Assam Taxation (Liquidation of Arrear Dues) Act, 2005
No: 11 Dated: Apr, 19 2005
Amendment:- Assam Taxation (Liquidation of Arrear Dues) (Amendment) Act, 2006
THE ASSAM TAXATION (LIQUIDATION OF ARREAR DUES) ACT, 2005
ASSAM ACT NO. XI OF 2005
An Act to provide for liquidation of long, outstanding dues of arrear tax, penalty and interest under a few Acts.
Whereas it has become expedient to provide for liquidation of long outstanding dues relating to tax,, penalty and interest, as the case or cases as may be, under the Assam General Sales Tax Act, 1993, (Assam Act No. XII of 1993), Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, (Central Act 74 of 1956) the Assam Amusements and Betting Tax Act, 1939, (Assam Act No. VI of 1939) the Assam Taxation (Hotel and Lodging Houses) Act 1989, (Assam Act No.V of 1989) the Assam Taxation (On Specified Lands) Act, 1990, (Assam Act No. XII of 1990) the Assam Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1939, (Assam Act No. IX of 1939) the Assam Taxation (On Luxuries) Act, 1997 (Assam Act No. VIII of 1997) and the repealed sales tax Acts as referred to in subsection (1) of section 74 of the Assam General Sales Tax Act 1993 (Assam Act No. XII of 1993) by offering one time incentive in the form of waiver of the balance portion of qualifying arrear dues remaining after payment of the prescribed percentage of the total dues within the stipulated dateline;
It is hereby enacted in the Fifty-sixth Year of the Republic of India as follows:-
1. Short title, extent and commencement. - (1) This Act may be called the Assam Taxation (Liquidation of Arrear Dues) Act, 2005.
(2) It extends to the whole of Assam.
(3) It shall come into force at once and shell remain in force till 31st July, 2020 or by such later date as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify from time to time.
2. Definitions. - (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "Applicant" means a dealer, a proprietor, a hotelier, an owner or an assessee as defined in the relevant Act and any person against whom there is outstanding dues of arrear tax, penalty and interest and includes legal heirs, successors, assignees or nominees of such dealer, proprietor, hotelier, owner or an assessee;
(b) "Outstanding dues of arrear tax, penalty and interest" means unpaid amounts as on the date of coming into force of this Act on account of tax, interest and penalty by an applicant as per statutory orders for periods upto 31st December, 2017 under any provision of the relevant Acts passed on or before 31s1 March 2016 or by such later date as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify from time to time and also includes further calculable interest as per the relevant Acts on the involved principal amounts upto the date of application within the meaning of section 5 of this Act;
(c) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made thereunder;
(d) "Relevant Acts" means any one or more of the following Acts, namely:-
(i) the Assam General Sales Tax Act, 1993, (Assam Act No. XII of 1993);
(ii) the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, (Central Act 74 of 1956);
(iii) the Assam Amusements and Betting Tax Act, 1939, (Assam Act No. VI of 1939);
(iv) the Assam Tax on Luxuries (Hotels, Lodging Houses and Hospitals) Act, 1989, (Assam Act No. V of 1989);
(v) the Assam Taxation (On Luxmies) Act, 1997 (Assam Act No. VI11of 1997);
(vi) the Assam Taxation (On Specified Lands) Act, 1990, (Assam Act No. XII of 1990);
(vii) the Assam Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1939, (Assam Act No. IX of 1939);
(viii) the repealed Acts as mentioned in sub-section (l } of Section 74 of the Assam General Sales Tax Act, 1993, (Assam Act No. Xll of 1993 ) .
(2) Unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or contexts, all expressions used in this Act, which are not defined in this Act but defined in the relevant Acts, or used in the relevant Acts, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the relevant Acts.
3. Designated Authority. - The Assistant Commissioner of Taxes or the Superintendents of Taxes or the Agricultural Income Tax Officers exercising jurisdiction over an applicant at the commencement of this Act shall be the Designated Authority for the purpose of receiving and disposing an application under section 5 of the Act.
4. Eligibility conditions. - Subject to other provisions of this Act, an applicant shall be eligible to make an application under this Act for all his outstanding dues in respect of amounts assessed for the periods upto 31st March, 2015 and levied against him on or before 31st December, 2017 but not lying in dispute before any statutory forum or the Hon'ble Gauhati High Court or the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India as on the date of application under the Act.
5. Application for waiver. - (1) An application for the purpose of section 4 of the Act shall be made to the respective Designated Authority by an application in the prescribed form and manner aloagwith the receipted copy of the designated bank challan for the payable amount according to the prescribed formula and by the prescribed dateline in the Schedule attached to the Act;
(2) A separate application shall be made by an applicant for the applicable different assessment periods as well as the applicable different relevant Acts.
6. Procedure for Application. - (1) The Designated Authority shall, ordinarily within thirty days from the date of receipt of an application referred to in section 4 of the Act, verity the correctness of the particulars furnished in such application.
(2) Where the Designated Authority is satisfied about the correctness of the particulars set forth in the application made by an applicant, he shall determine, by an order in writing, the amount payable by the applicant as well as the amount entitled for waiver for the concerned assessment period under the applicable relevant Acts according to the formula specified in the Schedule attached to this Act.
Provided that while determining the amount payable by the applicant as determined under this sub-section shall be rounded off to the nearest rupee and for this purpose, where such amount contains a part of a rupee, then, if such part is fifty paise or more, it shall be rounded off to a rupee, and if such part is less than fifty paise, it shall be ignored.
(3) An applicant shall deposit the balance payable amount, if any, pursuant to the determination completed by the Designated Authority upon his application made under this Act.
(4) In case the long outstanding dues of arrear tax, penalty and interest is under recovery or bakijai proceeding at the hand of an authority other than the Designated Authority, the latter shall immediately notify such other authority about the status of the arrear certificate initially sent by him after receipt of a valid application within the meaning of section 3 of the Act and shall withdraw the same as soon as proceeding under sub-section (2) of this section are finalised and the payable amount thereon is deposited in full by an applicant.
7. Refusal in certain cases. - The Designated Authority, for reasons to be recorded in writing, may refuse to entertain an application made under section 5 of the Act with the prior approval of the Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Taxes:
Provided that no order in this regard shall be passed without allowing the applicant a reasonable opportunity of being heard.
8. Settlement of arrear dues. - Consequent upon determination of the amount under section 6 and payment in full of such determined amount, an applicant shall stand discharged from any further liability n respect of the involved dues subject to other applicable provisions of the Act.
9. Rectification of the order of settlement. - The Designated Authority may, at any time within ninety days from the date of any order passed by him under this Act, rectify any arithmetical mistake or other mistake of i factual nature apparent from the record of the case:
Provided that no such rectification adversely affecting the applicant shall be passed without allowing him a reasonable opportunity' of being heard