CBDT's Tryst with TDS Continues - While Confused Assessee's Fate Hangs in Balance - Nothing really happened!
IN yesterday's DDT, we carried a story with the above title and mentioned, “CBDT ‘s saga with TDS continues unabated and there appears to be no respite for the ill fated assessee. All this mess started with CBDT's Notification No. 31/2009 dated March 25, 2009 with earth shattering consequences to the assessees. The amended Rules were first made applicable from April 1, 2009. Later on it was postponed to July 1, 2009 and thereafter it sunk without a trace.”
We got anxious calls and emails from concerned taxpayers as to what the real consequences were. CBDT officials clarified to us that there were no serious consequences – all that they did was to undo the changes made by Notification No. dated March 25, 2009, which were any way kept on hold. So what actually was done was bury the changes made by Notification 31/2009 and restore the position back to pre-March 2009 position. Means nothing has changed – you can continue with life as if nothing happened. But could they not simply withdraw the notification No. 31/2009. It seems that the Law Ministry advised them that it was not so simple. So the rules were again amended to state that they were not amended! Strange are the ways of LAW!