BEWARE: PROPOSED DTC 2013 AUTHORISED CS & CMA TO SIGN TAX AUDIT & OTHER REPORTS

Tax Audit and other tax certificate  under the Income Tax Act is currently allowed to be conducted only by the Chartered Accountant but Proposed Direct Tax Code 2013 allows Tax Audit not only by Chartered Accountant but also by Company Secretaries and Cost Accountants. Clause 88 of the Proposed Direct Tax code prescribes who needs to get the book audited under the direct tax code 2013 and it further says that the same needs to be audited by an accountant. The Term accountant is been defined in Clause 320(2) which says that accountant means Chartered Accountants , Company Secretaries , Cost Accountants any person having such qualifications
as the Board may prescribe, for the purposes specified in this behalf.

Direct Tax Code 2013
Audit of accounts and reporting of international transaction

88. (1) Every person, who is required to keep and maintain books of account under section 87 shall get his accounts for the financial year audited—

(a) where the person is carrying on one or more professions , the aggregate gross receipts of such profession or professions exceed twenty-five lakh rupees in the financial year;

(b) where the person is carrying on one or more businesses , the aggregate total turnover or gross receipts, as the case may be, of such business or businesses exceed one crore rupees in the financial year.

(2) The audit of the accounts referred to in sub-section (1) shall be carried out by an accountant and the report of audit be obtained in the prescribed form duly signed and verified by such accountant and setting forth such particulars as may be prescribed.
(3) The person referred to in sub-section (1) shall furnish the report of audit referred to in subsection (2) to the assessing officer on or before the due date, in the manner as may be prescribed.
(4) The provisions of sub-section (1) shall not apply to the business where the income therefrom is determined under paragraph 1 of the Eleventh Schedule.
(5) A person shall be deemed to have complied with the provisions of sub-section (1), if the person—

(a) gets the accounts of his business audited as required by, or under, any other law for the time being in force, before the due date; and

(b) obtains by the due date the report of the audit as required under such other law and a further report by an accountant in the form prescribed under sub-section (2).

(6) A person referred to in sub-section (2) of section 87 shall furnish a report of the international transaction or the specified domestic transaction entered into during the financial year to the Transfer Pricing Officer and the Assessing Officer on or before the due date, in the manner as may be prescribed.
(7) The report referred in sub-section (6) shall be obtained from an accountant in such form duly signed and verified in such manner, as may be prescribed.

Meaning of Accountant as per Clause 320 (2) 

320. In this Code, unless the context otherwise requires —
(1) *******
(2) “accountant”means a chartered accountant within the meaning of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and who holds a valid certificate of practice under sub-section (1) of section 6 of that Act, and shall include-

(i) a company secretary within the meaning of the Company Secretaries Act, 1980 ;

(ii) a cost accountant within the meaning of the Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959 ; or

(iii) any person having such qualifications as the Board may prescribe, for the purposes specified in this behalf