Willful defaults: Amended Finance Bill specifies tax arrest body

ISLAMABAD: A committee comprising the finance minister, the chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the FBR's senior most member would decide about arresting willful tax defaulters involved in concealment of income, ie, non-payment of tax of Rs25 million and above, in case of non-filer, and Rs100 million in case of a filer.

According to the amended Finance Bill 2021 issued Tuesday, where the offence of concealment of income, which has resulted in non-payment of tax of Rs100 million and above in case of a filer and Rs25 million or above in case of non-filer, the procedure provided in Section 203B shall be applicable.

The revised Section 203B (power to arrest and prosecute) says: Where on the basis of material evidence brought on record, as a result of audit conducted by the auditors in terms of sub-section (8) of Section 177 read with Section 214C of the Income Tax Ordinance, an assessment is made or amended under Section 121 or 122 of this Ordinance, as the case may be, and the assessing officer records a finding that the taxpayer has committed the offence of concealment of income, which has resulted in non-payment of tax of Rs100 million and above in case of filer and Rs25 million or above in case of non-filer, the taxpayer may be arrested after obtaining written approval of the committee.

The committee shall comprise the Minister for Finance and Revenue, the chairman of the board and the senior most member of the board.

All arrests made under this Ordinance shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898, it said.

Where any person has committed offence of concealment of income or any other offence warranting prosecution under this Ordinance, the chief commissioner with the prior approval of the board may, either before or after the institution of any proceedings for recovery of tax, compound the offence, if such person pays the amount of tax due along with such default surcharge and penalty as is determined under the provisions of this Ordinance.

Where the person suspected of offence of concealment of income or any offence warranting prosecution under this Ordinance is a company, every director or officer of that company whom the authorised officer has reason to believe is personally responsible for the actions of the company contributing to offence of concealment of income or any offence warranting prosecution under this Ordinance shall be liable to arrest.

Provided that any arrest under this sub-section shall not absolve the company from the liabilities of payment of tax, default surcharge ad penalty imposed under this Ordinance, the amended Finance Bill added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021