Rationalisation of provisions relating to tax audit in certain cases

Under section 44AB of the Act, every person carrying on business is required to get his accounts audited, if his total sales, turnover or gross receipts, in business exceed or exceeds one crore rupees in any previous year. In case of a person carrying on profession he is required to get his accounts audited, if his gross receipt in profession exceeds, fifty lakh rupees in any previous year. In order to reduce compliance burden on small and medium enterprises, through Finance Act 2020, the threshold limit for a person carrying on business was increased from one crore rupees to five crore rupees in cases where,- 

(i) aggregate of all receipts in cash during the previous year does not exceed five per cent of such receipt; and 

(ii) aggregate of all payments in cash during the previous year does not exceed five per cent of such payment. 

In order to incentivise non-cash transactions to promote digital economy and to further reduce compliance burden of small and medium enterprises, it is proposed to increase the threshold limit for Tax Audit Under section 44AB from five crore rupees to ten crore rupees in cases listed above. 

This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2021 and will accordingly apply for the assessment year 2021-22 and subsequent assessment years. 

Clause 11 of the Bill seeks to amend section 44AB of the Income-tax Act relating to audit of accounts of certain persons carrying on business or profession. 

Clause (a) of the said section provides for audit of accounts for every person carrying on business, 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. The proviso to the said clause provides that in the case of a person whose 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 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, the said clause shall have effect as if for the words “one crore rupees” the words “five crore rupees” had been substituted. 

It is proposed to amend the said proviso so as to increase the threshold from “five crore rupees” to “ten crore rupees”. 

This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2021 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2021-2022 and subsequent assessment years.