Section 115JC

Deduction in respect of income of co-operative societies.

80P. (1) Where, in the case of an assessee being a co-operative society, the gross total income includes any income referred to in sub-section (2), there shall be deducted, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of this section, the sums specified in sub-section (2), in computing the total income of the assessee.

(2) The sums referred to in sub-section (1) shall be the following, namely :—

(a)  in the case of a co-operative society engaged in—

 (i)  carrying on the business of banking or providing credit facilities to its members, or

 (ii)  a cottage industry, or

(iii)  the marketing of agricultural produce grown by its members, or

(iv)  the purchase of agricultural implements, seeds, livestock or other articles intended for agriculture for the purpose of supplying them to its members, or

 (v)  the processing, without the aid of power, of the agricultural produce of its members, or

(vi)  the collective disposal of the labour of its members, or

(vii) fishing or allied activities, that is to say, the catching, curing, processing, preserving, storing or marketing of fish or the purchase of materials and equipment in connection therewith for the purpose of supplying them to its members,

the whole of the amount of profits and gains of business attributable to any one or more of such activities :

Provided that in the case of a co-operative society falling under sub-clause (vi), or sub-clause (vii), the rules and bye-laws of the society restrict the voting rights to the following classes of its members, namely:—

(1)  the individuals who contribute their labour or, as the case may be, carry on the fishing or allied activities;

(2)  the co-operative credit societies which provide financial assistance to the society;

(3)  the State Government;

(b)  in the case of a co-operative society, being a primary society engaged in supplying milk, oilseeds, fruits or vegetables raised or grown by its members to—

 (i)  a federal co-operative society, being a society engaged in the business of supplying milk, oilseeds, fruits, or vegetables, as the case may be; or

(ii)  the Government or a local authority; or

(iii) a Government company¹¹ as defined in section 617 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), or a corporation established by or under a Central, State or Provincial Act (being a company or corporation engaged in supplying milk, oilseeds, fruits or vegetables, as the case may be, to the public),

the whole of the amount of profits and gains of such business;

(c)  in the case of a co-operative society engaged in activities other than those specified in clause (a) or clause (b) (either independently of, or in addition to, all or any of the activities so specified), so much of its profits and gains attributable to such activities as does not exceed,—

 (i)   where such co-operative society is a consumers' co-operative society, one hundred thousand rupees; and

 (ii)  in any other case, fifty thousand rupees.

Explanation.—In this clause, "consumers' co-operative society" means a society for the benefit of the consumers;

(d)  in respect of any income by way of interest or dividends derived by the co-operative society from its investments with any other co-operative society, the whole of such income;

(e)  in respect of any income derived by the co-operative society from the letting of godowns or warehouses for storage, processing or facilitating the marketing of commodities, the whole of such income;

(f)  in the case of a co-operative society, not being a housing society or an urban consumers' society or a society carrying on transport business or a society engaged in the performance of any manufacturing operations with the aid of power, where the gross total income does not exceed twenty thousand rupees, the amount of any income by way of interest on securities or any income from house property chargeable under section 22.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, an "urban consumers' co-operative society" means a society for the benefit of the consumers within the limits of a municipal corporation, municipality, municipal committee, notified area committee, town area or cantonment.

(3) In a case where the assessee is entitled also to the deduction under section 80HH or section 80HHA or section 80HHB or section 80HHC or section 80HHD or section 80-I or section 80-IA or section 80J, the deduction under sub-section (1) of this section, in relation to the sums specified in clause (a) or clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (2), shall be allowed with reference to the income, if any, as referred to in those clauses included in the gross total income as reduced by the deductions under section 80HH, section 80HHA, section 80HHB, section 80HHC, section 80HHD, section 80-I, section 80-IA, section 80J and section 80JJ.

(4) The provisions of this section shall not apply in relation to any co-operative bank other than a primary agricultural credit society or a primary co-operative agricultural and rural development bank.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section,—

(a)  "co-operative bank" and "primary agricultural credit society" shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in Part V of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949);

(b)  "primary co-operative agricultural and rural development bank" means a society having its area of operation confined to a taluk and the principal object of which is to provide for long-term credit for agricultural and rural development activities.

Special provisions in respect of newly established Units in Special Economic Zones.

10AA. (1) Subject to the provisions of this section, in computing the total income of an assessee, being an entrepreneur as referred to in clause (j) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, from his Unit, who begins to manufacture or produce articles or things or provide any services during the previous year relevant to any assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2006, but before the first day of April, 2021, the following deduction shall be allowed—

(i)  hundred per cent of profits and gains derived from the export, of such articles or things or from services for a period of five consecutive assessment years beginning with the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which the Unit begins to manufacture or produce such articles or things or provide services, as the case may be, and fifty per cent of such profits and gains for further five assessment years and thereafter;

(ii) for the next five consecutive assessment years, so much of the amount not exceeding fifty per cent of the profit as is debited to the profit and loss account of the previous year in respect of which the deduction is to be allowed and credited to a reserve account (to be called the "Special Economic Zone Re-investment Reserve Account") to be created and utilized for the purposes of the business of the assessee in the manner laid down in sub-section (2).

Following proviso shall be inserted after clause (ii) of sub-section (1) of section 10AA by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024 :

Provided that no such deduction shall be allowed to an assessee who does not furnish a return of income on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139.

Explanation.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that the amount of deduction under this section shall be allowed from the total income of the assessee computed in accordance with the provisions of this Act, before giving effect to the provisions of this section and the deduction under this section shall not exceed such total income of the assessee.

(2) The deduction under clause (ii) of sub-section (1) shall be allowed only if the following conditions are fulfilled, namely :—

(a) the amount credited to the Special Economic Zone Re-investment Reserve Account is to be utilised—

 (i) for the purposes of acquiring machinery or plant which is first put to use before the expiry of a period of three years following the previous year in which the reserve was created; and

(ii) until the acquisition of the machinery or plant as aforesaid, for the purposes of the business of the undertaking other than for distribution by way of dividends or profits or for remittance outside India as profits or for the creation of any asset outside India;

(b) the particulars, as may be specified by the Central Board of Direct Taxes in this behalf, under clause (b) of sub-section (1B) of section 10A have been furnished by the assessee in respect of machinery or plant along with the return of income³⁵ for the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which such plant or machinery was first put to use.

(3) Where any amount credited to the Special Economic Zone Re-investment Reserve Account under clause (ii) of sub-section (1),—

(a) has been utilised for any purpose other than those referred to in sub-section (2), the amount so utilised; or

(b) has not been utilised before the expiry of the period specified in sub-clause (i) of clause (a) of sub-section (2), the amount not so utilised,

shall be deemed to be the profits,—

 (i) in a case referred to in clause (a), in the year in which the amount was so utilised; or

(ii) in a case referred to in clause (b), in the year immediately following the period of three years specified in sub-clause (i) of clause (a) of sub-section (2),

and shall be charged to tax accordingly :

Provided that where in computing the total income of the Unit for any assessment year, its profits and gains had not been included by application of the provisions of sub-section (7B) of section 10A, the undertaking, being the Unit shall be entitled to deduction referred to in this sub-section only for the unexpired period of ten consecutive assessment years and thereafter it shall be eligible for deduction from income as provided in clause (ii) of sub-section (1).

Explanation.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that an undertaking, being the Unit, which had already availed, before the commencement of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, the deductions referred to in section 10A for ten consecutive assessment years, such Unit shall not be eligible for deduction from income under this section :

Provided further that where a Unit initially located in any free trade zone or export processing zone is subsequently located in a Special Economic Zone by reason of conversion of such free trade zone or export processing zone into a Special Economic Zone, the period of ten consecutive assessment years referred to above shall be reckoned from the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which the Unit began to manufacture, or produce or process such articles or things or services in such free trade zone or export processing zone :

Provided also that where a Unit initially located in any free trade zone or export processing zone is subsequently located in a Special Economic Zone by reason of conversion of such free trade zone or export processing zone into a Special Economic Zone and has completed the period of ten consecutive assessment years referred to above, it shall not be eligible for deduction from income as provided in clause (ii) of sub-section (1) with effect from the 1st day of April, 2006.

(4)  This section applies to any undertaking, being the Unit, which fulfils all the following conditions, namely:—

 (i) it has begun or begins to manufacture or produce articles or things or provide services during the previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2006 in any Special Economic Zone;

(ii) it is not formed by the splitting up, or the reconstruction, of a business already in existence:

Provided that this condition shall not apply in respect of any undertaking, being the Unit, which is formed as a result of the re-establishment, reconstruction or revival by the assessee of the business of any such undertaking as is referred to in section 33B, in the circumstances and within the period specified in that section;

(iii) it is not formed by the transfer to a new business, of machinery or plant previously used for any purpose.

Explanation.—The provisions of Explanations 1 and 2 to sub-section (3) of section 80-IA shall apply for the purposes of clause (iii) of this sub-section as they apply for the purposes of clause (ii) of that sub-section.

Following sub-section (4A) shall be inserted after sub-section (4) of section 10AA by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024 :

(4A) This section applies to a Unit, if the proceeds from sale of goods or provision of services is received in, or brought into, India by the assessee in convertible foreign exchange, within a period of six months from the end of the previous year or, within such further period as the competent authority may allow in this behalf.

Explanation 1.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression "competent authority" means the Reserve Bank of India or the authority authorised under any law for the time being in force for regulating payments and dealings in foreign exchange.

Explanation 2.—The sale of goods or provision of services shall be deemed to have been received in India where such export turnover is credited to a separate account maintained for that purpose by the assessee with any bank outside India with the approval of the Reserve Bank of India.

(5) Where any undertaking being the Unit which is entitled to the deduction under this section is transferred, before the expiry of the period specified in this section, to another undertaking, being the Unit in a scheme of amalgamation or demerger,—

(a) no deduction shall be admissible under this section to the amalgamating or the demerged Unit, being the company for the previous year in which the amalgamation or the demerger takes place; and

(b) the provisions of this section shall, as they would have applied to the amalgamating or the demerged Unit being the company as if the amalgamation or demerger had not taken place.

(6) Loss referred to in sub-section (1) of section 72 or sub-section (1) or sub-section (3) of section 74, in so far as such loss relates to the business of the undertaking, being the Unit shall be allowed to be carried forward or set off.

(7) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the profits derived from the export of articles or things or services (including computer software) shall be the amount which bears to the profits of the business of the undertaking, being the Unit, the same proportion as the export turnover in respect of such articles or things or services bears to the total turnover of the business carried on by the undertaking:

Provided that the provisions of this sub-section as amended by section 6 of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2009 (33 of 2009) shall have effect for the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2006 and subsequent assessment years.

(8) The provisions of sub-sections (5) and (6) of section 10A shall apply to the articles or things or services referred to in sub-section (1) as if—

(a) for the figures, letters and word "1st April, 2001", the figures, letters and word "1st April, 2006" had been substituted;

(b) for the word "undertaking", the words "undertaking, being the Unit" had been substituted.

(9) The provisions of sub-section (8) and sub-section (10) of section 80-IA shall, so far as may be, apply in relation to the undertaking referred to in this section as they apply for the purposes of the undertaking referred to in section 80-IA.

(10) Where a deduction under this section is claimed and allowed in respect of profits of any of the specified business, referred to in clause (c) of sub-section (8) of section 35AD, for any assessment year, no deduction shall be allowed under the provisions of section 35AD in relation to such specified business for the same or any other assessment year.

Explanation 1.—For the purposes of this section,—

 (i) "export turnover" means the consideration in respect of export by the undertaking, being the Unit of articles or things or services received in, or brought into, India by the assessee but does not include freight, telecommunication charges or insurance attributable to the delivery of the articles or things outside India or expenses, if any, incurred in foreign exchange in rendering of services (including computer software) outside India;

Following clauses (i) and (ia) shall be substituted for the existing clause (i) of Explanation 1 to section 10AA by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024 :

(i) "convertible foreign exchange" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (ii) of the Explanation 2 to section 10A;

(ia) "export turnover" means the consideration in respect of export by the undertaking, being the Unit of articles or things or services received in, or brought into, India by the assessee in convertible foreign exchange in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (4A), but does not include freight, telecommunication charges or insurance attributable to the delivery of the articles or things outside India or expenses, if any, incurred in foreign exchange in rendering of services (including computer software) outside India;

(ii) "export in relation to the Special Economic Zones" means taking goods or providing services out of India from a Special Economic Zone by land, sea, air, or by any other mode, whether physical or otherwise;

(iii) "manufacture" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (r) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005;

(iv) "relevant assessment year" means any assessment year falling within a period of fifteen consecutive assessment years referred to in this section;

(v) "Special Economic Zone" and "Unit" shall have the same meanings as assigned to them under clauses (za) and (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005.

Explanation 2.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that the profits and gains derived from on site development of computer software (including services for development of software) outside India shall be deemed to be the profits and gains derived from the export of computer software outside India.

Deduction in respect of expenditure on specified business.

35AD. (1) An assessee shall, if he opts, be allowed a deduction in respect of the whole of any expenditure of capital nature incurred, wholly and exclusively, for the purposes of any specified business carried on by him during the previous year in which such expenditure is incurred by him :

Provided that the expenditure incurred, wholly and exclusively, for the purposes of any specified business, shall be allowed as deduction during the previous year in which he commences operations of his specified business, if—

(a)  the expenditure is incurred prior to the commencement of its operations; and

(b)  the amount is capitalised in the books of account of the assessee on the date of commencement of its operations.

(1A) [***]

(2) This section applies to the specified business which fulfils all the following conditions, namely :—

 (i)  it is not set up by splitting up, or the reconstruction, of a business already in existence;

(ii)  it is not set up by the transfer to the specified business of machinery or plant previously used for any purpose;

(iii) where the business is of the nature referred to in sub-clause (iii) of clause (c) of sub-section (8), such business,—

 (a)  is owned by a company formed and registered in India under the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956)¹⁸ or by a consortium of such companies or by an authority or a board or a corporation established or constituted under any Central or State Act;

 (b)  has been approved by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board established under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 (19 of 2006) and notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette in this behalf;

 (c)  has made not less than such proportion of its total pipeline capacity as specified by regulations made by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board established under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 (19 of 2006) available for use on common carrier basis by any person other than the assessee or an associated person; and

 (d)  fulfils any other condition as may be prescribed;

(iv) where the business is of the nature referred to in sub-clause (xiv) of clause (c) of sub-section (8), such business,—

(A)  is owned by a company registered in India or by a consortium of such companies or by an authority or a board or corporation or any other body established or constituted under any Central or State Act;

(B)  entity referred to in sub-clause (A) has entered into an agreement with the Central Government or a State Government or a local authority or any other statutory body for developing or operating and maintaining or developing, operating and maintaining, a new infrastructure facility.

(3) Where a deduction under this section is claimed and allowed in respect of the specified business for any assessment year, no deduction shall be allowed under the provisions of section 10AA and Chapter VI-A under the heading "C.—Deductions in respect of certain incomes" in relation to such specified business for the same or any other assessment year.

(4) No deduction in respect of the expenditure referred to in sub-section (1) shall be allowed to the assessee under any other section in any previous year or under this section in any other previous year, if the deduction has been claimed or opted by the assessee and allowed to him under this section.

(5) The provisions of this section shall apply to the specified business referred to in sub-section (2) if it commences its operations,—

(a) on or after the 1st day of April, 2007, where the specified business is in the nature of laying and operating a cross-country natural gas pipeline network for distribution, including storage facilities being an integral part of such network;

(aa) on or after the 1st day of April, 2010, where the specified business is in the nature of building and operating a new hotel of two-star or above category as classified by the Central Government;

(ab) on or after the 1st day of April, 2010, where the specified business is in the nature of building and operating a new hospital with at least one hundred beds for patients;

(ac) on or after the 1st day of April, 2010, where the specified business is in the nature of developing and building a housing project under a scheme for slum redevelopment or rehabilitation framed by the Central Government or a State Government, as the case may be, and which is notified by the Board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed;

(ad) on or after the 1st day of April, 2011, where the specified business is in the nature of developing and building a housing project under a scheme for affordable housing framed by the Central Government or a State Government, as the case may be, and notified by the Board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed;

(ae) on or after the 1st day of April, 2011, in a new plant or in a newly installed capacity in an existing plant for production of fertilizer;

(af) on or after the 1st day of April, 2012, where the specified business is in the nature of setting up and operating an inland container depot or a container freight station notified or approved under the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962);

(ag) on or after the 1st day of April, 2012, where the specified business is in the nature of bee-keeping and production of honey and beeswax;

(ah) on or after the 1st day of April, 2012, where the specified business is in the nature of setting up and operating a warehousing facility for storage of sugar;

(ai) on or after the 1st day of April, 2014, where the specified business is in the nature of laying and operating a slurry pipeline for the transportation of iron ore;

(aj) on or after the 1st day of April, 2014, where the specified business is in the nature of setting up and operating a semi-conductor wafer fabrication manufacturing unit, and which is notified by the Board in accordance with such guidelines as may be prescribed¹⁹;

(ak) on or after the 1st day of April, 2017, where the specified business is in the nature of developing or operating and maintaining or developing, operating and maintaining, any infrastructure facility; and

(b)  on or after the 1st day of April, 2009, in all other cases not falling under any of the above clauses.

(6) The assessee carrying on the business of the nature referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (5) shall be allowed, in addition to deduction under sub-section (1), a further deduction in the previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2010, of an amount in respect of expenditure of capital nature incurred during any earlier previous year, if—

(a)  the business referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (5) has commenced its operation at any time during the period beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2007 and ending on the 31st day of March, 2009; and

(b)  no deduction for such amount has been allowed or is allowable to the assessee in any earlier previous year.

(6A) Where the assessee builds a hotel of two-star or above category as classified by the Central Government and subsequently, while continuing to own the hotel, transfers the operation thereof to another person, the assessee shall be deemed to be carrying on the specified business referred to in sub-clause (iv) of clause (c) of sub-section (8).

(7) The provisions contained in sub-section (6) of section 80A and the provisions of sub-sections (7) and (10) of section 80-IA shall, so far as may be, apply to this section in respect of goods or services or assets held for the purposes of the specified business.

(7A) Any asset in respect of which a deduction is claimed and allowed under this section shall be used only for the specified business, for a period of eight years beginning with the previous year in which such asset is acquired or constructed.

(7B) Where any asset, in respect of which a deduction is claimed and allowed under this section, is used for a purpose other than the specified business during the period specified in sub-section (7A), otherwise than by way of a mode referred to in clause (vii) of section 28, the total amount of deduction so claimed and allowed in one or more previous years, as reduced by the amount of depreciation allowable in accordance with the provisions of section 32, as if no deduction under this section was allowed, shall be deemed to be the income of the assessee chargeable under the head "Profits and gains of business or profession" of the previous year in which the asset is so used.

(7C) Nothing contained in sub-section (7B) shall apply to a company which has become a sick industrial company under sub-section (1) of section 17 of the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985 (1 of 1986), during the period specified in sub-section (7A).

(8) For the purposes of this section,—

(a)  an "associated person", in relation to the assessee, means a person,—

 (i)  who participates, directly or indirectly, or through one or more intermediaries in the management or control or capital of the assessee;

 (ii)  who holds, directly or indirectly, shares carrying not less than twenty-six per cent of the voting power in the capital of the assessee;

(iii) who appoints more than half of the Board of directors or members of the governing board, or one or more executive directors or executive members of the governing board of the assessee; or

(iv)  who guarantees not less than ten per cent of the total borrowings of the assessee;

(b)  "cold chain facility" means a chain of facilities for storage or transportation of agricultural and forest produce, meat and meat products, poultry, marine and dairy products, products of horticulture, floriculture and apiculture and processed food items under scientifically controlled conditions including refrigeration and other facilities necessary for the preservation of such produce;

(ba) "infrastructure facility" means—

 (i)  a road including toll road, a bridge or a rail system;

 (ii)  a highway project including housing or other activities being an integral part of the highway project;

(iii)  a water supply project, water treatment system, irrigation project, sanitation and sewerage system or solid waste management system;

(iv)  a port, airport, inland waterway, inland port or navigational channel in the sea;

(c)  "specified business" means any one or more of the following business, namely :—

 (i)  setting up and operating a cold chain facility;

 (ii)  setting up and operating a warehousing facility for storage of agricultural produce;

(iii)  laying and operating a cross-country natural gas or crude or petroleum oil pipeline network for distribution, including storage facilities being an integral part of such network;

(iv)  building and operating, anywhere in India, a hotel of two-star or above category as classified by the Central Government;

 (v)  building and operating, anywhere in India, a hospital with at least one hundred beds for patients;

(vi)  developing and building a housing project under a scheme for slum redevelopment or rehabilitation framed by the Central Government or a State Government, as the case may be, and notified by the Board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed;

(vii) developing and building a housing project under a scheme for affordable housing framed by the Central Government or a State Government, as the case may be, and notified by the Board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed²⁰;

(viii) production of fertilizer in India;

(ix)  setting up and operating an inland container depot or a container freight station notified or approved under the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962);

 (x)  bee-keeping and production of honey and beeswax;

(xi)  setting up and operating a warehousing facility for storage of sugar;

(xii) laying and operating a slurry pipeline for the transportation of iron ore;

(xiii) setting up and operating a semi-conductor wafer fabrication manufacturing unit notified by the Board in accordance with such guidelines as may be prescribed²¹;

(xiv) developing or maintaining and operating or developing, maintaining and operating a new infrastructure facility;

(d)  any machinery or plant which was used outside India by any person other than the assessee shall not be regarded as machinery or plant previously used for any purpose, if—

 (i)  such machinery or plant was not, at any time prior to the date of the installation by the assessee, used in India;

 (ii)  such machinery or plant is imported into India from any country outside India; and

(iii) no deduction on account of depreciation in respect of such machinery or plant has been allowed or is allowable under the provisions of this Act in computing the total income of any person for any period prior to the date of installation of the machinery or plant by the assessee;

(e)  where in the case of a specified business, any machinery or plant or any part thereof previously used for any purpose is transferred to the specified business and the total value of the machinery or plant or part so transferred does not exceed twenty per cent of the total value of the machinery or plant used in such business, then, for the purposes of clause (ii) of sub-section (2), the condition specified therein shall be deemed to have been complied with;

(f)  any expenditure of capital nature shall not include any expenditure in respect of which the payment or aggregate of payments made to a person in a day, otherwise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or an account payee bank draft or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account or through such other electronic mode as may be prescribed²², exceeds ten thousand rupees or any expenditure incurred on the acquisition of any land or goodwill or financial instrument.

Depreciation.

32. (1) In respect of depreciation of—

  (i) buildings, machinery, plant or furniture, being tangible assets;

 (ii) know-how, patents, copyrights, trade marks, licences, franchises or any other business or commercial rights of similar nature, being intangible assets acquired on or after the 1st day of April, 1998, ⁹²[not being goodwill of a business or profession,]

owned, wholly or partly, by the assessee and used for the purposes of the business or profession, the following deductions shall be allowed—

  (i) in the case of assets of an undertaking engaged in generation or generation and distribution of power, such percentage on the actual cost thereof to the assessee as may be prescribed⁹³;

 (ii) in the case of any block of assets, such percentage on the written down value thereof as may be prescribed⁹⁴:

Provided that no deduction shall be allowed under this clause in respect of—

  (a) any motor car manufactured outside India, where such motor car is acquired by the assessee after the 28th day of February, 1975 but before the 1st day of April, 2001, unless it is used—

  (i) in a business of running it on hire for tourists ; or

 (ii) outside India in his business or profession in another country ; and

  (b) any machinery or plant if the actual cost thereof is allowed as a deduction in one or more years under an agreement entered into by the Central Government under section 42 :

Provided further that where an asset referred to in clause (i) or clause (ii) or clause (iia) or the first proviso to clause (iia), as the case may be, is acquired by the assessee during the previous year and is put to use for the purposes of business or profession for a period of less than one hundred and eighty days in that previous year, the deduction under this sub-section in respect of such asset shall be restricted to fifty per cent of the amount calculated at the percentage prescribed for an asset under clause (i) or clause (ii) or clause (iia), as the case may be :

Provided also that where an asset referred to in clause (iia) or the first proviso to clause (iia), as the case may be, is acquired by the assessee during the previous year and is put to use for the purposes of business for a period of less than one hundred and eighty days in that previous year, and the deduction under this sub-section in respect of such asset is restricted to fifty per cent of the amount calculated at the percentage prescribed for an asset under clause (iia) for that previous year, then, the deduction for the balance fifty per cent of the amount calculated at the percentage prescribed for such asset under clause (iia) shall be allowed under this sub-section in the immediately succeeding previous year in respect of such asset:

Provided also that where an asset being commercial vehicle is acquired by the assessee on or after the 1st day of October, 1998 but before the 1st day of April, 1999 and is put to use before the 1st day of April, 1999 for the purposes of business or profession, the deduction in respect of such asset shall be allowed on such percentage on the written down value thereof as may be prescribed.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this proviso,—

  (a) the expression "commercial vehicle" means "heavy goods vehicle", "heavy passenger motor vehicle", "light motor vehicle", "medium goods vehicle" and "medium passenger motor vehicle" but does not include "maxi-cab", "motor-cab", "tractor" and "road-roller";

  (b) the expressions "heavy goods vehicle", "heavy passenger motor vehicle", "light motor vehicle", "medium goods vehicle", "medium passenger motor vehicle", "maxi-cab", "motor-cab", "tractor" and "road roller" shall have the meanings respectively as assigned to them in section 2 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (59 of 1988):

Provided also that, in respect of the previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 1991, the deduction in relation to any block of assets under this clause shall, in the case of a company, be restricted to seventy-five per cent of the amount calculated at the percentage, on the written down value of such assets, prescribed under this Act immediately before the commencement of the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 1991:

Provided also that the aggregate deduction, in respect of depreciation of buildings, machinery, plant or furniture, being tangible assets or know-how, patents, copyrights, trademarks, licences, franchises or any other business or commercial rights of similar nature, being intangible assets allowable to the predecessor and the successor in the case of succession referred to in clause (xiii), clause (xiiib) and clause (xiv) of section 47 or section 170 or to the amalgamating company and the amalgamated company in the case of amalgamation, or to the demerged company and the resulting company in the case of demerger, as the case may be, shall not exceed in any previous year the deduction calculated at the prescribed rates as if the succession or the amalgamation or the demerger, as the case may be, had not taken place, and such deduction shall be apportioned between the predecessor and the successor, or the amalgamating company and the amalgamated company, or the demerged company and the resulting company, as the case may be, in the ratio of the number of days for which the assets were used by them.

Explanation 1.—Where the business or profession of the assessee is carried on in a building not owned by him but in respect of which the assessee holds a lease or other right of occupancy and any capital expenditure is incurred by the assessee for the purposes of the business or profession on the construction of any structure or doing of any work in or in relation to, and by way of renovation or extension of, or improvement to, the building, then, the provisions of this clause shall apply as if the said structure or work is a building owned by the assessee.

Explanation 2.—For the purposes of this sub-section "written down value of the block of assets" shall have the same meaning as in clause* (c) of sub-section† (6) of section 43.

Explanation 3.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression "assets" shall mean—

  (a) tangible assets, being buildings, machinery, plant or furniture;

  (b) intangible assets, being know-how, patents, copyrights, trade marks, licences, franchises or any other business or commercial rights of similar nature ⁹⁵[, not being goodwill of a business or profession].

Explanation 4.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression "know-how" means any industrial information or technique likely to assist in the manufacture or processing of goods or in the working of a mine, oil-well or other sources of mineral deposits (including searching for discovery or testing of deposits for the winning of access thereto).

Explanation 5.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that the provisions of this sub-section shall apply whether or not the assessee has claimed the deduction in respect of depreciation in computing his total income;

(iia) in the case of any new machinery or plant (other than ships and aircraft), which has been acquired and installed after the 31st day of March, 2005, by an assessee engaged in the business of manufacture or production of any article or thing or in the business of generation, transmission or distribution of power, a further sum equal to twenty per cent of the actual cost of such machinery or plant shall be allowed as deduction under clause (ii) :

Provided that where an assessee, sets up an undertaking or enterprise for manufacture or production of any article or thing, on or after the 1st day of April, 2015 in any backward area notified by the Central Government in this behalf, in the State of Andhra Pradesh or in the State of Bihar or in the State of Telangana or in the State of West Bengal, and acquires and installs any new machinery or plant (other than ships and aircraft) for the purposes of the said undertaking or enterprise during the period beginning on the 1st day of April, 2015 and ending before the 1st day of April, 2020 in the said backward area, then, the provisions of clause (iia) shall have effect, as if for the words "twenty per cent", the words "thirty-five per cent" had been substituted :

Provided further that no deduction shall be allowed in respect of—

 (A) any machinery or plant which, before its installation by the assessee, was used either within or outside India by any other person; or

 (B) any machinery or plant installed in any office premises or any residential accommodation, including accommodation in the nature of a guest-house; or

 (C) any office appliances or road transport vehicles; or

 (D) any machinery or plant, the whole of the actual cost of which is allowed as a deduction (whether by way of depreciation or otherwise) in computing the income chargeable under the head "Profits and gains of business or profession" of any one previous year;

(iii) in the case of any building, machinery, plant or furniture in respect of which depreciation is claimed and allowed under clause (i) and which is sold, discarded, demolished or destroyed in the previous year (other than the previous year in which it is first brought into use), the amount by which the moneys payable in respect of such building, machinery, plant or furniture, together with the amount of scrap value, if any, fall short of the written down value thereof :

Provided that such deficiency is actually written off in the books of the assessee.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause,—

  (1) "moneys payable" in respect of any building, machinery, plant or furniture includes—

 (a) any insurance, salvage or compensation moneys payable in respect thereof;

 (b) where the building, machinery, plant or furniture is sold, the price for which it is sold,

so, however, that where the actual cost of a motor car is, in accordance with the proviso to clause (1) of section 43, taken to be twenty-five thousand rupees, the moneys payable in respect of such motor car shall be taken to be a sum which bears to the amount for which the motor car is sold or, as the case may be, the amount of any insurance, salvage or compensation moneys payable in respect thereof (including the amount of scrap value, if any) the same proportion as the amount of twenty-five thousand rupees bears to the actual cost of the motor car to the assessee as it would have been computed before applying the said proviso;

  (2) "sold" includes a transfer by way of exchange or a compulsory acquisition under any law for the time being in force but does not include a transfer, in a scheme of amalgamation, of any asset by the amalgamating company to the amalgamated company where the amalgamated company is an Indian company or in a scheme of amalgamation of a banking company, as referred to in clause (c) of section 5 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949) with a banking institution as referred to in sub-section (15) of section 45 of the said Act, sanctioned and brought into force by the Central Government under sub-section (7) of section 45 of that Act, of any asset by the banking company to the banking institution.

(iv) [***]

 (v) [***]

(vi) [***]

(1A) [***]

(2) Where, in the assessment of the assessee, full effect cannot be given to any allowance under sub-section (1) in any previous year, owing to there being no profits or gains chargeable for that previous year, or owing to the profits or gains chargeable being less than the allowance, then, subject to the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 72 and sub-section (3) of section 73, the allowance or the part of the allowance to which effect has not been given, as the case may be, shall be added to the amount of the allowance for depreciation for the following previous year and deemed to be part of that allowance, or if there is no such allowance for that previous year, be deemed to be the allowance for that previous year, and so on for the succeeding previous years.

Deduction in respect of expenditure on specified business.

35AD. (1) An assessee shall, if he opts, be allowed a deduction in respect of the whole of any expenditure of capital nature incurred, wholly and exclusively, for the purposes of any specified business carried on by him during the previous year in which such expenditure is incurred by him :

Provided that the expenditure incurred, wholly and exclusively, for the purposes of any specified business, shall be allowed as deduction during the previous year in which he commences operations of his specified business, if—

(a)  the expenditure is incurred prior to the commencement of its operations; and

(b)  the amount is capitalised in the books of account of the assessee on the date of commencement of its operations.

(1A) [***]

(2) This section applies to the specified business which fulfils all the following conditions, namely :—

 (i)  it is not set up by splitting up, or the reconstruction, of a business already in existence;

(ii)  it is not set up by the transfer to the specified business of machinery or plant previously used for any purpose;

(iii) where the business is of the nature referred to in sub-clause (iii) of clause (c) of sub-section (8), such business,—

 (a)  is owned by a company formed and registered in India under the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956)¹⁸ or by a consortium of such companies or by an authority or a board or a corporation established or constituted under any Central or State Act;

 (b)  has been approved by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board established under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 (19 of 2006) and notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette in this behalf;

 (c)  has made not less than such proportion of its total pipeline capacity as specified by regulations made by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board established under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 (19 of 2006) available for use on common carrier basis by any person other than the assessee or an associated person; and

 (d)  fulfils any other condition as may be prescribed;

(iv) where the business is of the nature referred to in sub-clause (xiv) of clause (c) of sub-section (8), such business,—

(A)  is owned by a company registered in India or by a consortium of such companies or by an authority or a board or corporation or any other body established or constituted under any Central or State Act;

(B)  entity referred to in sub-clause (A) has entered into an agreement with the Central Government or a State Government or a local authority or any other statutory body for developing or operating and maintaining or developing, operating and maintaining, a new infrastructure facility.

(3) Where a deduction under this section is claimed and allowed in respect of the specified business for any assessment year, no deduction shall be allowed under the provisions of section 10AA and Chapter VI-A under the heading "C.—Deductions in respect of certain incomes" in relation to such specified business for the same or any other assessment year.

(4) No deduction in respect of the expenditure referred to in sub-section (1) shall be allowed to the assessee under any other section in any previous year or under this section in any other previous year, if the deduction has been claimed or opted by the assessee and allowed to him under this section.

(5) The provisions of this section shall apply to the specified business referred to in sub-section (2) if it commences its operations,—

(a) on or after the 1st day of April, 2007, where the specified business is in the nature of laying and operating a cross-country natural gas pipeline network for distribution, including storage facilities being an integral part of such network;

(aa) on or after the 1st day of April, 2010, where the specified business is in the nature of building and operating a new hotel of two-star or above category as classified by the Central Government;

(ab) on or after the 1st day of April, 2010, where the specified business is in the nature of building and operating a new hospital with at least one hundred beds for patients;

(ac) on or after the 1st day of April, 2010, where the specified business is in the nature of developing and building a housing project under a scheme for slum redevelopment or rehabilitation framed by the Central Government or a State Government, as the case may be, and which is notified by the Board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed;

(ad) on or after the 1st day of April, 2011, where the specified business is in the nature of developing and building a housing project under a scheme for affordable housing framed by the Central Government or a State Government, as the case may be, and notified by the Board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed;

(ae) on or after the 1st day of April, 2011, in a new plant or in a newly installed capacity in an existing plant for production of fertilizer;

(af) on or after the 1st day of April, 2012, where the specified business is in the nature of setting up and operating an inland container depot or a container freight station notified or approved under the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962);

(ag) on or after the 1st day of April, 2012, where the specified business is in the nature of bee-keeping and production of honey and beeswax;

(ah) on or after the 1st day of April, 2012, where the specified business is in the nature of setting up and operating a warehousing facility for storage of sugar;

(ai) on or after the 1st day of April, 2014, where the specified business is in the nature of laying and operating a slurry pipeline for the transportation of iron ore;

(aj) on or after the 1st day of April, 2014, where the specified business is in the nature of setting up and operating a semi-conductor wafer fabrication manufacturing unit, and which is notified by the Board in accordance with such guidelines as may be prescribed¹⁹;

(ak) on or after the 1st day of April, 2017, where the specified business is in the nature of developing or operating and maintaining or developing, operating and maintaining, any infrastructure facility; and

(b)  on or after the 1st day of April, 2009, in all other cases not falling under any of the above clauses.

(6) The assessee carrying on the business of the nature referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (5) shall be allowed, in addition to deduction under sub-section (1), a further deduction in the previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2010, of an amount in respect of expenditure of capital nature incurred during any earlier previous year, if—

(a)  the business referred to in clause (a) of sub-section (5) has commenced its operation at any time during the period beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2007 and ending on the 31st day of March, 2009; and

(b)  no deduction for such amount has been allowed or is allowable to the assessee in any earlier previous year.

(6A) Where the assessee builds a hotel of two-star or above category as classified by the Central Government and subsequently, while continuing to own the hotel, transfers the operation thereof to another person, the assessee shall be deemed to be carrying on the specified business referred to in sub-clause (iv) of clause (c) of sub-section (8).

(7) The provisions contained in sub-section (6) of section 80A and the provisions of sub-sections (7) and (10) of section 80-IA shall, so far as may be, apply to this section in respect of goods or services or assets held for the purposes of the specified business.

(7A) Any asset in respect of which a deduction is claimed and allowed under this section shall be used only for the specified business, for a period of eight years beginning with the previous year in which such asset is acquired or constructed.

(7B) Where any asset, in respect of which a deduction is claimed and allowed under this section, is used for a purpose other than the specified business during the period specified in sub-section (7A), otherwise than by way of a mode referred to in clause (vii) of section 28, the total amount of deduction so claimed and allowed in one or more previous years, as reduced by the amount of depreciation allowable in accordance with the provisions of section 32, as if no deduction under this section was allowed, shall be deemed to be the income of the assessee chargeable under the head "Profits and gains of business or profession" of the previous year in which the asset is so used.

(7C) Nothing contained in sub-section (7B) shall apply to a company which has become a sick industrial company under sub-section (1) of section 17 of the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985 (1 of 1986), during the period specified in sub-section (7A).

(8) For the purposes of this section,—

(a)  an "associated person", in relation to the assessee, means a person,—

 (i)  who participates, directly or indirectly, or through one or more intermediaries in the management or control or capital of the assessee;

 (ii)  who holds, directly or indirectly, shares carrying not less than twenty-six per cent of the voting power in the capital of the assessee;

(iii) who appoints more than half of the Board of directors or members of the governing board, or one or more executive directors or executive members of the governing board of the assessee; or

(iv)  who guarantees not less than ten per cent of the total borrowings of the assessee;

(b)  "cold chain facility" means a chain of facilities for storage or transportation of agricultural and forest produce, meat and meat products, poultry, marine and dairy products, products of horticulture, floriculture and apiculture and processed food items under scientifically controlled conditions including refrigeration and other facilities necessary for the preservation of such produce;

(ba) "infrastructure facility" means—

 (i)  a road including toll road, a bridge or a rail system;

 (ii)  a highway project including housing or other activities being an integral part of the highway project;

(iii)  a water supply project, water treatment system, irrigation project, sanitation and sewerage system or solid waste management system;

(iv)  a port, airport, inland waterway, inland port or navigational channel in the sea;

(c)  "specified business" means any one or more of the following business, namely :—

 (i)  setting up and operating a cold chain facility;

 (ii)  setting up and operating a warehousing facility for storage of agricultural produce;

(iii)  laying and operating a cross-country natural gas or crude or petroleum oil pipeline network for distribution, including storage facilities being an integral part of such network;

(iv)  building and operating, anywhere in India, a hotel of two-star or above category as classified by the Central Government;

 (v)  building and operating, anywhere in India, a hospital with at least one hundred beds for patients;

(vi)  developing and building a housing project under a scheme for slum redevelopment or rehabilitation framed by the Central Government or a State Government, as the case may be, and notified by the Board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed;

(vii) developing and building a housing project under a scheme for affordable housing framed by the Central Government or a State Government, as the case may be, and notified by the Board in this behalf in accordance with the guidelines as may be prescribed²⁰;

(viii) production of fertilizer in India;

(ix)  setting up and operating an inland container depot or a container freight station notified or approved under the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962);

 (x)  bee-keeping and production of honey and beeswax;

(xi)  setting up and operating a warehousing facility for storage of sugar;

(xii) laying and operating a slurry pipeline for the transportation of iron ore;

(xiii) setting up and operating a semi-conductor wafer fabrication manufacturing unit notified by the Board in accordance with such guidelines as may be prescribed²¹;

(xiv) developing or maintaining and operating or developing, maintaining and operating a new infrastructure facility;

(d)  any machinery or plant which was used outside India by any person other than the assessee shall not be regarded as machinery or plant previously used for any purpose, if—

 (i)  such machinery or plant was not, at any time prior to the date of the installation by the assessee, used in India;

 (ii)  such machinery or plant is imported into India from any country outside India; and

(iii) no deduction on account of depreciation in respect of such machinery or plant has been allowed or is allowable under the provisions of this Act in computing the total income of any person for any period prior to the date of installation of the machinery or plant by the assessee;

(e)  where in the case of a specified business, any machinery or plant or any part thereof previously used for any purpose is transferred to the specified business and the total value of the machinery or plant or part so transferred does not exceed twenty per cent of the total value of the machinery or plant used in such business, then, for the purposes of clause (ii) of sub-section (2), the condition specified therein shall be deemed to have been complied with;

(f)  any expenditure of capital nature shall not include any expenditure in respect of which the payment or aggregate of payments made to a person in a day, otherwise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or an account payee bank draft or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account or through such other electronic mode as may be prescribed²², exceeds ten thousand rupees or any expenditure incurred on the acquisition of any land or goodwill or financial instrument.

Audit of accounts of certain persons carrying on business or profession.

44AB. ⁷²Every person,—

(a) carrying on business shall, if his total sales, turnover or gross receipts, as the case may be, in business exceed or exceeds one crore rupees in any previous year :

Provided that in the case of a person whose—

(a) aggregate of all amounts received including amount received for sales, turnover or gross receipts during the previous year, in cash, does not exceed five per cent of the said amount; and

(b) aggregate of all payments made including amount incurred for expenditure, in cash, during the previous year does not exceed five per cent of the said payment,

this clause shall have effect as if for the words "one crore rupees", the words" ⁷³[ten]crore rupees" had been substituted:

⁷⁴[Provided further that for the purposes of this clause, the payment or receipt, as the case may be, by a cheque drawn on a bank or by a bank draft, which is not account payee, shall be deemed to be the payment or receipt, as the case may be, in cash; or]

(b) carrying on profession shall, if his gross receipts in profession exceed fifty lakh rupees in any previous year; or

(c) carrying on the business shall, if the profits and gains from the business are deemed to be the profits and gains of such person under section 44AE or section 44BB or section 44BBB, as the case may be, and he has claimed his income to be lower than the profits or gains so deemed to be the profits and gains of his business, as the case may be, in any previous year; or

(d) carrying on the profession shall, if the profits and gains from the profession are deemed to be the profits and gains of such person under section 44ADA and he has claimed such income to be lower than the profits and gains so deemed to be the profits and gains of his profession and his income exceeds the maximum amount which is not chargeable to income-tax in any previous year; or

(e) carrying on the business shall, if the provisions of sub-section (4) of section 44AD are applicable in his case and his income exceeds the maximum amount which is not chargeable to income-tax in any previous year,

get his accounts of such previous year audited by an accountant before the specified date and furnish by that date the report of such audit in the prescribed form duly signed and verified by such accountant and setting forth such particulars as may be prescribed :

Provided that this section shall not apply to the person, who declares profits and gains for the previous year in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 44AD and his total sales, turnover or gross receipts, as the case may be, in business does not exceed two crore rupees in such previous year:

Following first proviso shall be substituted for the existing first proviso to section 44AB by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

Provided that this section shall not apply to a person, who declares profits and gains for the previous year in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 44AD or sub-section (1) of section 44ADA:

Provided further that this section shall not apply to the person, who derives income of the nature referred to in section 44B or section 44BBA, on and from the 1st day of April, 1985 or, as the case may be, the date on which the relevant section came into force, whichever is later :

Provided also that in a case where such person is required by or under any other law to get his accounts audited, it shall be sufficient compliance with the provisions of this section if such person gets the accounts of such business or profession audited under such law before the specified date and furnishes by that date the report of the audit as required under such other law and a further report by an accountant in the form prescribed under this section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section,—

(i) "accountant" shall have the same meaning as in the Explanation below sub-section (2) of section 288;

(ii) "specified date", in relation to the accounts of the assessee of the previous year relevant to an assessment year, means date one month prior to the due date for furnishing the return of income under sub-section (1) of section 139.

⁸⁵Appearance by authorised representative.

288. (1) Any assessee who is entitled or required to attend before any income-tax authority or the Appellate Tribunal in connection with any proceeding under this Act otherwise than when required under section 131 to attend personally for examination on oath or affirmation, may, subject to the other provisions of this section, attend by an authorised representative.

⁸⁶(2) For the purposes of this section, "authorised representative" means a person authorised by the assessee in writing to appear on his behalf, being—

 (i)  a person related to the assessee in any manner, or a person regularly employed by the assessee; or

(ii)  any officer of a Scheduled Bank with which the assessee maintains a current account or has other regular dealings; or

(iii) any legal practitioner who is entitled to practise in any civil court in India; or

(iv) an accountant; or

(v)  any person who has passed any accountancy examination recognised in this behalf by the Board⁸⁷; or

(vi) any person who has acquired such educational qualifications as the Board may prescribe⁸⁸ for this purpose; or

(via) any person who, before the coming into force of this Act in the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa†, Daman and Diu, or Pondicherry, attended before an income-tax authority in the said territory on behalf of any assessee otherwise than in the capacity of an employee or relative of that assessee; or

(vii) any other person who, immediately before the commencement of this Act, was an income-tax practitioner within the meaning of clause (iv) of sub-section (2) of section 61 of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922 (11 of 1922), and was actually practising as such;

(viii) any other person as may be prescribed⁸⁹.

Explanation.—In this section, "accountant" means a chartered accountant as defined in clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 (38 of 1949) who holds a valid certificate of practice under sub-section (1) of section 6 of that Act, but does not include [except for the purposes of representing the assessee under sub-section (1)]—

(a)  in case of an assessee, being a company, the person who is not eligible for appointment as an auditor of the said company in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (3) of section 141 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013); or

(b)  in any other case,—

 (i)  the assessee himself or in case of the assessee, being a firm or association of persons or Hindu undivided family, any partner of the firm, or member of the association or the family;

 (ii)  in case of the assessee, being a trust or institution, any person referred to in clauses (a), (b), (c) and (cc) of sub-section (3) of section 13;

(iii) in case of any person other than persons referred to in sub-clauses (i) and (ii), the person who is competent to verify the return under section 139 in accordance with the provisions of section 140;

(iv)  any relative of any of the persons referred to in sub-clauses (i), (ii) and (iii);

 (v)  an officer or employee of the assessee;

(vi)  an individual who is a partner, or who is in the employment, of an officer or employee of the assessee;

(vii) an individual who, or his relative or partner—

 (I)  is holding any security of, or interest in, the assessee:

Provided that the relative may hold security or interest in the assessee of the face value not exceeding one hundred thousand rupees;

(II)  is indebted to the assessee:

Provided that the relative may be indebted to the assessee for an amount not exceeding one hundred thousand rupees;

(III) has given a guarantee or provided any security in connection with the indebtedness of any third person to the assessee:

Provided that the relative may give guarantee or provide any security in connection with the indebtedness of any third person to the assessee for an amount not exceeding one hundred thousand rupees;

(viii) a person who, whether directly or indirectly, has business relationship with the assessee of such nature as may be prescribed⁹⁰;

(ix)  a person who has been convicted by a court of an offence involving fraud and a period of ten years has not elapsed from the date of such conviction.

(3) [***]

(4) No person—

(a)  who has been dismissed or removed from Government service after the 1st day of April, 1938; or

(b)  who has been convicted of an offence connected with any income-tax proceeding or on whom a penalty has been imposed under this Act, other than a penalty imposed on him under clause (ii) of sub-section (1) of section 271 or clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 272A; or

(c)  who has become an insolvent; or

(d)  who has been convicted by a court for an offence involving fraud,

shall be qualified to represent an assessee under sub-section (1), for all times in the case of a person referred to in clause (a), for such time as the Principal Chief Commissioner or Chief Commissioner or Principal Commissioner or Commissioner may by order determine in the case of a person referred to in clause (b), for the period during which the insolvency continues in the case of a person referred to in clause (c), and for a period of ten years from the date of conviction in the case of a person referred to in clause (d).

(5) If any person—

(a)  who is a legal practitioner or an accountant is found guilty of misconduct in his professional capacity by any authority entitled to institute disciplinary proceedings against him, an order passed by that authority shall have effect in relation to his right to attend before an income-tax authority as it has in relation to his right to practise as a legal practitioner or accountant, as the case may be;

⁹¹(b) who is not a legal practitioner or an accountant, is found guilty of misconduct in connection with any income-tax proceedings by the prescribed authority, the prescribed authority⁹² may direct that he shall thenceforth be disqualified to represent an assessee under sub-section (1).

(6) Any order or direction under clause (b) of sub-section (4) or clause (b) of sub-section (5) shall be subject to the following conditions, namely :—

(a)  no such order or direction shall be made in respect of any person unless he has been given a reasonable opportunity of being heard;

(b)  any person against whom any such order or direction is made may, within one month of the making of the order or direction, appeal to the Board to have the order or direction cancelled; and

(c)  no such order or direction shall take effect until the expiration of one month from the making thereof, or, where an appeal has been preferred, until the disposal of the appeal.

(7) A person disqualified to represent an assessee by virtue of the provisions of sub-section (3) of section 61 of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922 (11 of 1922), shall be disqualified to represent an assessee under sub-section (1).

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, "relative" in relation to an individual, means—

(a)  spouse of the individual;

(b)  brother or sister of the individual;

(c)  brother or sister of the spouse of the individual;

(d)  any lineal ascendant or descendant of the individual;

(e)  any lineal ascendant or descendant of the spouse of the individual;

(f)  spouse of a person referred to in clause (b), clause (c), clause (d) or clause (e);

(g)  any lineal descendant of a brother or sister of either the individual or the spouse of the individual.

Tax on income of individuals ⁷²[and Hindu undivided family].

115BAC. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of a person, being an individual or a Hindu undivided family, for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2021 ⁷³[but before the 1st day of April, 2024], shall, at the option of such person, be computed at the rate of tax given in the following Table, if the conditions contained in sub-section (2) are satisfied, namely:—

TABLE

Sl. No.	Total income	Rate of tax
(1)	(2)	(3)
1.	Upto Rs. 2,50,000	Nil
2.	From Rs. 2,50,001 to Rs. 5,00,000	5 per cent
3.	From Rs. 5,00,001 to Rs. 7,50,000	10 per cent
4.	From Rs. 7,50,001 to Rs. 10,00,000	15 per cent
5.	From Rs. 10,00,001 to Rs. 12,50,000	20 per cent
6.	From Rs. 12,50,001 to Rs. 15,00,000	25 per cent
7.	Above Rs. 15,00,000	30 per cent:

Provided that where the person fails to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2) in any previous year, the option shall become invalid in respect of the assessment year relevant to that previous year and other provisions of this Act shall apply, as if the option had not been exercised for the assessment year relevant to that previous year:

Provided further that where the option is exercised under clause (i) of sub-section (5), in the event of failure to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2), it shall become invalid for subsequent assessment years also and other provisions of this Act shall apply for those years accordingly.

Following sub-section (1A) shall be inserted after sub-section (1) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(1A) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of a person, being an individual or Hindu undivided family or association of persons (other than a co-operative society), or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not, or an artificial juridical person referred to in sub-clause (vii) of clause (31) of section 2, other than a person who has exercised an option under sub-section (6), for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2024, shall be computed at the rate of tax given in the following Table, namely:—

TABLE

Sl. No.	Total income	Rate of tax
(1)	(2)	(3)
1.	Upto Rs. 3,00,000	Nil
2.	From Rs. 3,00,001 to Rs. 6,00,000	5 per cent
3.	From Rs. 6,00,001 to Rs. 9,00,000	10 per cent
4.	From Rs. 9,00,001 to Rs. 12,00,000	15 per cent
5.	From Rs. 12,00,001 to Rs. 15,00,000	20 per cent
6.	Above Rs. 15,00,000	30 per cent

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the total income of the individual or Hindu undivided family shall be computed,—

 (i) without any exemption or deduction under the provisions of clause (5) or clause (13A) or prescribed under clause (14) (other than those as may be prescribed for this purpose) or clause (17) or clause (32), of section 10 or section 10AA or section 16 or clause (b) of section 24 (in respect of the property referred to in sub-section (2) of section 23) or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 32AD or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or clause (iia) of section 57 or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 80CCD or ⁷⁴[sub-section (2) of section 80CCH or] section 80JJAA;

Following shall be substituted for the opening portion and clause (i) of sub-section (2) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1A), the total income of the person referred to therein, shall be computed—

(i) without any exemption or deduction under the provisions of clause (5) or clause (13A) or prescribed under clause (14) (other than those as may be prescribed for this purpose) or clause (17) or clause (32), of section 10 or section 10AA or clause (ii) or clause (iii) of section 16 or clause (b) of section 24 [in respect of the property referred to in sub-section (2) of section 23] or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 32AD or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 80CCD or sub-section (2) of section 80CCH or section 80JJAA;

(ii) without set off of any loss,—

(a) carried forward or depreciation from any earlier assessment year, if such loss or depreciation is attributable to any of the deductions referred to in clause (i);

(b) under the head "Income from house property" with any other head of income;

(iii) by claiming the depreciation, if any, under any provision of section 32, except clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of the said section, determined in such manner as may be prescribed; and

(iv) without any exemption or deduction for allowances or perquisite, by whatever name called, provided under any other law for the time being in force.

(3) The loss and depreciation referred to in clause (ii) of sub-section (2) shall be deemed to have been given full effect to and no further deduction for such loss or depreciation shall be allowed for any subsequent year:

Provided that where there is a depreciation allowance in respect of a block of assets which has not been given full effect to prior to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021, corresponding adjustment shall be made to the written down value of such block of assets as on the 1st day of April, 2020 in the prescribed manner, if the option under sub-section (5) is exercised for a previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021.

Following second proviso shall be inserted after the existing proviso to section 115BAC(3) by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

Provided further that in a case where,

  (i) the assessee has not exercised the option under sub-section (5) for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or before the 1st day of April, 2023;

 (ii) the income-tax on the total income of the assessee is computed under sub-section (1A); and

(iii) there is a depreciation allowance in respect of a block of assets which has not been given full effect prior to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2024,

corresponding adjustment shall be made to the written down value of such block of assets as on the 1st day of April, 2023 in the manner as may be prescribed.

(4) In case of a person, having a Unit in the International Financial Services Centre, as referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 80LA, which has exercised option under sub-section (5), the conditions contained in sub-section (2) shall be modified to the extent that the deduction under section 80LA shall be available to such Unit subject to fulfilment of the conditions contained in the said section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term "Unit" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005).

Following sub-section (4) shall be substituted for the existing sub-section (4) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(4) In case of a person, having a Unit in the International Financial Services Centre, as referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 80LA,

 (i) who has exercised option under sub-section (5) for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2021 but before the 1st day of April, 2024;

(ii) whose total income is computed under sub-section (1A),

the conditions contained in sub-section (2) shall be modified to the extent that the deduction under section 80LA shall be available to such Unit subject to fulfilment of the conditions contained in the said section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term "Unit" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005).

(5) Nothing contained in this section shall apply unless option is exercised in the prescribed manner⁷⁵ by the person,—

 (i) having income from business or profession, on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the returns of income for any previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2021, and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years;

(ii) having income other than the income referred to in clause (i), alongwith the return of income to be furnished under sub-section (1) of section 139 for a previous year relevant to the assessment year:

Provided that the option under clause (i), once exercised for any previous year can be withdrawn only once for a previous year other than the year in which it was exercised and thereafter, the person shall never be eligible to exercise option under this section, except where such person ceases to have any income from business or profession in which case, option under clause (ii) shall be available.

Following second proviso shall be inserted after the existing proviso to sub-section (5) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

Provided further that the provisions of this sub-section shall not apply for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2024.

Following sub-section (6) shall be inserted after sub-section (5) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(6) Nothing contained in sub-section (1A) shall apply to a person where an option is exercised by such person, in the manner as may be prescribed, for any assessment year, and such option is exercised,

 (i) on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the return of income for such assessment year, in case of a person having income from business or profession, and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years; or

(ii) along with the return of income to be furnished under sub-section (1) of section 139 for such assessment year, in case of a person not having income referred to in clause (i):

Provided that the option under clause (i), once exercised for any previous year can be withdrawn only once for a previous year other than the year in which it was exercised and thereafter, the person shall never be eligible to exercise the option under this sub-section, except where such person ceases to have any income from business or profession in which case, option under clause (ii) shall be available.

Tax on income of certain resident co-operative societies.

115BAD. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, ⁷⁶[other than those mentioned under section 115BAE,] the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of a person, being a co-operative society resident in India, for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2021, shall, at the option of such person, be computed at the rate of twenty-two per cent, if the conditions contained in sub-section (2) are satisfied:

Provided that where the person fails to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2) in computing its income in any previous year, the option shall become invalid in respect of the assessment year relevant to that previous year and subsequent assessment years and other provisions of the Act shall apply, as if the option had not been exercised for the assessment year relevant to that previous year and subsequent assessment years.

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the total income of the co-operative society shall be computed,—

  (i) without any deduction under the provisions of section 10AA or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 32AD or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of section 80JJAA;

 (ii) without set off of any loss carried forward or depreciation from any earlier assessment year, if such loss or depreciation is attributable to any of the deductions referred to in clause (i); and

(iii) by claiming the depreciation, if any, under section 32, other than clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of the said section, determined in such manner as may be prescribed.

(3) The loss and depreciation referred to in clause (ii) of sub-section (2) shall be deemed to have been given full effect to and no further deduction for such loss or depreciation shall be allowed for any subsequent year:

Provided that where there is a depreciation allowance in respect of a block of asset which has not been given full effect to prior to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021, corresponding adjustment shall be made to the written down value of such block of assets as on the 1st day of April, 2020 in such manner as may be prescribed, if the option under sub-section (5) is exercised for a previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021.

(4) In case of a person, having a Unit in the International Financial Services Centre, as referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 80LA, which has exercised option under sub-section (5), the conditions contained in sub-section (2) shall be modified to the extent that the deduction under the said section shall be available to such Unit subject to fulfilment of the conditions contained in that section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term "Unit" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005).

(5) Nothing contained in this section shall apply unless option is exercised by the person in such manner as may be prescribed⁷⁷ on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the return of income for any previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2021 and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years:

Provided that once the option has been exercised for any previous year, it cannot be subsequently withdrawn for the same or any other previous year.

Tax on income of individuals ⁷²[and Hindu undivided family].

115BAC. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of a person, being an individual or a Hindu undivided family, for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2021 ⁷³[but before the 1st day of April, 2024], shall, at the option of such person, be computed at the rate of tax given in the following Table, if the conditions contained in sub-section (2) are satisfied, namely:—

TABLE

Sl. No.	Total income	Rate of tax
(1)	(2)	(3)
1.	Upto Rs. 2,50,000	Nil
2.	From Rs. 2,50,001 to Rs. 5,00,000	5 per cent
3.	From Rs. 5,00,001 to Rs. 7,50,000	10 per cent
4.	From Rs. 7,50,001 to Rs. 10,00,000	15 per cent
5.	From Rs. 10,00,001 to Rs. 12,50,000	20 per cent
6.	From Rs. 12,50,001 to Rs. 15,00,000	25 per cent
7.	Above Rs. 15,00,000	30 per cent:

Provided that where the person fails to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2) in any previous year, the option shall become invalid in respect of the assessment year relevant to that previous year and other provisions of this Act shall apply, as if the option had not been exercised for the assessment year relevant to that previous year:

Provided further that where the option is exercised under clause (i) of sub-section (5), in the event of failure to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2), it shall become invalid for subsequent assessment years also and other provisions of this Act shall apply for those years accordingly.

Following sub-section (1A) shall be inserted after sub-section (1) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(1A) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of a person, being an individual or Hindu undivided family or association of persons (other than a co-operative society), or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not, or an artificial juridical person referred to in sub-clause (vii) of clause (31) of section 2, other than a person who has exercised an option under sub-section (6), for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2024, shall be computed at the rate of tax given in the following Table, namely:—

TABLE

Sl. No.	Total income	Rate of tax
(1)	(2)	(3)
1.	Upto Rs. 3,00,000	Nil
2.	From Rs. 3,00,001 to Rs. 6,00,000	5 per cent
3.	From Rs. 6,00,001 to Rs. 9,00,000	10 per cent
4.	From Rs. 9,00,001 to Rs. 12,00,000	15 per cent
5.	From Rs. 12,00,001 to Rs. 15,00,000	20 per cent
6.	Above Rs. 15,00,000	30 per cent

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the total income of the individual or Hindu undivided family shall be computed,—

 (i) without any exemption or deduction under the provisions of clause (5) or clause (13A) or prescribed under clause (14) (other than those as may be prescribed for this purpose) or clause (17) or clause (32), of section 10 or section 10AA or section 16 or clause (b) of section 24 (in respect of the property referred to in sub-section (2) of section 23) or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 32AD or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or clause (iia) of section 57 or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 80CCD or ⁷⁴[sub-section (2) of section 80CCH or] section 80JJAA;

Following shall be substituted for the opening portion and clause (i) of sub-section (2) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1A), the total income of the person referred to therein, shall be computed—

(i) without any exemption or deduction under the provisions of clause (5) or clause (13A) or prescribed under clause (14) (other than those as may be prescribed for this purpose) or clause (17) or clause (32), of section 10 or section 10AA or clause (ii) or clause (iii) of section 16 or clause (b) of section 24 [in respect of the property referred to in sub-section (2) of section 23] or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 32AD or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 80CCD or sub-section (2) of section 80CCH or section 80JJAA;

(ii) without set off of any loss,—

(a) carried forward or depreciation from any earlier assessment year, if such loss or depreciation is attributable to any of the deductions referred to in clause (i);

(b) under the head "Income from house property" with any other head of income;

(iii) by claiming the depreciation, if any, under any provision of section 32, except clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of the said section, determined in such manner as may be prescribed; and

(iv) without any exemption or deduction for allowances or perquisite, by whatever name called, provided under any other law for the time being in force.

(3) The loss and depreciation referred to in clause (ii) of sub-section (2) shall be deemed to have been given full effect to and no further deduction for such loss or depreciation shall be allowed for any subsequent year:

Provided that where there is a depreciation allowance in respect of a block of assets which has not been given full effect to prior to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021, corresponding adjustment shall be made to the written down value of such block of assets as on the 1st day of April, 2020 in the prescribed manner, if the option under sub-section (5) is exercised for a previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021.

Following second proviso shall be inserted after the existing proviso to section 115BAC(3) by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

Provided further that in a case where,

  (i) the assessee has not exercised the option under sub-section (5) for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or before the 1st day of April, 2023;

 (ii) the income-tax on the total income of the assessee is computed under sub-section (1A); and

(iii) there is a depreciation allowance in respect of a block of assets which has not been given full effect prior to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2024,

corresponding adjustment shall be made to the written down value of such block of assets as on the 1st day of April, 2023 in the manner as may be prescribed.

(4) In case of a person, having a Unit in the International Financial Services Centre, as referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 80LA, which has exercised option under sub-section (5), the conditions contained in sub-section (2) shall be modified to the extent that the deduction under section 80LA shall be available to such Unit subject to fulfilment of the conditions contained in the said section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term "Unit" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005).

Following sub-section (4) shall be substituted for the existing sub-section (4) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(4) In case of a person, having a Unit in the International Financial Services Centre, as referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 80LA,

 (i) who has exercised option under sub-section (5) for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2021 but before the 1st day of April, 2024;

(ii) whose total income is computed under sub-section (1A),

the conditions contained in sub-section (2) shall be modified to the extent that the deduction under section 80LA shall be available to such Unit subject to fulfilment of the conditions contained in the said section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term "Unit" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005).

(5) Nothing contained in this section shall apply unless option is exercised in the prescribed manner⁷⁵ by the person,—

 (i) having income from business or profession, on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the returns of income for any previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2021, and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years;

(ii) having income other than the income referred to in clause (i), alongwith the return of income to be furnished under sub-section (1) of section 139 for a previous year relevant to the assessment year:

Provided that the option under clause (i), once exercised for any previous year can be withdrawn only once for a previous year other than the year in which it was exercised and thereafter, the person shall never be eligible to exercise option under this section, except where such person ceases to have any income from business or profession in which case, option under clause (ii) shall be available.

Following second proviso shall be inserted after the existing proviso to sub-section (5) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

Provided further that the provisions of this sub-section shall not apply for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2024.

Following sub-section (6) shall be inserted after sub-section (5) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(6) Nothing contained in sub-section (1A) shall apply to a person where an option is exercised by such person, in the manner as may be prescribed, for any assessment year, and such option is exercised,

 (i) on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the return of income for such assessment year, in case of a person having income from business or profession, and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years; or

(ii) along with the return of income to be furnished under sub-section (1) of section 139 for such assessment year, in case of a person not having income referred to in clause (i):

Provided that the option under clause (i), once exercised for any previous year can be withdrawn only once for a previous year other than the year in which it was exercised and thereafter, the person shall never be eligible to exercise the option under this sub-section, except where such person ceases to have any income from business or profession in which case, option under clause (ii) shall be available.

Tax on income of certain resident co-operative societies.

115BAD. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, ⁷⁶[other than those mentioned under section 115BAE,] the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of a person, being a co-operative society resident in India, for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2021, shall, at the option of such person, be computed at the rate of twenty-two per cent, if the conditions contained in sub-section (2) are satisfied:

Provided that where the person fails to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2) in computing its income in any previous year, the option shall become invalid in respect of the assessment year relevant to that previous year and subsequent assessment years and other provisions of the Act shall apply, as if the option had not been exercised for the assessment year relevant to that previous year and subsequent assessment years.

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the total income of the co-operative society shall be computed,—

  (i) without any deduction under the provisions of section 10AA or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 32AD or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of section 80JJAA;

 (ii) without set off of any loss carried forward or depreciation from any earlier assessment year, if such loss or depreciation is attributable to any of the deductions referred to in clause (i); and

(iii) by claiming the depreciation, if any, under section 32, other than clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of the said section, determined in such manner as may be prescribed.

(3) The loss and depreciation referred to in clause (ii) of sub-section (2) shall be deemed to have been given full effect to and no further deduction for such loss or depreciation shall be allowed for any subsequent year:

Provided that where there is a depreciation allowance in respect of a block of asset which has not been given full effect to prior to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021, corresponding adjustment shall be made to the written down value of such block of assets as on the 1st day of April, 2020 in such manner as may be prescribed, if the option under sub-section (5) is exercised for a previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021.

(4) In case of a person, having a Unit in the International Financial Services Centre, as referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 80LA, which has exercised option under sub-section (5), the conditions contained in sub-section (2) shall be modified to the extent that the deduction under the said section shall be available to such Unit subject to fulfilment of the conditions contained in that section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term "Unit" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005).

(5) Nothing contained in this section shall apply unless option is exercised by the person in such manner as may be prescribed⁷⁷ on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the return of income for any previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2021 and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years:

Provided that once the option has been exercised for any previous year, it cannot be subsequently withdrawn for the same or any other previous year.

Following section 115BAE shall be inserted after section 115BAD by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

Tax on income of certain new manufacturing co-operative societies.

115BAE. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, other than those mentioned under section 115BAD, the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of an assessee, being a co-operative society resident in India, for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2024, shall, at the option of such assessee, be computed at the rate of fifteen per cent if the conditions contained in sub-section (2) are satisfied:

Provided that where the total income of the assessee includes any income, which has neither been derived from nor is incidental to, manufacturing or production of an article or thing and in respect of which no specific rate of tax has been provided separately under this Chapter, such income shall be taxed at the rate of twenty-two per cent and no deduction or allowance in respect of any expenditure or allowance shall be made in computing such income:

Provided further that the income-tax payable in respect of the income, of the assessee deemed so under the second proviso to sub-section (4) shall be computed at the rate of thirty per cent:

Provided also that the income-tax payable in respect of income, being short term capital gains derived from transfer of a capital asset on which no depreciation is allowable under the Act shall be computed at the rate of twenty-two per cent:

Provided also that where the assessee fails to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2) in any previous year, the option shall become invalid in respect of the assessment year relevant to that previous year and subsequent assessment years and other provisions of the Act shall apply to the assessee as if the option had not been exercised for the assessment year relevant to that previous year and subsequent assessment years.

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the following conditions shall apply, namely:—

(a) the co-operative society has been set-up and registered on or after the 1st day of April, 2023, and has commenced manufacturing or production of an article or thing on or before the 31st day of March, 2024 and,—

 (i) the business is not formed by splitting up, or the reconstruction, of a business already in existence;

(ii) does not use any machinery or plant previously used for any purpose.

Explanation 1.— For the purposes of sub-clause (ii), any machinery or plant which was used outside India by any other person shall not be regarded as machinery or plant previously used for any purpose, if the following conditions are fulfilled, namely:—

(A) such machinery or plant was not, at any time previous to the date of the installation, used in India;

(B) such machinery or plant is imported into India from any country outside India; and

(C) no deduction on account of depreciation in respect of such machinery or plant has been allowed or is allowable under the provisions of this Act in computing the total income of any person for any period prior to the date of installation of machinery or plant by the person.

Explanation 2.— Where any machinery or plant or any part thereof previously used for any purpose is put to use by the assessee and the total value of such machinery or plant or part thereof does not exceed twenty per cent of the total value of the machinery or plant used by the assessee, then, for the purposes of sub-clause (ii), the condition specified therein shall be deemed to have been complied with;

(b) the assessee is not engaged in any business other than the business of manufacture or production of any article or thing and research in relation to, or distribution of, such article or thing manufactured or produced by it.

Explanation.— For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that the business of manufacture or production of any article or thing shall include the business of generation of electricity, but not include a business of,—

 (i) development of computer software in any form or in any media;

(ii) mining;

(iii) conversion of marble blocks or similar items into slabs;

(iv) bottling of gas into cylinder;

(v) printing of books or production of cinematograph film; or

(vi) any other business as may be notified by the Central Government in this behalf;

(c) the total income of the assessee has been computed,—

  (i) without any deduction under the provisions of section 10AA or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of section 80JJAA;

 (ii) without set off of any loss carried forward or depreciation from any earlier assessment year, if such loss or depreciation is attributable to any of the deductions referred to in clause (i); and

(iii) by claiming the depreciation, if any, under section 32, other than clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of the said section, determined in such manner as may be prescribed.

(3) The loss and depreciation referred to in sub-clause (ii) of clause (c) of sub-section (2) shall be deemed to have been given full effect to and no further deduction for such loss shall be allowed for any subsequent year.

(4) Where it appears to the Assessing Officer that, owing to the close connection between the assessee to which this section applies and any other person, or for any other reason, the course of business between them is so arranged that the business transacted between them produces to the assessee more than the ordinary profits which might be expected to arise in such business, the Assessing Officer shall, in computing the profits and gains of such business for the purposes of this section, take the amount of profits as may be reasonably deemed to have been derived therefrom:

Provided that in case the aforesaid arrangement involves a specified domestic transaction referred to in section 92BA, the amount of profits from such transaction shall be determined having regard to arm's length price as defined in clause (ii) of section 92F:

Provided further that the amount, being profits in excess of the amount of the profits determined by the Assessing Officer, shall be deemed to be the income of the assessee.

(5) Nothing contained in this section shall apply unless the option is exercised by the person in the prescribed manner on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the first of the returns of income for any previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after 1st day of April, 2024, and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years:

Provided that once the option has been exercised for any previous year *shall not be allowed to be withdrawn for the same or any other previous year.

Tax on income of individuals ⁷²[and Hindu undivided family].

115BAC. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of a person, being an individual or a Hindu undivided family, for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2021 ⁷³[but before the 1st day of April, 2024], shall, at the option of such person, be computed at the rate of tax given in the following Table, if the conditions contained in sub-section (2) are satisfied, namely:—

TABLE

Sl. No.	Total income	Rate of tax
(1)	(2)	(3)
1.	Upto Rs. 2,50,000	Nil
2.	From Rs. 2,50,001 to Rs. 5,00,000	5 per cent
3.	From Rs. 5,00,001 to Rs. 7,50,000	10 per cent
4.	From Rs. 7,50,001 to Rs. 10,00,000	15 per cent
5.	From Rs. 10,00,001 to Rs. 12,50,000	20 per cent
6.	From Rs. 12,50,001 to Rs. 15,00,000	25 per cent
7.	Above Rs. 15,00,000	30 per cent:

Provided that where the person fails to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2) in any previous year, the option shall become invalid in respect of the assessment year relevant to that previous year and other provisions of this Act shall apply, as if the option had not been exercised for the assessment year relevant to that previous year:

Provided further that where the option is exercised under clause (i) of sub-section (5), in the event of failure to satisfy the conditions contained in sub-section (2), it shall become invalid for subsequent assessment years also and other provisions of this Act shall apply for those years accordingly.

Following sub-section (1A) shall be inserted after sub-section (1) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(1A) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act but subject to the provisions of this Chapter, the income-tax payable in respect of the total income of a person, being an individual or Hindu undivided family or association of persons (other than a co-operative society), or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not, or an artificial juridical person referred to in sub-clause (vii) of clause (31) of section 2, other than a person who has exercised an option under sub-section (6), for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2024, shall be computed at the rate of tax given in the following Table, namely:—

TABLE

Sl. No.	Total income	Rate of tax
(1)	(2)	(3)
1.	Upto Rs. 3,00,000	Nil
2.	From Rs. 3,00,001 to Rs. 6,00,000	5 per cent
3.	From Rs. 6,00,001 to Rs. 9,00,000	10 per cent
4.	From Rs. 9,00,001 to Rs. 12,00,000	15 per cent
5.	From Rs. 12,00,001 to Rs. 15,00,000	20 per cent
6.	Above Rs. 15,00,000	30 per cent

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the total income of the individual or Hindu undivided family shall be computed,—

 (i) without any exemption or deduction under the provisions of clause (5) or clause (13A) or prescribed under clause (14) (other than those as may be prescribed for this purpose) or clause (17) or clause (32), of section 10 or section 10AA or section 16 or clause (b) of section 24 (in respect of the property referred to in sub-section (2) of section 23) or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 32AD or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or clause (iia) of section 57 or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 80CCD or ⁷⁴[sub-section (2) of section 80CCH or] section 80JJAA;

Following shall be substituted for the opening portion and clause (i) of sub-section (2) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(2) For the purposes of sub-section (1A), the total income of the person referred to therein, shall be computed—

(i) without any exemption or deduction under the provisions of clause (5) or clause (13A) or prescribed under clause (14) (other than those as may be prescribed for this purpose) or clause (17) or clause (32), of section 10 or section 10AA or clause (ii) or clause (iii) of section 16 or clause (b) of section 24 [in respect of the property referred to in sub-section (2) of section 23] or clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of section 32 or section 32AD or section 33AB or section 33ABA or sub-clause (ii) or sub-clause (iia) or sub-clause (iii) of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2AA) of section 35 or section 35AD or section 35CCC or under any of the provisions of Chapter VI-A other than the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 80CCD or sub-section (2) of section 80CCH or section 80JJAA;

(ii) without set off of any loss,—

(a) carried forward or depreciation from any earlier assessment year, if such loss or depreciation is attributable to any of the deductions referred to in clause (i);

(b) under the head "Income from house property" with any other head of income;

(iii) by claiming the depreciation, if any, under any provision of section 32, except clause (iia) of sub-section (1) of the said section, determined in such manner as may be prescribed; and

(iv) without any exemption or deduction for allowances or perquisite, by whatever name called, provided under any other law for the time being in force.

(3) The loss and depreciation referred to in clause (ii) of sub-section (2) shall be deemed to have been given full effect to and no further deduction for such loss or depreciation shall be allowed for any subsequent year:

Provided that where there is a depreciation allowance in respect of a block of assets which has not been given full effect to prior to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021, corresponding adjustment shall be made to the written down value of such block of assets as on the 1st day of April, 2020 in the prescribed manner, if the option under sub-section (5) is exercised for a previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2021.

Following second proviso shall be inserted after the existing proviso to section 115BAC(3) by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

Provided further that in a case where,

  (i) the assessee has not exercised the option under sub-section (5) for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or before the 1st day of April, 2023;

 (ii) the income-tax on the total income of the assessee is computed under sub-section (1A); and

(iii) there is a depreciation allowance in respect of a block of assets which has not been given full effect prior to the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2024,

corresponding adjustment shall be made to the written down value of such block of assets as on the 1st day of April, 2023 in the manner as may be prescribed.

(4) In case of a person, having a Unit in the International Financial Services Centre, as referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 80LA, which has exercised option under sub-section (5), the conditions contained in sub-section (2) shall be modified to the extent that the deduction under section 80LA shall be available to such Unit subject to fulfilment of the conditions contained in the said section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term "Unit" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005).

Following sub-section (4) shall be substituted for the existing sub-section (4) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(4) In case of a person, having a Unit in the International Financial Services Centre, as referred to in sub-section (1A) of section 80LA,

 (i) who has exercised option under sub-section (5) for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2021 but before the 1st day of April, 2024;

(ii) whose total income is computed under sub-section (1A),

the conditions contained in sub-section (2) shall be modified to the extent that the deduction under section 80LA shall be available to such Unit subject to fulfilment of the conditions contained in the said section.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the term "Unit" shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (zc) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005).

(5) Nothing contained in this section shall apply unless option is exercised in the prescribed manner⁷⁵ by the person,—

 (i) having income from business or profession, on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the returns of income for any previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2021, and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years;

(ii) having income other than the income referred to in clause (i), alongwith the return of income to be furnished under sub-section (1) of section 139 for a previous year relevant to the assessment year:

Provided that the option under clause (i), once exercised for any previous year can be withdrawn only once for a previous year other than the year in which it was exercised and thereafter, the person shall never be eligible to exercise option under this section, except where such person ceases to have any income from business or profession in which case, option under clause (ii) shall be available.

Following second proviso shall be inserted after the existing proviso to sub-section (5) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

Provided further that the provisions of this sub-section shall not apply for any previous year relevant to the assessment year beginning on or after the 1st day of April, 2024.

Following sub-section (6) shall be inserted after sub-section (5) of section 115BAC by the Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 1-4-2024:

(6) Nothing contained in sub-section (1A) shall apply to a person where an option is exercised by such person, in the manner as may be prescribed, for any assessment year, and such option is exercised,

 (i) on or before the due date specified under sub-section (1) of section 139 for furnishing the return of income for such assessment year, in case of a person having income from business or profession, and such option once exercised shall apply to subsequent assessment years; or

(ii) along with the return of income to be furnished under sub-section (1) of section 139 for such assessment year, in case of a person not having income referred to in clause (i):

Provided that the option under clause (i), once exercised for any previous year can be withdrawn only once for a previous year other than the year in which it was exercised and thereafter, the person shall never be eligible to exercise the option under this sub-section, except where such person ceases to have any income from business or profession in which case, option under clause (ii) shall be available.