Section 234C of Income Tax Act 1961

(1) Where in any financial year,—

(a) an assessee, other than the assessee referred to in clause (b), who is liable to pay advance tax under section 208 has failed to pay such tax or—

  (i) the advance tax paid by such assessee on its current income on or before the 15th day of June is less than fifteen per cent of the tax due on the returned income or the amount of such advance tax paid on or before the 15th day of September is less than forty-five per cent of the tax due on the returned income or the amount of such advance tax paid on or before the 15th day of December is less than seventy-five per cent of the tax due on the returned income, then, the assessee shall be liable to pay simple interest at the rate of one per cent per month for a period of three months on the amount of the shortfall from fifteen per cent or forty-five per cent or seventy-five per cent, as the case may be, of the tax due on the returned income;

 (ii) the advance tax paid by the assessee on the current income on or before the 15th day of March is less than the tax due on the returned income, then, the assessee shall be liable to pay simple interest at the rate of one per cent on the amount of the shortfall from the tax due on the returned income:

Provided that if the advance tax paid by the assessee on the current income, on or before the 15th day of June or the 15th day of September, is not less than twelve per cent or, as the case may be, thirty-six per cent of the tax due on the returned income, then, the assessee shall not be liable to pay any interest on the amount of the shortfall on those dates;

(b) an assessee who declares profits and gains in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 44AD or sub-section (1) of section 44ADA, as the case may be, who is liable to pay advance tax under section 208 has failed to pay such tax or the advance tax paid by the assessee on its current income on or before the 15th day of March is less than the tax due on the returned income, then, the assessee shall be liable to pay simple interest at the rate of one per cent on the amount of the shortfall from the tax due on the returned income:

Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall apply to any shortfall in the payment of the tax due on the returned income where such shortfall is on account of under-estimate or failure to estimate—

 (a) the amount of capital gains; or

 (b) income of the nature referred to in sub-clause (ix) of clause (24) of section 2; or

 (c) income under the head “Profits and gains of business or profession” in cases where the income accrues or arises under the said head for the first time; or

^16a[(d) the amount of dividend income,]

and the assessee has paid the whole of the amount of tax payable in respect of income referred to in clause (a) or clause (b) or clause (c) or clause (d), as the case may be, had such income been a part of the total income, as part of the remaining instalments of advance tax which are due or where no such instalments are due, by the 31st day of March of the financial year:

Provided further that nothing contained in this sub-section shall apply to any shortfall in the payment of the tax due on the returned income where such shortfall is on account of increase in the rate of surcharge under section 2 of the Finance Act, 2000 (10 of 2000), as amended by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 2000 (1 of 2001), and the assessee has paid the amount of shortfall, on or before the 15th day of March, 2001 in respect of the instalment of advance tax due on the 15th day of June, 2000, the 15th day of September, 2000 and the 15th day of December, 2000:

Provided also that nothing contained in this sub-section shall apply to any shortfall in the payment of the tax due on the returned income where such shortfall is on account of increase in the rate of surcharge under section 2 of the Finance Act, 2000 (10 of 2000) as amended by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 2001 (4 of 2001) and the assessee has paid the amount of shortfall on or before the 15th day of March, 2001 in respect of the instalment of advance tax due on the 15th day of June, 2000, the 15th day of September, 2000 and 15th day of December, 2000.

¹⁷[Explanation 1].—In this section, “tax due on the returned income” means the tax chargeable on the total income declared in the return of income furnished by the assessee for the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April immediately following the financial year in which the advance tax is paid or payable, as reduced by the amount of,—

  (i) any tax deductible or collectible at source in accordance with the provisions of Chapter XVII on any income which is subject to such deduction or collection and which is taken into account in computing such total income;

(ia) any relief of tax allowed under section 89;

(ii) any relief of tax allowed under section 90 on account of tax paid in a country outside India;

(iii) any relief of tax allowed under section 90A on account of tax paid in a specified territory outside India referred to in that section;

(iv) any deduction, from the Indian income-tax payable, allowed under section 91, on account of tax paid in a country outside India; and

(v) any tax credit allowed to be set off in accordance with the provisions of section 115JAA or section 115JD.

¹⁸[Explanation 2.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term “dividend” shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (22) of section 2, but shall not include sub-clause (e) thereof.]

(2) The provisions of this section shall apply in respect of assessments for the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1989 and subsequent assessment years.