SECTION 40A – EXPENSES OR PAYMENTS NOT DEDUCTIBLE
Disallowance of expenditure for which payment exceeding Rs. 2,500 is made otherwise than by crossed cheque/bank draft under sub-section (3), read with rule 6DD of the Income-tax Rules – Scope and operation of the sub-section explained
Section 40A(3) requires that if any payment in a sum exceeding Rs. 2,500 in respect of an expenditure incurred after March 31, 1969 is made otherwise than by a crossed cheque drawn on a bank or by a crossed bank draft, such expenditure shall not be allowed as a deduction. It has now been represented to the Board that the entries in bank pass book do not specifically indicate whether the payment made is by a bearer or crossed cheque. The cheques after their encashment are retained by the bank and cannot be produced before the assessing authorities to prove that the payments have been made by crossed cheques.
2. The difficulty pointed out has been considered by the Board in consultation with the Department of Banking and it has been decided that the banks may now return the paid cheques to their constituents after obtaining a formal undertaking from them to the effect that they shall retain the returned paid cheques for a period of eight years and produce them before the Income-tax Officer whenever called upon to do so.
Circular : No 33 [F. No. 9/50/69-IT (A-II) ], dated 29-12-1969.
