Amendment of section 115WE.

28. In section 115WE of the Income-tax Act,—

(A) for sub-section (1), the following sub-section shall be substituted, namely :—

‘(1) Where a return has been made under section 115WD, such return shall be processed in the following manner, namely:—

(a) the value of fringe benefits shall be computed after making the following adjustments, namely:—

(i) any arithmetical error in the return; or

(ii) an incorrect claim, if such incorrect claim is apparent from any information in the return;

(b) the tax and interest, if any, shall be computed on the basis of the value of fringe benefits computed under clause (a);

(c) the sum payable by, or the amount of refund due to, the assessee shall be determined after adjustment of the tax and interest, if any, computed under clause (b) by any advance tax paid, any tax paid on self-assessment and any amount paid otherwise by way of tax or interest;

(d) an intimation shall be prepared or generated and sent to the assessee specifying the sum determined to be payable by, or the amount of refund due to, the assessee under clause (c); and

(e) the amount of refund due to the assessee in pursuance of the determination under clause (c) shall be granted to the assessee:

Provided that no intimation under this sub-section shall be sent after the expiry of one year from the end of the financial year in which the return is made.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section,—

(a) “an incorrect claim apparent from any information in the return” shall mean a claim, on the basis of an entry, in the return,

(i) of an item, which is inconsistent with another entry of the same or some other item in such return;

(ii) in respect of which the information required to be furnished to substantiate such entry has not been so furnished under this Act; or

(iii) in respect of a deduction or value of fringe benefits, where such deduction or value exceeds specified statutory limit which may have been expressed as monetary amount or percentage or ratio or fraction;

(b) the acknowledgement of the return shall be deemed to be the intimation in a case where no sum is payable by, or refundable to, the assessee under clause (c), and where no adjustment has been made under clause (a).

(1A) For the purposes of processing of returns under sub-section (1), the Board may make a scheme for centralised processing of returns with a view to expeditiously determining the tax payable by, or the refund due to, the assessee as required under that sub-section.

(1B) Save as otherwise expressly provided, for the purpose of giving effect to the scheme made under sub-section (1A), the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct that any of the provisions of this Act relating to processing of returns shall not apply or shall apply with such exceptions, modifications and adaptations as may be specified in that notification; so, however, that no direction shall be issued after the 31st day of March, 2009.

(1C) Every notification issued under sub-section (1B), along with the scheme made under sub-section (1A), shall, as soon as may be after the notification is issued, be laid before each House of Parliament.’;

(B) in sub-section (2) in the proviso, for the words “twelve months from the end of the month”, the words “six months from the end of the financial year” shall be substituted.