Advance upset triggers finmin ire on tax dodge

Not disguising the government’s annoyance with the fact that only 14.6 lakh tax payers including individuals and companies have reported annual income above R10 lakh in assessment year 2012-13, revenue secretary Sumit Bose said: “Any fair-minded person will agree that this is a gross under-statement.”

This low figure is despite the fact that about 4.6 lakh companies, 5 lakh non-corporate bodies such as partnerships and 68.6 lakh others including salaried individuals, Hindu Undivided Families and professionals had filed returns last fiscal. Assessees are supposed to pay annual tax liability by way of advance tax by specified dates. Individuals have to pay in three installments and companies in four. The third installment for corporates and the second for all others are due on December 15. Salaried employees usually do not pay advance tax as tax is deducted at source and they usually do not have other sources of income.

Bose said the government would urge all assessees to disclose their true income. “There is no advantage in suppressing the true income or avoiding paying income tax that is due because, sooner than later, the information available with the Income Tax Department will lead the department to the doors of such persons,” the revenue secretary stated. He said there is an opportunity to rectify the mistake for those who

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