43C. Collection of tax at source
(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Act or in any contract, arrangement or memorandum of understanding, every electronic commerce operator (hereinafter referred to in this section as the “operator”) shall, at the time of credit of any amount to the account of the supplier of goods and/or services or at the time of payment of any amount in cash or by any other mode, whichever is earlier, collect an amount, out of the amount payable or paid to the supplier, representing consideration towards the supply of goods and /or services made through it, calculated at such rate as may be notified in this behalf by the Central/State Government on the recommendation of the Council.
(2) The power to collect the amount specified in sub-section (1) shall be without prejudice to any other mode of recovery from the operator.
(3) The amount collected under sub-section (1) shall be paid to the credit of the appropriate Government by the operator within ten days after the end of the month in which such collection is made, in the manner prescribed.
(4)(a) Every operator shall, furnish a statement, electronically, of all amounts collected under sub-section (1), towards outward supplies of goods and/or services effected through it, during a calendar month, in such form and manner as may be prescribed, within ten days after the end of such calendar month.
(b) The statement under clause (a) shall contain, inter alia, the details of the amount collected on behalf of each supplier in respect of all supplies of goods and/or services effected through the operator and the details of such supplies during the said calendar month.
(5) Any amount collected in accordance with the provisions of this section and paid to the credit of the appropriate Government shall be deemed to be a payment of tax on behalf of the concerned supplier and the supplier shall claim credit, in his electronic cash ledger, of the tax collected and reflected in the statement of the operator filed under sub-section (4), in the manner prescribed.
(6) The details of supplies and the amount collected under sub-section (1) during a calendar month, and furnished by every operator under sub-section (4), shall, in the manner and within the period prescribed, be matched with the corresponding details of outward supplies furnished by the concerned supplier in his valid return for the same calendar month or any preceding calendar month.
(7) Where the details of outward supply, on which the tax has been collected, as declared by the operator under sub-section (4) do not match with the corresponding details declared by the supplier under section 25, the discrepancy shall be communicated to both persons in the manner and within the time as may be prescribed.
(8) The value of a supply relating to any payment in respect of which any discrepancy is communicated under sub-section (7) and which is not rectified by the supplier in his valid return for the month in which discrepancy is communicated shall be added to the output liability of the said supplier, in the manner as may be prescribed, for the calendar month succeeding the calendar month in which the discrepancy is communicated.
(9) The concerned supplier shall, in whose output tax liability any amount has been added under sub-section (8), be liable to pay the tax payable in respect of such supply along with interest, at the rate specified under sub-section (1) of section 36 on the amount so added from the date such tax was due till the date of its payment.
(10) Any authority not below the rank of Joint Commissioner may, by notice, either before or during the course of any proceeding under this Act, require the operator to furnish such details relating to-
(a) supplies of goods and/or services effected through such operator during any period, or
(b) stock of goods held by the suppliers making supplies through such operator in the godowns or warehouses, by whatever name called, managed by such operators and declared as additional places of business by such suppliers -
as may be specified in the notice.
(11) Every operator on whom a notice has been served under sub-section (10) shall furnish the required information within five working days of the date of service of such notice.
(12) Any person who fails to furnish the information required by the notice served under sub-section (10) shall, without prejudice to any action that is or may be taken under section 66, be liable to a penalty which may extend to rupees twenty-five thousand.
Explanation- For the purposes of this section, the expression ‘concerned supplier’ shall mean the supplier of goods and/or services making supplies through the operator.”
