To give relief from the compliance burden during the Covid-19 pandemic, the CBDT has given relaxation in various compliances. The Govt. vide the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020 read with Notification No. 35 /2020, dated 24-06-2020 has extended various due dates of Income-tax compliances. It includes the extension of due dates for filing of Income-tax Returns for the Assessment Year 2019-20
and 2020-21, TDS/TCS statement of the 4th quarter of Financial Year 2019-20, etc. The Notification has specifically provided that the due dates for completing any compliance shall be 31-03-2021 if it falls during the period from 20-03-2020 to 31-12-2020 except those specified in the Proviso to Notification No. 35/2020. Clause (iii) to the said Proviso creates an exception that the TDS/TCS statement for the month of February or March, 2020, or for the quarter ending on the 31st day of March, 2020, as the case may be, the due date shall be extended to the 31st day of July, 2020. The Notification did not mention anything about the due date for filing of TDS/TCS Statement for Q1 and Q2 of the financial year 2020-21. As the prescribed due date for furnishing of TDS statement for the Quarter 1 of the Financial Year 2020-21 is around the corner, that is, July 31, 2020, there is a chaos to know about the applicable due date. Whether it will be the original due date of 31-07-2020 as per Rule 31A or 31-03-2021, the due date extended for all compliances (falling between 20-03-2020 to 31-12-2020) by the Notification No. 35/2020, dated 24-06-2020.