The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs on 22nd June 2022, has notified guidelines on the applicability of new section 194S in the Income-tax Act, 1961, with effect from 1st July 2022.
The new section mandates a person, who is responsible for paying to any resident any sum by way of consideration for transfer of a virtual digital asset (VDA), to deduct an amount equal to 1% of such sum as income tax thereon. The tax deduction is required to be made at the time of credit of such sum to the account of the resident or at the time of payment, whichever is earlier.
This above deduction is not required to be made in the following cases:-
- the consideration is payable by a specified person and the value or aggregate value of such consideration does not exceed fifty thousand rupees during the financial year; or
- the consideration is payable by any person other than a specified person and the value or aggregate value of such consideration does not exceed ten thousand rupees during the financial year.
Tax may be deducted under section 194S of the Act only by the Exchange which is crediting or making payment to the seller. In a case where broker owns the VDA, it is the broker who is the seller. Hence, the amount of consideration being credited or paid to the broker by the Exchange is also subject to tax deduction under section 194S of the Act.
The Exchange would be required to furnish a quarterly statement (in Form No. 26QF) for all such transactions of the quarter on or before the due date prescribed in the Income-tax Rules, 1962. The Exchange would also be required to furnish its income tax return and all these transactions must be included in such return.
It is clarified that the tax required to be withheld under section 194S of the Act shall be on the “net” consideration after excluding GST/charges levied by the deductor for rendering service.
