Buyer to deduct TDS on Purchase of Goods from Resident Seller: CBDT issues Guidelines [Read Circular]

The Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT) issued the guidelines in respect of Section 194Q of the Income Tax Act, 1961 in respect of the buyer to deduct TDS on the purchase of goods from the resident seller. The Finance Act, 2021 inserted a new section 194Q in the Income-tax Act 1961 which takes effect from I July, 2021.

It applies to any buyer who is responsible for paying any sum to any resident seller for the purchase of any goods of the value or aggregate of value exceeding fifty lakh rupees in any previous year.

The buyer, at the time of credit of such sum to the account of the seller or at the time of payment, whichever is earlier, is required to deduct an amount equal to 0.1% of such sum exceeding fifty lakh rupees as income tax.

“It has been represented that there are practical difficulties in implementing the provisions of Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) contained in section 194-Q of the Act in case of certain exchanges and clearing corporations. It has been stated that sometime in these transactions there is no one-to-one contract between the buyers and the seller,” the circular read.

The Board in order to remove such difficulties is provided that the provisions of section 194Q of the Act shall not be applicable in relation to, transactions in securities and commodities which are traded through recognized stock exchanges or cleared and settled by the recognized clearing corporation, including recognized stock exchanges or recognized clearing corporation located in International Financial Service Centre; and transactions in electricity, renewable energy certificates, and energy-saving certificates traded through power exchanges registered in accordance with Regulation 21 of the CERC.

The CBDT clarified that since section 194Q of the Act mandates buyer to deduct tax on the credit of sum in the account of the seller or on payment of such sum, whichever earlier, the provision of this subsection shall not apply on any sum credited or paid before Ist July 2021.

If either of the two events had happened before 1 July 2021, that transaction would not be subjected to the provisions of section 194Q of the Act. “Since the threshold of fifty lakh rupees is with respect to the previous year calculation of sum for triggering TDS under section 194Q shall be computed from 1 April, 2021.

Hence, if a person being buyer has already credited or paid fifty lakh rupees or more up to 30th June 2021 to a seller, the TDS under section 194Q shall apply on all credit or payment during the previous year, on or after Ist July 2021 , to such seller,” the CBDT clarified.

With respect to TDS under section 194Q of the Act, the Board clarified that when tax is deducted at the time of credit of amount in the account of the seller and in terms of the agreement or contract between the buyer and the seller, the component of GST comprised in the amount payable to the seller is indicated separately, tax shall be deducted under section 194Q of the Act on the amount credited without including such GST.

However, if the tax is deducted on a payment basis because the payment is earlier than the credit, the tax would be deducted on the whole amount as it is not possible to identify that payment with the GST component of the amount to be invoiced in the future. It is requested to clarify if the provisions of section 194Q of the Act shall apply to a buyer being a non-resident.

To remove difficulties, it is clarified that the provisions of section 194Q of the Act shall not apply to a non-resident whose purchase of goods from seller resident in India is not effectively connected with the permanent establishment of such non-resident in India. For this purpose, “permanent establishment” shall mean to include a fixed place of business through which the business of the enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.

It is requested to clarify if the provisions of section 194Q of the Act shall apply to a buyer in the year of its incorporation. It is clarified that under section 194Q of the Act a buyer is required to have total sales or gross receipts or turnover from the business carried on by him exceeding ten crore rupees during the financial year immediately preceding the financial year in which the purchase of goods is carried out. Since this condition would not be satisfied in the year of incorporation, the provisions of section 194Q of the Act shall not apply in the year of incorporation. “If a transaction is both within the purview of section 194-Q of the Act as well as sub-section (I H) of section 206C of the Act, the tax is required to be deducted under section 194-Q of the Act.

The transaction shall come out of the purview of sub-section (1 H) of section 206C of the Act after tax has been deducted by the buyer on that transaction. Once the buyer has deducted the tax on a transaction, the seller is not required to collect the tax under sub-section (I H) of section 206C of the Act on the same transaction. However, if, for any reason, tax has been collected by the seller under sub-section (I H) of section 206C of the Act, before the buyer could deduct tax under section 194-Q of the Act on the same transaction, such transaction would not be subjected to tax deduction again by the buyer.

This concession is provided to remove difficulty since tax rate of deduction and collection are same in section 194Q and sub-section (IH) of section 206C of the Act,” the CBDT said in the circular.