Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015

Procedure to be followed in appeal (1) The Commissioner (Appeals) shall fix a date and place for the hearing of the appeal, and shall give notice of the same to the appellant and the Assessing Officer against whose order the appeal is preferred. (2) The following shall have the right to be heard at the hearing of the appeal, namely:— (a) the appellant, either in person or by an authorised representative; (b) the Assessing Officer, either in person or by a representative. (3) The Commissioner (Appeals) may adjourn the hearing of the appeal whenever he considers it necessary or expedient to do so. (4) The Commissioner (Appeals) may, before disposing of any appeal, make such further inquiry as he thinks fit. (5) The Commissioner (Appeals) may, during the proceedings before him, direct the Assessing Officer to make an inquiry and report to him on the points arising out of any question of law or fact. (6) The Commissioner (Appeals) may, at the hearing of an appeal, allow the appellant to go into any ground of appeal not specified in the grounds of appeal, if the Commissioner (Appeals) is satisfied that the omission was not wilful or unreasonable. (7) The order of the Commissioner (Appeals) disposing of the appeal shall be in writing and shall state the points for determination, the decision thereon and the reasons therefor. (8) Every appeal preferred under section 15 shall be heard and disposed of by the Commissioner (Appeals) as expeditiously as possible and endeavour shall be made to dispose of such appeal within a period of one year from the end of the financial year in which the appeal is preferred. (9) On the disposal of the appeal, the Commissioner (Appeals) shall communicate the order passed by him to the assessee and to the Principal Chief Commissioner or the Chief Commissioner or the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner.

Appeals to the Commissioner (Appeals) (1) Any person, – (a) objecting to the amount of tax on undisclosed foreign income and asset for which he is assessed by the Assessing Officer; or (b) denying his liability to be assessed under this Act; or (c) objecting to any penalty imposed by the Assessing Officer; or (d) objecting to an order of rectification having the effect of enhancing the assessment or reducing the refund; or (e) objecting to an order refusing to allow the claim made by the assessee for a rectification under section 12, may appeal to the Commissioner (Appeals). (2) Every appeal shall be filed in such form and verified in such manner and be accompanied by a fee as may be prescribed. (3) An appeal shall be presented within a period of thirty days from— (a) the date of service of the notice of demand relating to the assessment or penalty, or (b) the date on which the intimation of the order sought to be appealed against is served in any other case. (4) The Commissioner (Appeals) may admit an appeal after the expiration of the period referred to in sub-section (3)— (a) if he is satisfied that the appellant had sufficient cause for not presenting it within that period; and (b) the delay in preferring the appeal does not exceed a period of one year. (5) The Commissioner (Appeals) shall hear and determine the appeal and, subject to the provisions of this Act, pass such orders as he thinks fit and such orders may include an order enhancing the assessment or penalty: Provided that an order enhancing the assessment or penalty shall not be made unless the assessee has been given a reasonable opportunity of being heard.

Direct assessment or recovery not barred Nothing in this Chapter shall prevent either the direct assessment of the person on whose behalf or for whose benefit the undisclosed income from a source located outside India is receivable or undisclosed asset located outside India is held, or the recovery from such person of the tax or any other sum of money payable in respect of such income and asset.

Notice of demand Any sum payable in consequence of any order made under this Act shall be demanded by a tax authority by serving upon the assessee a notice of demand in such form and manner as may be prescribed.

Rectification of mistake (1) A tax authority may amend any order passed by it under this Act so as to rectify any mistake apparent from the record. (2) No amendment under this section shall be made after a period of four years from the end of the financial year in which the order sought to be amended was passed. (3) The tax authority shall not make any amendment, which has the effect of enhancing the undisclosed foreign income and asset or reducing a refund or otherwise increasing the liability of the assessee, unless the authority concerned has given to the assessee an opportunity of being heard. (4) The tax authority concerned may make an amendment under this section— (a) on its own motion; or (b) on an application made to it by the assessee or, as the case may be, by the Assessing Officer. (5) Any application received by the tax authority for amendment of an order shall be decided within a period of six months from the end of the month in which such application is received by it. (6) In a case where the order has been made in an appeal or revision, the power of the tax authority to amend the order shall be restricted to matters other than those decided in appeal or revision.

Time limit for completion of assessment and reassessment (1) No order of assessment or reassessment shall be made under section 10 after the expiry of two years from the end of the financial year in which the notice under sub-section (1) of section 10 was issued by the Assessing Officer. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), an order of fresh assessment in pursuance of an order passed under section 18 setting aside or cancelling an assessment, may be made at any time before the expiry of the period of two years from the end of the financial year in which the order under section 18 is received by the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner. (3) The provisions of sub-section (1) shall not apply to the assessment or reassessment made in consequence of, or to give effect to, any finding or direction contained in an order under section 15 or section 18 or section 19 or section 22 of this Act or in an order of any court in a proceeding otherwise than by way of appeal under this Act and such assessment or reassessment may, subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), be completed at any time, before the expiry of the period of two years from the end of the financial year in which such order is received by the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner. Explanation 1.— In computing the period of limitation for the purpose of this section—   (i) the time taken in reopening the whole or any part of the proceeding; or  (ii) the period during which the assessment proceeding is stayed by an order or injunction of any court; or (iii) the period commencing from the date on which a reference or first of the references for exchange of information is made by an authority competent under an agreement referred to in section 90 or section 90A of the Income-tax Act or under section 73 of this Act and ending with the date on which the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner last receives, the information so requested or a period of one year, whichever is less, shall be excluded: Provided that where immediately after the exclusion of the aforesaid time or period, the period of limitation referred to in sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) available to the Assessing Officer for making an order of assessment or reassessment, as the case may be, is less than sixty days, such remaining period shall be extended to sixty days and the aforesaid period of limitation shall be deemed to be extended accordingly. Explanation 2.—Where, by an order referred to in sub-section (3), any undisclosed foreign income and asset is excluded from the total undisclosed foreign income and asset for an assessment year in respect of an assessee, then, an assessment of such undisclosed foreign income and asset for another assessment year shall, for the purposes of section 10 and this section, be deemed to be one made in consequence of, or to give effect to, any finding or direction contained in the said order.

Assessment (1) For the purposes of making an assessment or reassessment under this Act, the Assessing Officer may, on receipt of an information from an income-tax authority under the Income-tax Act or any other authority under any law for the time being in force or on coming of any information to his notice, serve on any person, a notice requiring him on a date to be specified to produce or cause to be produced such accounts or documents or evidence as the Assessing Officer may require for the purposes of this Act and may, from time to time, serve further notices requiring the production of such other accounts or documents or evidence as he may require. (2) The Assessing Officer may make such inquiry, as he considers necessary, for the purpose of obtaining full information in respect of undisclosed foreign income and asset of any person for the relevant financial year or years. (3) The Assessing Officer, after considering such accounts, documents or evidence, as he has obtained under sub-section (1), and after taking into account any relevant material which he has gathered under sub-section (2) and any other evidence produced by the assessee, shall by an order in writing, assess 3[or reassess] the undisclosed foreign income and asset and determine the sum payable by the assessee. (4) If any person fails to comply with all the terms of the notice under sub-section (1), the Assessing Officer shall, after taking into account all the relevant material which he has gathered and after giving the assessee an opportunity of being heard, make the assessment 3[or reassessment] of undisclosed foreign income and asset to the best of his judgment and determine the sum payable by the assessee.

Proceedings before tax authorities to be judicial proceedings (1) Any proceeding under this Act before a tax authority shall be deemed to be a judicial proceeding within the meaning of section 193 and section 228 and for the purposes of section 196 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860). (2) Every tax authority shall be deemed to be a civil court for the purposes of section 195, but not for the purposes of Chapter XXVI of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).

Powers regarding discovery and production of evidence (1) The prescribed tax authorities shall, for the purposes of this Act, have the same powers as are vested in a court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), while trying a suit in respect of the following matters, namely:— (a) discovery and inspection; (b) enforcing the attendance of any person, including any officer of a banking company and examining him on oath; (c) compelling the production of books of account and other documents; and (d) issuing commissions. (2) For the purposes of making any inquiry or investigation, the prescribed tax authority shall be vested with the powers referred to in sub-section (1), whether or not any proceedings are pending before it. (3) Any tax authority prescribed for the purposes of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) may, subject to the rules made in this behalf, impound any books of account or other documents produced before it and retain them in its custody for such period as it thinks fit. (4) Any tax authority below the rank of Commissioner shall not— (a) impound any books of account or other documents without recording his reasons for doing so; or (b) retain in his custody any such books or documents for a period exceeding thirty days without obtaining the approval of the Principal Chief Commissioner or the Chief Commissioner or the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner.

Change of incumbent (1) The tax authority who succeeds another authority as a result of change in jurisdiction or for any other reason, shall continue the proceedings from the stage at which it was left by his predecessor. (2) The assessee in such a case may be given an opportunity of being heard, if he so requests in writing, before passing any order in his case.