Penalty for passing on unreasonable benefits to trustee or specified persons
a) Under section 13 of the Act, trusts or institution under the second regime are required not to pass on any unreasonable benefit to the trustee or any other specified person. In order to discourage such misuse of the funds of the trust or institution by specified persons, it is proposed to insert a new section 271AAE in the Act to provide for penalty on trusts or institution under both the regimes which is equal to amount of income applied by such trust or institution for the benefit of specified person where the violation is noticed for the first time during any previous year and twice the amount of such income where the violation is notice again in any subsequent year. The proposed section seeks to operate without prejudice to any other provision of chapter XXI. Thus, if any penalty is leviable under any of the other provisions of this chapter, in addition to the proposed penalty, that penalty would also be applicable.
b) The proposed new section seeks to provide that, if during any proceeding under the Act, it is found that a person, being any trust or institution under the first or the second regime, has violated the provisions of twenty-first proviso to clause (23C) of section 10 (proposed to be inserted by the Finance Bill and discussed in subsequent paragraphs) or clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 13, as the case may be, the Assessing Officer may direct that such person shall pay by way of penalty,
i) a sum equal to the aggregate amount of income applied, directly or indirectly, by such person, for the benefit of any person referred to in sub-section (3) of section 13 where the violation is noticed for the first time during any previous year; and
ii) a sum equal to two hundred percent of the aggregate amount of income of such person applied, directly or indirectly, by such person, for the benefit of any person referred to in sub-section (3) of section 13, where violation is noticed again in any subsequent previous year.
c) These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2023 and will accordingly apply in relation to the assessment year 2023-24 and subsequent assessment years.
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Note on Clause 76 of Finance Bill 2022
Clause 76 seeks to insert section 271AAE in the Income-tax Act relating to benefits to related persons.
The proposed new section provides that without prejudice to any other provisions of Chapter XXI of the Act, if during any proceedings under this Act, it is found that a person, being any fund or institution referred to in sub-clause (iv) or trust or institution referred to in sub-clause (v) or any university or other educational institution referred to in sub-clause (vi) or any hospital or other medical institution referred to in sub-clause (via) of clause (23C) of section 10, or any trust or institution referred to in section 11 has violated the provisions of the twenty-first proviso to clause (23C) of section 10 or clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 13, as the case may be, the Assessing Officer may direct that such person shall pay by way of penalty––
(a) a sum equal to the aggregate amount of income of such person applied, directly or indirectly, by such person, for the benefit of any person referred to in sub-section
(b) of section 13, where the violation is noticed for the first time during any previous year; and
(c) a sum equal to two hundred per cent. of the aggregate amount of income of such person applied, directly or indirectly, by that person, for the benefit of any person referred to in sub-section (3) of section 13, where violation is noticed again in any subsequent previous year.
This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2023 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2023-2024 and subsequent assessment years.
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Extract of Clause 76 of Finance Bill 2022
76. Insertion of new section 271AAE.
After section 271AAD of the Income-tax Act, the following section shall be inserted with effect from the 1st day of April, 2023, namely:––
“271AAE. Benefits to related persons.
Without prejudice to any other provision of this Chapter, if during any proceedings under this Act, it is found that a person, being any fund or institution referred to in sub-clause (iv) or any trust or institution referred to in sub-clause (v) or any university or other educational institution referred to in sub-clause (vi) or any hospital or other medical institution referred to in sub-clause (via) of clause (23C) of section 10, or any trust or institution referred to in section 11 has violated the provisions of the twenty-first proviso to clause (23C) of section 10, or clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 13, as the case may be, the Assessing Officer may direct that such person shall pay by way of penalty––
(a) a sum equal to the aggregate amount of income applied, directly or indirectly, by such person, for the benefit of any person referred to in sub-section (3) of section 13, where the violation is noticed for the first time during any previous year; and
(b) a sum equal to two hundred per cent. of the aggregate amount of income of such person applied, directly or indirectly, by that person, for the benefit of any person referred to in sub-section (3) of section 13, where violation is noticed again in any subsequent previous year.”.
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