Application of retained assets

Section 37C of the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 deals with application of retained assets. The assets retained under sub-section (5A) of section 37A may be dealt with in the following manner, namely:— (i) the amount of the existing liability referred to in clause (iv) of the said sub-section and the amount of the liability determined on completion of the regular assessment or reassessment The Act came into force on 01 Apr 1957.

(1) The assets retained under sub-section (5A) of section 37A may be dealt with in the following manner, namely:—

(i) the amount of the existing liability referred to in clause (iv) of the said sub-section and the amount of the liability determined on completion of the regular assessment or reassessment for all the assessment years for which the net wealth referred to in clause (i) of that sub-section is assessable to tax (including any penalty levied or interest payable, in connection with such assessment or reassessment) and in respect of which the assessee is in default or is deemed to be in default may be recovered out of such assets;

(ii) if the assets consist solely of money, or partly of money and partly of other assets, the Assessing Officer may apply such money in the discharge of the liabilities referred to in clause (i) and the assessee shall be discharged of such liabilities to the extent of the money so applied;

(iii) the assets other than money may also be applied for the discharge of any such liability referred to in clause (i) as remains undischarged and for this purpose such assets shall be deemed to be under distraint as if such distraint was effected by the Assessing Officer under authorisation from the Chief Commissioner or Commissioner under sub-section (5) of section 226 of the Income-tax Act as made applicable to this Act by section 32, and the Assessing Officer may recover the amount of such liabilities by the sale of such assets and such sale shall be effected in the manner laid down in the Third Schedule to the Income-tax Act as made applicable to this Act by section 32.

(2) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall preclude the recovery of the amount of liabilities aforesaid by any other mode laid down in this Act.

(3) Any assets or proceeds thereof which remain after the liabilities referred to in clause (i) of sub- assets were seized.

(4) (a) The Central Government shall pay simple interest at the rate of fifteen per cent per annum on the amount by which the aggregate of the money retained under section 37A and of the proceeds, if any, of the assets sold towards the discharge of the existing liability referred to in clause (iv) of sub-section (5A) of that section exceeds the aggregate of the amounts required to meet the liabilities referred to in clause (i) of sub-section (1) of this section.

(b) Such interest shall run from the date immediately following the expiry of the period of six months from the date of the order under sub-section (5A) of section 37A to the date of the regular assessment or reassessment referred to in clause (i) of sub-section (1) or, as the case may be, to the date of the last of such assessments or reassessments.]

Section 37C, The Wealth-tax Act, 1957 (Act 27 of 1957).