After what looks like several long and tough months, startups were subsequently given relief from the dreaded Angel Tax. According to three startup founders, startups that had orders and had applied for tax exemption with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT),
Have now acquired a proper mail from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), in advance called Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), under the Ministry of Commerce, stating that they’re exempted from Angel Tax.
After several incidents where the CBDT had used coercive measures, and cases of Travel Khanna came to light, it directed its officials no longer to take any coercive measures against firms who’ve already received notices. It had also asked them to expedite all cases wherein startups have filed appeals, on a priority basis.
In a written verbal exchange sent to Chief Commissioners of Income Tax (CCIT) in various zones, the CBDT had said, “I am directed to request you to kindly train the worried government in your zone to discover instances referring to them and to make sure that no coercive action is taken in those cases. I am in addition directed to request you to kindly make certain that appeals pending in these instances, if any, are disposed of on priority.”
