CBDT issues guidelines for compounding of offences

08 Sep 2015 Evaluate

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued guidelines for compounding of offences under Income Tax Act, 1961/Wealth Tax Act, 1957, in cases of persons holding undisclosed foreign bank accounts/assets. CBDT has issued directions to all field formations, including principal chief commissioners, chief commissioners and principal DGs Income-Tax, to compound cases, where an assessee has cooperated fully or partially and paid taxes. The matter was examined in consultation with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money.The compounding exercise will cover cases of Indians, who have bank accounts in HSBC Geneva, Liechtenstein-based LGT Bank and banks based in the British Virgin Islands.

According to the compounding guidelines, the cases in which the assessee has admitted accounts/assets either fully or partially, paid taxes and penalty or cooperated with the department may be considered for compounding only after filing the complaints ,as per the guidelines dated 23.12.2014. CBDT had further clarified with respect to guidelines dated 23.12.2014 that offences may be compounded by the authority on its satisfaction of the eligibility conditions and keeping in view factors such as conduct of the person, nature and magnitude of the offence and facts and circumstances of each case. As per the eligibility conditions for compounding, if the person has paid outstanding tax, interest, penalty, relating to the offence for which compounding has been sought, the person undertakes to pay the compounding charges including the compounding fee, the person undertakes to withdraw appeal filed by him, if any, in case the same has a bearing on the offence sought to be compounded.

Compounding guidelines issued on September 4 clarified that such cases can be compounded only after filing the prosecution complaints and shall not be compounded at the stage of show cause notice and/or without filing the complaint in the court. The CBDT has decided not to compound cases, where assessee has failed to cooperate

It further stated that prosecution instituted under Indian Penal Code, if any, cannot be compounded as per these guidelines. However, Section 321 of Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 provides for withdrawal of such prosecutions. Earlier, field formations had sought clarifications from CBDT whether offences relating to undisclosed foreign bank accounts/assets could be compounded as per the extant guidelines of the Board dated 23.12.2014. The CBDT had then presented new proposal to SIT investigating black money, which in August approved the proposal.

The guidelines highlighted that in the cases where the assessee has not admitted the foreign bank account (s)/assets and/or has not cooperated with the department in the assessment, penalty & recovery proceedings shall not be compounded. Furthermore, the CBDT also clarified that there is no provision for compounding of offences under the newly enacted Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. Consequently, the above clarifications will not apply to cases coming under the purview of this Act. A panel set up by I-T authorities, which will include chief commissioner (central), director-general (investigation) and the commissioner of the zone where the case is being processed, will clear applications for compounding without any intervention by courts.

CBDT issues guidelines for compounding of offences

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