The Income Tax Act of India requires some companies to undertake a tax audit and file a tax audit report by a certain deadline. Failure to comply with this rule may result in a variety of penalties. Let’s look at the consequences of failing to file a tax audit report in India:
Deductions disallowed
The Income Tax Department imposes a penalty on taxpayers who fail to file a tax audit report. They might disallow various deductions and expenses, which can potentially increase their taxable income and tax liability.
Damage to reputation
Businesses that do not file tax audits on time damage their credibility and reputation. Since it may result in trust issues with stakeholders like investors, suppliers, and customers,
Negatively impact future compliance
The Income Tax Department is responsible for enforcing tax regulations, and non-compliance can lead to increased scrutiny and potential audits and investigations.
Penalty under Section 271B
Section 271B of the Income Tax Act imposes a penalty for non-compliance with the Tax Audit Report, calculating 0.5% of total turnover or gross receipts, with a maximum limit of ₹1,50,000.
Tax-due interest
The taxpayer may face higher tax liability due to the disallowance of deductions in the tax audit report, which results in high interest charges as per Sections 234A, 234B, and 234C of the Income Tax Act.
Legal proceeding
The Income Tax Department is responsible for ensuring compliance with tax audit requirements, which can result in legal proceedings and potential penalties and fines.
Compliance burden
Tax filings are important for taxpayers to ensure compliance and avoid penalties, as not filing a tax consequences of failing to file a tax audit report can result in complex and time-consuming filings.
In India, a timely tax audit is crucial for business entities to avoid financial penalties, disallowance of deductions, interest, legal proceedings, and damage to reputation, requiring the engagement of a qualified accountant.
