✅Compliance relief to the taxpayers due to Covid-19 Pandemic
In view of the challenges faced by taxpayers in meeting the statutory and regulatory compliance requirements across sectors due to the outbreak of Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19), the Government brought the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020 [the Ordinance] on 31st March, 2020 which, inter alia, extended various time limits. In order to provide further relief to the taxpayers for making various compliances, the CBDT has issued a Notification 35/2020 on 24th June, 2020. Here is the full text of the notification:
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(Department of Revenue)
(CENTRAL BOARD OF DIRECT TAXES)
Notification No. 35/2020
New Delhi, the 24th June, 2020
TAXATION AND OTHER LAWS
S.O. 2033(E).– In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020 (2 of 2020) (hereinafter referred to as the Ordinance), the Central Government hereby specifies , for the purposes of the said sub-section (1),‑
(i) the 31st day of December, 2020 shall be the end date of the period during which the time limit specified in, or prescribed or notified under, the specified Act falls for the completion or compliance of such action as specified under the said sub-section; and(ii) the 31st day of March, 2021 shall be the end date to which the time limit for completion or compliance of such action shall stand extended:
Provided 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 end date shall be extended to the 31st day of July, 2020*;
* ITR due date for the AY 2019-20 further extended to 30th November 2020
(b) 1st day of April, 2020, the end date shall be extended to the 30th day of November, 2020**;
(ii) delivering of statement of deduction of tax at source under sub-section (2A) of section 200 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 315t day of March, 2020, as the case may be, the end date shall be extended to the 15th day of July, 2020;
(iii) delivering of statement of deduction of tax at source under sub-section (3) of section 200 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 end date shall be extended to the 31st day of July, 2020;
(iv) furnishing of certificate under section 203 thereof in respect of deduction or payment of tax under section 192 of that Act for the financial year 2019-20, the end date shall be extended to the 15th day of August, 2020;
(v) section 54 or 54GB referred to in item (I) of sub-clause (i) of clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Ordinance or sub-clause (ii) of the said clause, the end date in respect of the time limit for the completion or compliance and the end date for making the said completion or compliance, shall be the 29th day of September, 2020 and the 30th day of September, 2020 respectively;
(vi) any provisions of Chapter VI-A under the heading “B.- Deductions in respect of certain payments” thereof, referred to in item (I) of sub-clause (i) of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Ordinance, the end date in respect of the time limit for the completion or compliance and the end date for making the said completion or compliance, shall be the 30th day of July, 2020 and the 31st day of July, 2020 respectively; and
(vii) furnishing of report of audit under any provision thereof for the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2020, the end date shall be extended to the 31st day of October, 2020:
Provided further that the extension of the date as referred to in sub-clause (b) of clause (i) of the first proviso shall not apply to Explanation 1 to section 234A of the Income-tax Act, 1961 in cases where the amount of tax on the total income as reduced by the clauses (i) to (vi) of sub-section (1) of the said section exceeds one lakh rupees :
Provided also that where the specified Act is the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Act, 2020, the 30th day of December, 2020 shall be the end date of the period during which the time limit specified in, or prescribed or notified thereunder falls for the completion or compliance of the action and the 31st day of December, 2020 shall be the end date to which the time limit for completion or compliance of such action shall stand extended.
2. This notification shall come into force from the 30th day of June, 2020.
[Notification No. 35/2020/ F. No. 370142/23/2020-TPL]