D.—Collection and recovery
When tax payable and when
assessee deemed in default.
74220. (1) Any amount, otherwise than by way of advance tax, specified as payable
in a notice of demand under section 156 shall be
paid within 75[thirty] days of the service of the notice at the place and to the
person mentioned in the notice :
Provided that, where the 76[Assessing] Officer has any 77reason to believe that it will be 77detrimental to revenue if the full period of 78[thirty] days aforesaid is allowed, he may,
with the previous approval of the 79[Joint Commissioner], direct that the sum specified in the notice of
demand shall be paid within such period being a period less than the period of 80[thirty] days aforesaid, as may be specified
by him in the notice of demand.
81(2) If the amount specified in any notice of
demand under section 156 is not paid within the
period limited under sub-section (1), the assessee shall be liable to pay
simple interest at 82[83[one] per cent for every month or part of a month comprised in the
period commencing from the day immediately following the end of the period
mentioned in sub-section (1) and ending with the day on which the amount is
paid :]
84[Provided that, where as a result of an
order under section 154, or section 155, or section 250,
or section 254, or section
260, or section 262, or section 264 85[or an order of the Settlement Commission under sub-section (4) of section 245D], the amount on which interest was
payable under this section had been reduced, the interest shall be reduced
accordingly and the excess interest paid, if any, shall be refunded :]
85[Provided further that in respect of
any period commencing on or before the 31st day of March, 1989 and ending after
that date, such interest shall, in respect of so much of such period as falls
after that date, be calculated at the rate of one and one-half per cent, for
every month or part of a month.]
86[(2A) Notwithstanding anything contained in
sub-section (2), 87[the 88[Chief Commissioner or Commissioner] may] reduce or waive the amount of
interest 89[paid or] payable by an assessee under the said sub-section if 90[he is satisfied] that—
(i) payment of such amount 91[has caused or] would cause genuine hardship
to the assessee ;
(ii) default in the payment of the amount on which
interest 91[has been paid or] was payable under the said sub-section was due to
circumstances beyond the control of the assessee ; and
(iii) the assessee has co-operated in any inquiry
relating to the assessment or any proceeding for the recovery of any amount due
from him.]
(3) Without prejudice to the provisions
contained in sub-section (2)92, on an application made by the assessee before the expiry of the due
date under sub-section (1), the 93[Assessing] Officer may extend the time for payment or allow payment by
instalments, subject to such conditions as he may think fit to impose in the
circumstances of the case.
(4) If the amount is not paid within the time
limited under sub-section (1) or extended under sub-section (3), as the case
may be, at the place and to the person mentioned in the said notice the
assessee shall be deemed to be in default.
(5) If, in a case where payment by instalments
is allowed under sub-section (3), the assessee commits defaults in paying any
one of the instalments within the time fixed under that sub-section, the
assessee shall be deemed to be in default as to the whole of the amount then
outstanding, and the other instalment or instalments shall be deemed to have
been due on the same date as the instalment actually in default.
(6) Where an assessee has presented an appeal
under section 246 94[or section 246A]
the 95[Assessing] Officer may, in his discretion and subject to such
conditions as he may think fit to impose in the circumstances of the case,
treat the assessee as not being in default in respect of the amount in dispute
in the appeal, even though the time for payment has expired, as long as such
appeal remains undisposed of.
(7) Where an assessee has been assessed in
respect of income arising outside India in a country the laws of which prohibit
or restrict the remittance of money to India, the 95[Assessing] Officer shall not treat the
assessee as in default in respect of that part of the tax which is due in
respect of that amount of his income which, by reason of such prohibition or restriction,
cannot be brought into India, and shall continue to treat the assessee as not
in default in respect of such part of the tax until the prohibition or
restriction is removed.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, income shall be deemed to have been
brought into India if it has been utilised or could have been utilised for the
purposes of any expenditure actually incurred by the assessee outside India or
if the income, whether capitalised or not, has been brought into India in any
form.