100% penalty on cash transactions over Rs 3 lakh

TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi-In a bid to check generation of black money, a steep penalty awaits those accepting cash in excess of Rs 3 lakh, beginning April 1, to settle any transaction. A ban on cash transaction of more than Rs 3 lakh has been proposed in the Budget for 2017-18.Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said the penalty for doing cash transaction will be steep and the receiver will have to pay an amount equivalent to the cash received.

“Supposing you do a transaction of Rs 4 lakh in cash, then the penalty would be Rs 4 lakh. If you do a transaction of Rs 50 lakh, penalty would be Rs 50 lakh,” he said, adding that the penalty will be levied on the receiver. So, if someone buys an expensive watch for cash, it is the shopkeeper who will have to pay the tax, he said, adding that the provision is to deter people from doing large cash transactions.

Demonetisation brought to account the stock of black money and now the government wants to stop future generation of the same. The government, he said, will track all large cash transactions, and also curb the avenues of conspicuous consumption through cash.