206C. Profits and gains from the business of trading in alcoholic liquor, forest produce, scrap, etc.

(1) Every person, being a seller shall, at the time of debiting of the amount payable by the buyer to the account of the buyer or at the time of receipt of such amount from the said buyer in cash or by the issue of a cheque or draft or by any other mode, whichever is earlier, collect from the buyer of any goods of the nature specified in column (2) of the Table below, a sum equal to the percentage specified in the corresponding entry in column (3) of the said Table, of such amount as income-tax:

Nature of Goods --------- Percentage

(i) Alcoholic liquor for human consumption (other than Indian-made foreign liquor) and tendu leaves--------- Ten per cent.

(ii) Timber obtained under a forest lease--------- Fifteen per cent.

(iii) Timber obtained by any mode other than under a forest lease--------- Five per cent.

(iv) Any other forest produce not being timber or tendu leaves. --------- Fifteen percent.:

Provided that where the Assessing Officer, on an application made by the buyer, gives a certificate in the prescribed form that to the best of his belief any of the goods referred to in the aforesaid Table are to be utilised for the purposes of manufacturing, processing or producing articles or things and not for trading purposes, the provisions of this sub-section shall not apply so long as the certificate is in force.

(2) The power to recover tax by collection under sub-section (1) shall be without prejudice to any other mode of recovery.

(3) Any person collecting any amount under sub-section (1) shall pay within seven days the amount so collected to the credit of the Central Government or as the Board directs.

(4) Any amount collected in accordance with the provisions of this section and paid under sub-section (3) shall be deemed as payment of tax on behalf of the person from whom the amount has been collected and credit shall be given to him for the amount so collected on the production of the certificate furnished under sub-section (5) in the assessment made under this Act for the assessment year for which such income is assessable.

(5) Every person collecting tax in accordance with the provisions of this section shall within ten days from the date of debit or receipt of the amount furnish to the buyer to whose account such amount is debited or from whom such payment is received, a certificate to the effect that tax has been collected, and specifying the sum so collected, the rate at which the tax has been collected and such other particulars as may be prescribed.

(5A) Every person collecting tax in accordance with the provisions of this section shall prepare half yearly returns for the period ending on 30th September and 31st March in each financial year, and deliver or cause to be delivered to the prescribed income-tax authority such returns in such form and verified in such manner and setting forth such particulars and within such time as may be prescribed.

(5B) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, a return filed on a floppy, diskette, magnetic cartridge tape, CD-ROM or any other computer readable media as may be specified by the Board (hereinafter referred to as the computer media) shall be deemed to be a return for the purposes of sub-section (5A) and the rules made thereunder and shall be admissible in any proceedings thereunder, without further proof of production of the original, as evidence of any contents of the original or of any fact stated therein.

(5C) A return filed under sub-section (5B) shall fulfil the following conditions, namely:--

(a) while receiving returns on computer media, necessary checks by scanning the documents filed on computer media will be carried out and the media will be duly authenticated by the Assessing Officer; and

(b) the Assessing Officer shall also take due care to preserve the computer media by duplicating, transferring, mastering or storage without loss of data.";

(6) Any person responsible for collecting the tax who fails to collect the tax in accordance with the provisions of this section, shall, notwithstanding such failure, be liable to pay the tax to the credit of the Central Government in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (3).

(7) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (6), if the seller does not collect the tax or after collecting the tax fails to pay it as required under this section, he shall be liable to pay simple interest at the rate of one and one-forth per cent. per month or part thereof on the amount of such tax from the date on which such tax was collectable to the date on which the tax was actually paid.

(8) Where the tax has not been paid as aforesaid, after it is collected, the amount of the tax together with the amount of simple interest thereon referred to in sub-section (7) shall be a charge upon all the assets of the seller.

(9) Where the Assessing Officer is satisfied that the total income of the buyer justifies the collection of the tax at any lower rate than the relevant rate specified in sub-section (1), the Assessing Officer shall, on an application made by the buyer in this behalf, give to him a certificate for collection of tax at such lower rate than the relevant rate specified in sub-section (1).

(10) Where a certificate under sub-section (9) is given, the person responsible for collecting the tax shall, until such certificate is cancelled by the Assessing Officer, collect the tax at the rates specified in such certificate.

(11) The Board may, having regard to the convenience of assessees and the interests of revenue, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules specifying the cases in which, and the circumstances under which, an application may be made for the grant of a certificate under sub-section (9) and the conditions subject to which such certificate may be granted and providing for all other matters connected therewith.

Explanation.-For the purposes of this section,-

(a) "buyer" means a person who obtains in any sale, by way of auction, tender or any other mode, goods of the nature specified in the Table in sub-section (1) or the right to receive any such goods but does not include,-

(i) a public sector company,

(ii) buyer in the further sale of such goods obtained in pursuance of such sale, or

(iii) a buyer where the goods are not obtained by him by way of auction and where the sale price of such goods to be sold by the buyer is fixed by or under any State Act;

(b) "seller" means the Central Government, a State Government or any local authority or corporation or authority established by or under a Central, State or Provincial Act, or any company or firm or co-operative society.