Increased focus on E-assessments to avoid tax evasion
The Government’s focus on e-assessments is an effort to use information technology to effectively assess tax returns and fix tax compliance issues. The new income tax return (ITR) forms for financial year (FY) 2017-18 attempts to digitally collect as much information as possible, to process the tax returns efficiently.
Tenant’s PAN mandatory
The new ITR-2 form requires tax payers to furnish the PAN of the tenant while providing details of income from house property, if available. Providing this detail was optional till FY 2016-17. This move should give more data to the Revenue Authorities to enable them to reconcile the PAN of the tenant and the landlord, where an exemption for House Rent Allowance (HRA) is claimed, since employees need to furnish PAN of their landlord to the employer.
The new forms also requires the PAN of the tenant to be furnished (in the TDS Schedule) by landlords, since individual tenants paying rent in excess of Rs 50,000 are required to deduct tax at source from FY 2017-18 onwards.
New ITR-1 (Sahaj) only for Ordinary Resident Of india
Similar to last year, Form ITR-1 (Sahaj) can be filed by individual taxpayers who have Income from salaries, one house property, other sources (interest etc.) and whose income is less than Rs 50 lakh. This is a simplified form, but can be used only by an Ordinary Resident (OR) in India. By removing Non-Resident (NR) and Not Ordinarily Resident (NOR) taxpayers from the scope of ITR-1, the Revenue Authorities have made sure that all the returns filed under ITR-1 are simple and have the same scope of income. This should help the authorities process these returns faster.
Additional details required in ITR -1- on ‘Income from Salaries’ and ‘Income from House Property’
The new ITR-1 seeks additional details on ‘Income from Salaries’ and ‘Income from House Property’ which were not required to be furnished last year. Tax payers would now be required to provide the breakup of salary, for example taxable allowances, value of perquisites, deduction for professional tax etc., and details of income from house property such as gross rent received, tax paid on property, interest payable etc. This would give a better picture of how income from these heads have been computed.
New ITR form Like ITR-2 and ITR-3
The new ITR-2 form can be used by individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) who do not have any income from business or profession, unlike last year where information regarding partnership firm could be furnished in ITR-2 itself. This change has separated the taxpayers with any kind of income from business or profession, who would now be required to file either form ITR-3 or ITR-4-Sugam, which require extensive details to be furnished. Individuals qualifying as NR can receive their refund in a foreign bank account, by providing the details of any one foreign bank account in the new ITR-2 form, which specifically mentions the same.
Required to fill Schedule Foreign Assets
Applicability Of Schedule Foreign Assets: If an individual (not being a citizen of India) is in India for a business purpose, employment or student visa purposes and he acquires any asset during the previous year in which he was a non-resident, such asset shall not be required to be reported in Schedule FA – details of foreign assets and income if no income is derived from that asset during the current previous year. That means the requirement to fulfill schedule FA is only for Resident Indian who is having Income from any sources outside India, or signing authority in any account located outside India.
Report in Schedule ICDS?
Earlier there was two accounting standard for Income tax purpose:
- Method of Accounting
- Method of Valuation Of Stock
But from Current Assessment year 2017-18 Department introduced some new
Accounting standards and impact of these standards has to be disclosed by assessee while uploading return in schedule ICDS.
Effect of Income Computation Disclosure Standards on Profit (Reporting Under Schedule ICDS):
- Accounting Policies
- Valuation of Inventory
- Construction Contract
- Revenue Recognition
- Tangible Fixed Assets
- Change in Foreign Exchange Rates
- Government Grants
- Securities
- Borrowing Cost
- Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets
Penalty for belated ITR
As per the Finance Act 2017, taxpayers would need to pay a fee of Rs 5,000, if their tax return is filed after the due date (i.e., 31 July) and before 31 December of the subsequent FY. The fee payable would be Rs 10,000 if the tax return is filed after 31 December of the subsequent FY. The new ITRs have appropriate space to capture this information wherever applicable. Taxpayers should be mindful of this change, as till FY 2016-17, there was no fee payable for delay in filing of tax return till the end of the subsequent FY (i.e., 31 March). This would ensure that tax returns are filed in a timely manner and the Revenue Authorities have adequate time to process the same.
Person signing the tax return needs to declare in what capacity he is filing the tax return,
Verification in the new ITR forms have added a new line, where the person signing the tax return needs to declare in what capacity he is filing the tax return and that he is competent to prepare the return and verify it. This puts more onus on persons preparing and filing the tax return by ensuring that they confirm the information submitted through the tax return. The previous forms only asked taxpayers to verify that the information submitted through the tax return is correct.
Disclaimer: The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances; before making any decisions do consult your Professional / tax advisor. For misrepresentation or interpretation of act or rules Author does not take any responsibility. Neither the author nor the firm accepts any liability for the loss or damage of any kind arising out of information in this document or for any action taken in reliance there on. carajput.com is committed to helping entrepreneurs and small business owners to start, manage and grow their business with peace of mind. Our goal is to support the entrepreneur on legal and regulatory requirements and to be a partner throughout the entire business life cycle, offering support to the company at every stage to ensure that it is compliant and consistently growing. Hope the information will assist you in your Professional endeavors. For query or help, contact: info@carajput.com or call at 09811322785/4 9555 5555 480)