Notification by CBDT relaxing 15CA 15CB rules

Notification No. 93/2015 dated 16.12.2015 is issued by Central Board of Direct Taxes for relaxation of 15CA and 15CB compliance.

The Notification has expressly reduced the burden for the following items:

1. 15CB will be required only if the payment made to non-resident which is chargeable to tax exceeds Rs.5 lacs.

2. Specified List is categorically exempt from obtaining 15CA 15CB certifications. Now, even Imports are covered under this new list of 33 specified items. The list is given below

3. No 15CA 15CB is required if the remittance is by Individual and it does not require prior permission from RBI

 

 

[TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF INDIA, EXTRAORDINARY, PART-II, SECTION 3, SUB-SECTION (i)]
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE)
(CENTRAL BOARD OF DIRECT TAXES)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 16th December, 2015
INCOME-TAX

G.S.R. 978(E).— In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (6) of section 195 read with section 295 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the Central Board of Direct Taxes hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Income-tax Rules, 1962, namely:-
1. (1) These rules may be called the Income-tax (21st Amendment) Rules, 2015.
(2) They shall come into force on the 1st day of April, 2016.
2. In the Income-tax Rules, 1962 (hereafter referred to as the said rules), for rule 37BB, the following rule shall be substituted, namely:-
“37BB. Furnishing of information for payment to a non-resident, not being a company, or to a foreign company.— (1) The person responsible for paying to a non-resident, not being a company, or to a foreign company, any sum chargeable under the provisions of the Act, shall furnish the following, namely:-
(i) the information in Part A of Form No.15CA, if the amount of payment or the aggregate of such payments, as the case may be, made during the financial year does not exceed five lakh rupees;
(ii) for payments other than the payments referred in clause (i), the information,—
(a) in Part B of Form No.15CA after obtaining,—
(I) a certificate from the Assessing Officer under section 197; or
(II) an order from the Assessing Officer under sub-section (2) or sub-section (3) of section 195;
(b) in Part C of Form No.15CA after obtaining a certificate in Form No. 15CB from an accountant as defined in the Explanation below sub-section (2) of section 288.
(2) The person responsible for paying to a non-resident, not being a company, or to a foreign company, any sum which is not chargeable under the provisions of the Act, shall furnish the information in Part D of Form No.15CA.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (2), no information is required to be furnished for any sum which is not chargeable under the provisions of the Act, if,—
(i) the remittance is made by an individual and it does not require prior approval of Reserve Bank of India as per the provisions of section 5 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999) read with Schedule III to the Foreign Exchange (Current Account Transaction) Rules, 2000; or

(ii) the remittance is of the nature specified in column (3) of the specified list below:

SPECIFIED LIST Sl. No. Purpose code as per RBI Nature of payment (1) (2) (3) 
1 S0001 Indian investment abroad-in equity capital (shares) 
2 S0002 Indian investment abroad-in debt securities 
3 S0003 Indian investment abroad-in branches and wholly owned subsidiaries 
4 S0004 Indian investment abroad-in subsidiaries and associates 
5 S0005 Indian investment abroad-in real estate 
6 S0011 Loans extended to Non-Residents 
7 S0101 Advance payment against imports 
8 S0102 Payment towards imports-settlement of invoice 
9 S0103 Imports by diplomatic missions 
10 S0104 Intermediary trade 
11 S0190 Imports below Rs.5,00,000-(For use by ECD offices) 
12 S0202 Payment for operating expenses of Indian shipping companies operating abroad. 
13 S0208 Operating expenses of Indian Airlines companies operating abroad 
14 S0212 Booking of passages abroad - Airlines companies
15 S0301 Remittance towards business travel. 
16 S0302 Travel under basic travel quota (BTQ) 
17 S0303 Travel for pilgrimage 
18 S0304 Travel for medical treatment 
19 S0305 Travel for education (including fees, hostel expenses etc.) 
20 S0401 Postal services 
21 S0501 Construction of projects abroad by Indian companies including import of goods at project site 
22 S0602 Freight insurance - relating to import and export of goods
23 S1011 Payments for maintenance of offices abroad 
24 S1201 Maintenance of Indian embassies abroad 
25 S1202 Remittances by foreign embassies in India 
26 S1301 Remittance by non-residents towards family maintenance and savings 
27 S1302 Remittance towards personal gifts and donations 
28 S1303 Remittance towards donations to religious and charitable institutions abroad 
29 S1304 Remittance towards grants and donations to other Governments and charitable institutions established by the Governments 
30 S1305 Contributions or donations by the Government to international institutions 
31 S1306 Remittance towards payment or refund of taxes 
32 S1501 Refunds or rebates or reduction in invoice value on account of exports 
33 S1503 Payments by residents for international bidding.

(4) The information in Form No. 15CA shall be furnished,—
(i) electronically under digital signature in accordance with the procedures, formats and standards specified by the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) under sub-rule (8) and thereafter printout of the said form shall be submitted to the authorised dealer, prior to remitting the payment; or
(ii) electronically in accordance with the procedures, formats and standards specified by the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) under sub-rule (8) and thereafter signed printout of the said form shall be submitted to the authorised dealer, prior to remitting the payment.
(5) An income-tax authority may require the authorised dealer to furnish the signed printout of Form No.15CA referred to in clause (ii) of sub-rule (4) for the purposes of any proceedings under the Act.
(6) The certificate in Form No. 15CB shall be furnished and verified electronically in accordance with the procedures, formats and standards specified by the Principal Director-General of Income-tax (Systems) under sub-rule (8).
(7) The authorised dealer shall furnish a quarterly statement for each quarter of the financial year in Form No.15CC to the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) or the person authorised by the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) electronically under digital signature within fifteen days from the end of the quarter of the financial year to which such statement relates in accordance with the procedures, formats and standards specified by the Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) under sub-rule (8).
(8) The Principal Director General of Income-tax (Systems) shall specify the procedures, formats and standards for the purposes of furnishing and verification of Form 15CA, Form 15CB and Form 15CC and shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration in relation to the furnishing and verification of information, certificate and quarterly statement in accordance with the provisions of sub-rules (4), (6) and (7).
Explanation.— For the purposes of this rule ‘authorised dealer’ means a person authorised as an authorised dealer under sub-section (1) of section 10 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999).”.
3. In the said rules, in Appendix-II, for Form No.15CA and Form No. 15CB, the following Forms shall be substituted.
[Notification No. 93/2015, F.No.133/41/2015-TPL]
(PITAMBAR DAS)
DIRECTOR (TAX POLICY AND LEGISLATION)