Income Tax Act, 1967.

Power to require return of income.

172.—(1) Every individual, when required to do so by a notice given to him in relation to any year of assessment by an inspector, shall, within the time limited by the notice, prepare and deliver to the inspector a return in the prescribed form of—

(a) all the sources of his income for the year of assessment (in this section referred to as the preceding year) immediately preceding the year of assessment in relation to which the notice is given;

(b) the amount of income from each source for the preceding year computed in accordance with subsection (2);

(c) such further particulars for the purposes of income tax (including sur-tax) for the preceding year or the year of assessment as may be required by the notice or indicated by the prescribed form.

(2) The amount of income from any source to be included in a return under this section shall be computed in accordance with the provisions of this Act save that the computation shall be made in all cases by reference to the preceding year:

Provided that—

(a) in the case of such interest as is referred to in section 344 the computation shall be made without regard to that section;

(b) where, under section 60, the profits or gains of a year ending on a date within the preceding year are to be taken to be the profits or gains of the preceding year, the computation shall be made by reference to the said year ending on a date within the preceding year.

(3) An inspector may refrain from giving a particular notice pursuant to a precept under section 168 in any case in which he has given, or intends to give, a notice under this section.

(4) If a person delivers to any inspector a return in a prescribed form, he shall be deemed to have been required by a notice under this section to prepare and deliver that return.

(5) In proceedings for recovery of a penalty incurred under section 500 or 501 in relation to a return referred to in the preceding provisions of this section—

(a) a certificate signed by an inspector which certifies that he has examined his relevant records and that it appears from them that a stated notice was duly given to the defendant on a stated day shall be evidence until the contrary is proved that that person received that notice in the ordinary course,

(b) a certificate signed by an inspector which certifies that he has examined his relevant records and that it appears from them that, during a stated period, a stated return was not received from the defendant shall be evidence until the contrary is proved that the defendant did not, during that period, deliver that return,

(c) a certificate certifying as provided for in paragraph (a) or (b) and purporting to be signed by an inspector may be tendered in evidence without proof and shall be deemed until the contrary is proved to have been signed by such inspector.

(6) In this section “prescribed” means prescribed by the Revenue Commissioners and, in prescribing forms for the purposes of this section, the Revenue Commissioners shall have regard to the desirability of securing, so far as may be possible, that no individual shall be required to make more than one return annually of the sources of his income and the amounts derived therefrom.