New clarification

In a clarification on the newly-inserted Section - 269ST - in the Income Tax Act, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the restriction would not apply to withdrawal from banks and Post Offices. "It has also been decided that the restriction on cash transaction shall not apply to withdrawal of cash from a bank, co-operative bank or a post office savings bank," the statement said. It said necessary notification would be issued in this regard.

Comment by CBDT

In the 2017-18 Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed to ban cash transaction of over Rs 3 lakh. This limit was lowered to Rs 2 lakh as an amendment to the Finance Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha last month. The restriction is also not applicable to any receipt by the government, banking company, post office savings bank or co-operative bank, said CBDT, the apex policy-making body of the Income Tax Department.

The rule

The move to ban cash transactions above a threshold was aimed at curbing black money by discouraging cash transaction and promoting digital economy. According to the rule, no individual can deal in cash more than Rs 2 lakh on a single day, in respect of a single transaction or respect of transactions relating to one event or occasion from an individual.

Depreciation allowance limit

The Finance Act also provides that any capital expenditure in cash exceeding Rs 10,000 will not be eligible for claiming depreciation allowance or investment-linked deduction. Similarly, the limit on revenue expenditure in cash has been reduced from Rs 20,000 to Rs 10,000.

Presumptive taxation

In order to promote digital payments in case of small unorganized businesses, the rate of presumptive taxation has been reduced from eight per cent to six per cent for the amount of turnover realized through cheque/digital mode.