Foreign bank a/c, property, jewellery can't be disclosed under new Income Disclosure Scheme

New Delhi: Drawing a line for disclosure under the new tax evasion amnesty scheme, the government on Wednesday said only unaccounted domestic cash holding can be declared through it and not jewellery, stocks, immovable property or overseas accounts.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, undisclosed income deposited in any bank or post office account can be declared by paying 50 percent of it in taxes and surcharges.

Also, a quarter of the total sum is to be parked in a non-interest bearing deposit for four years.

In the second set of clarifications in form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the scheme provides for "only income represented in form of cash or deposit in an account can be declared".

"The Scheme is hence not available for declaration of an income which is represented in the form of assets like jewellery, stock or immovable property," it said.

On the issue of a person against whom a search/survey operation has been initiated, CBDT said such a person is "eligible to file declaration under the Scheme".

The government had last year come out with an Income Disclosure Scheme (IDS) for holders of unaccounted wealth held in cash as well as other forms like immovable property and jewellery. IDS closed on September 30, 2016.

CBDT further said: "Undisclosed income represented in the form of deposits in foreign bank account is not eligible for the Scheme."

A separate foreign black money disclosure window was provided earlier which closed on September 2015.

The tax department said a declaration under the PMGKY Scheme can be filed in respect of deposits made in an account maintained with an specified entity by any mode such as cash, cheque, RTGS, NEFT or any electronic transfer system.

No credit for advance tax paid, TDS or TCS shall be allowed under the Scheme.

"A person can avail the Scheme for any assessment year commencing on or before April 1, 2017. Hence, deposits made in bank account prior to financial year 2016-17 can also be declared under the Scheme," it said.