Restrictions on cash Payments w.e.f 01.04.2017
Summary –Amendment in Section 40A(3): As per Finance Act 2017 w.e.f 01.04.2017 i.e FY 2017-18 (AY 2018-19) reduced threshold of cash payment to a person from twenty thousand rupees to ten thousand rupees in a single day; i.e any payment in cash above ten thousand rupees to a person in a day, shall not be allowed as deduction in computation of Income from “Profits and gains of business or profession”;
Budget 2017-18 Memorandum Explaining section 40A(3) Amendment
Measures to discourage cash transactions in Finance Bill 2017
The existing provision of sub-section (3) of Section 40A of the Act, provides that any expenditure in respect of which payment or aggregate of payments made to a person in a day, otherwise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or account payee bank draft, exceeds twenty thousand rupees, shall not be allowed as a deduction. Further, sub-section (3A) of section 40A also provides for deeming a payment as profits and gains of business of profession if the expenditure is incurred in a particular year but the payment is made in any subsequent year of a sum exceeding twenty thousand rupees otherwise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or account payee bank draft.
In order to disincentivise cash transactions, Finance Bill 2017 proposed to amend the provision of section 40A of the Act to provide the following:
(i) To reduce the existing threshold of cash payment to a person from twenty thousand rupees to ten thousand rupees in a single day; i.e any payment in cash above ten thousand rupees to a person in a day, shall not be allowed as deduction in computation of Income from “Profits and gains of business or profession”;
(ii) Deeming a payment as profits and gains of business of profession if the expenditure is incurred in a particular year but the cash payment is made in any subsequent year of a sum exceeding ten thousand rupees to a person in a single day; and
(iii) Further expand the specified mode of payment under respective sub-section of section 40A from an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or account payee bank draft to by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or account payee bank draft or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account.
These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2018 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2018- 19 and subsequent years.
Relevant Extract of Finance bill 2017 regarding restrictions on cash Payments
Clause 15 of Finance Bill 2017
In section 40A of the Income-tax Act,—
(a) in sub-section (2), in clause (a), in the proviso, after the words “Provided that”, the words, figures and letters “for an assessment year commencing on or before the 1st day of April, 2016” shall be inserted;
(b) with effect from the 1st day of April, 2018,—
(A) in sub-section (3), for the words “exceeds twenty thousand rupees”, the words “or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account, exceeds ten thousand rupees,” shall be substituted;
(B) in sub-section (3A),—
(i) after the words “account payee bank draft,”, the words “or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account” shall be inserted;
(ii) for the words “twenty thousand rupees”, the words “ten thousand rupees” shall be substituted;
(iii) in the first proviso, for the words “exceeds twenty thousand rupees”, the words “or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account, exceeds ten thousand rupees,” shall be substituted;
(iv) in the second proviso, for the words “twenty thousand rupees”, the words “ten thousand rupees” shall be substituted;
(C) in sub-section (4),—
(i) after the words “account payee bank draft”, the words “or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account” shall be inserted;
(ii) after the words “such cheque or draft”, the words “or electronic clearing system” shall be inserted.
[ Related Post Section 40A(3)- Disallowance of cash payments ]
Related Post on Budget 2017-18
Budget Speech 2017-18 -Download /Print
Finance Bill 2017 -Download /Print -Budget 2017-18
Memorandum Explaining Provisions in Finance Bill 2017
Updates on Union Budget 2017-18
Related Book on Budget 2017-18
