assent of the President on the 29th September, 2020 and is hereby published for general information:—

THE TAXATION AND OTHER LAWS (RELAXATION AND AMENDMENT OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS) ACT, 2020

No. 38 OF 2020

[29th September, 2020.]

AN Act to provide for relaxation and amendment of provisions of certain Acts and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventy-first Year of the Republic of India as follows:—

CHAPTER I

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commence­ment.

1.  (1) This Act may be called the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Act, 2020.

(2) Save as otherwise provided, it shall be deemed to have come into force on the 31st day of March, 2020.

Definitions.

2.  (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a) “notification” means the notification published in the Official Gazette;

(b) “specified Act” means‑

(i) the Wealth-tax Act, 1957;

(ii) the Income-tax Act, 1961;

(iii)    the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988;

(iv)    Chapter VII of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2004;

(v)   Chapter VII of the Finance Act, 2013;

(vi)      the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015;

(vii) Chapter VIII of the Finance Act, 2016; or

(viii) the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Act, 2020.

(2) The words and expressions used herein and not defined, but defined in the specified Act, the Central Excise Act,1944, the Customs Act, 1962, the Customs Tariff Act,1975 or the Finance Act,1994, as the case may be, shall have the same meaning respectively assigned to them in that Act.

CHAPTER II
RELAXATION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF SPECIFIED ACT

Relaxation of certain provisions of specified Act.

3. (1) Where, any time-limit has been specified in, or prescribed or notified under, the specified Act which falls during the period from the 20th day of March, 2020 to the 31st day of December, 2020, or such other date after the 31st day of December, 2020, as the Central Government may, by notification, specify in this behalf, for the completion or compliance of such action as

(a)      completion of any proceeding or passing of any order or issuance of any notice, intimation, notification, sanction or approval, or such other action, by whatever name called, by any authority, commission or tribunal, by whatever name called, under the provisions of the specified Act; or

(b)  filing of any appeal, reply or application or furnishing of any report, document, return or statement or such other record, by whatever name called, under the provisions of the specified Act; or

(c) in case where the specified Act is the Income-tax Act, 1961,­                                                          .

(i)    making of investment, deposit, payment, acquisition, purchase, construction or such other action, by whatever name called, for the purposes of claiming any deduction, exemption or allowance under the provisions contained in

(I) sections 54 to 54GB, or under any provisions of Chapter VI-A under the heading “B.—Deductions in respect of certain payments” thereof; or

(II) such other provisions of that Act, subject to fulfilment of such conditions, as the Central Government may, by notification, specify; or

(ii)  beginning of manufacture or production of articles or things or providing any services referred to in section 10AA of that Act, in a case where the letter of approval, required to be issued in accordance with the provisions of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, has been issued on or before the 31st day     28 of 2005.
of March, 2020,

and where completion or compliance of such action has not been made within such time, then, the time-limit for completion or compliance of such action shall, notwithstanding anything contained in the specified Act, stand extended to the 31st day of March, 2021, or such other date after the 31st day of March, 2021, as the Central Government may, by notification, specify in this behalf:

Provided that the Central Government may specify different dates for completion or compliance of different actions:

Provided further that such action shall not include payment of any amount as is referred to in sub-section (2):

Provided also that where the specified Act is the Income-tax Act, 1961 and the compliance relates to‑

(i) furnishing of return under section 139 thereof, for the assessment year commencing on the

(a)     1st day of April, 2019, the provision of this sub-section shall have the effect as if for the figures, letters and words “31st day of March, 2021”, the figures, letters and words “30th day of September, 2020” had been substituted;

(b)     1st day of April, 2020, the provision of this sub-section shall have the effect as if for the figures, letters and words “31st day of March, 2021”, the figures, letters and words “30th day of November, 2020” had been substituted;

(ii) delivering of statement of deduction of tax at source under sub-section (2A) of section 200 of that Act or statement of collection of tax at source under sub-section (3A) of section 206C thereof for the month of February or March, 2020, or for the quarter ending on the 31st day of March, 2020, as the case may be, the provision of this sub-section shall have the effect as if for the figures, letters and words “31st day of March, 2021”, the figures, letters and words “15th day of July, 2020” had been substituted;

(iii)      delivering of statement of deduction of tax at source under sub-section (3) of section 200 of that Act or statement of collection of tax at source under proviso to sub-section (3) of section 206C thereof for the month of February or March, 2020, or for the quarter ending on the 31st day of March, 2020, as the case may be, the provision of this sub-section shall have the effect as if for the figures, letters and words “31st day of March, 2021”, the figures, letters and words “31st day of July, 2020” had been substituted;

(iv)      furnishing of certificate under section 203 of that Act in respect of deduction or payment of tax under section 192 thereof for the financial year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2019, the provision of this sub-section shall have the effect as if for the figures, letters and words “31st day of March, 2021”, the figures, letters and words “15th day of August, 2020” had been substituted;

(v) sections 54 to 54GB of that Act, referred to in item (I) of sub-clause (i) of clause (c), or sub-clause (ii) of the said clause, the provision of this sub­section shall have the effect as if

(a)     for the figures, letters and words “31st day of December, 2020”, the figures, letters and words “29th day of September, 2020” had been substituted for the time-limit for the completion or compliance; and

(b)     for the figures, letters and words “31st day of March, 2021”, the figures, letters and words “30th day of September, 2020” had been substituted for making such completion or compliance;

(vi) any provisions of Chapter VI-A under the heading “B.— Deductions in respect of certain payments” of that Act, referred to in item (I) of sub-clause (i) of clause (c), the provision of this sub-section shall have the effect as if‑

(a)     for the figures, letters and words “31st day of December, 2020”, the figures, letters and words “30th day of July, 2020” had been substituted for the time-limit for the completion or compliance; and

(b)     for the figures, letters and words “31st day of March, 2021”, the figures, letters and words “31st day of July, 2020” had been substituted for making such completion or compliance;

(vii) furnishing of report of audit under any provision thereof for the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2020, the provision of this sub-section shall have the effect as if for the figures, letters and words “31st day of March, 2021”, the figures, letters and words “31st day of October, 2020” had been substituted:

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