The Income-tax Act was passed in 1961 and has been amended every year through the Finance Act. The Wealth-tax Act was passed in 1957 and has also been amended many times. Numerous amendments have rendered the two Acts incomprehensible to the average taxpayers. Besides, there have been several policy changes due to change in economic environment, complexity in the market, increasing sophistication of commerce, and development of information technology. There has also been a multitude of judgments (at times conflicting) rendered by the courts at different levels. This necessitated drafting of a Code to consolidate and amend the law relating to all direct taxes. Accordingly, a draft Code along with a concept paper was released on 12th August, 2009 inviting suggestions from the public. The Code sought to consolidate and amend the law relating to all direct taxes so as to establish an economically efficient, effective and equitable direct tax system which would facilitate voluntary compliance and also reduce the scope for disputes and minimize litigation.
Having considered the suggestions received from various stake holders a revised discussion paper was released on 15th June, 2010. Thereafter, taking into account the suggestions which were accepted by the Government, the Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 30th August, 2010. The Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) on 9th September, 2010 for examination and report thereon. The SCF presented its report to the Speaker, Lok Sabha in March, 2012. The report contains general recommendations in Part-I and deals with specific clause wise recommendations in Part-II. A large number of recommendations of the SCF along with other suggestions which were forwarded at the examination stage have been accepted by the Government. Further, the Kelkar Committee in its report on ‘Road Map for fiscal consolidation’ submitted to the Government in September, 2012 made the following observations on the Bill:-
“The Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 which intends to revamp the law relating to direct taxes is likely to result in considerable unacceptable losses on a continuing basis. Given the low tax-GDP ratio and the existing fiscal crisis, there is absolutely no fiscal space for such large revenue loss. Therefore, the Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 should be comprehensively reviewed before it is enacted into law for implementation.”
Since the Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 was introduced in the Parliament, amendments were carried out in the Income-tax Act, 1961 and the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 through Finance Acts, 2011, 2012 & 2013. These amendments were consistent with the policy laid down in the DTC Bill, 2010. Incorporating these amendments in the DTC Bill, 2010 would require a large number of official amendments making the Bill incomprehensible and the legislative process cumbersome. Hence, it was decided to revise the Direct Taxes Code incorporating all the amendments and presenting it as a fresh Bill. Accordingly, a new revised Direct Taxes Code was drafted.
Download Proposed Direct Taxes Code, 2013 with significant Changes
Having considered the suggestions received from various stake holders a revised discussion paper was released on 15th June, 2010. Thereafter, taking into account the suggestions which were accepted by the Government, the Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 30th August, 2010. The Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) on 9th September, 2010 for examination and report thereon. The SCF presented its report to the Speaker, Lok Sabha in March, 2012. The report contains general recommendations in Part-I and deals with specific clause wise recommendations in Part-II. A large number of recommendations of the SCF along with other suggestions which were forwarded at the examination stage have been accepted by the Government. Further, the Kelkar Committee in its report on ‘Road Map for fiscal consolidation’ submitted to the Government in September, 2012 made the following observations on the Bill:-
“The Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 which intends to revamp the law relating to direct taxes is likely to result in considerable unacceptable losses on a continuing basis. Given the low tax-GDP ratio and the existing fiscal crisis, there is absolutely no fiscal space for such large revenue loss. Therefore, the Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 should be comprehensively reviewed before it is enacted into law for implementation.”
Since the Direct Taxes Code Bill, 2010 was introduced in the Parliament, amendments were carried out in the Income-tax Act, 1961 and the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 through Finance Acts, 2011, 2012 & 2013. These amendments were consistent with the policy laid down in the DTC Bill, 2010. Incorporating these amendments in the DTC Bill, 2010 would require a large number of official amendments making the Bill incomprehensible and the legislative process cumbersome. Hence, it was decided to revise the Direct Taxes Code incorporating all the amendments and presenting it as a fresh Bill. Accordingly, a new revised Direct Taxes Code was drafted.
Download Proposed Direct Taxes Code, 2013 with significant Changes
