Recovery of tax and other amounts and period of limitation for recovery of

tax: (1)Any tax due or assessed, or any other amount due under this Act from an employer or any other person may, without prejudice to any other mode of collection, be recovered,-

1. (a) as if it were an arrears of land revenue; or
2. (b) by attachment and sale or by sale without attachment of any property of such employer or any other person by the prescribed authority or the prescribed officer in the prescribed manner, and any prescribed certificate issued towards such sale shall be deemed to be a decree of a Civil Court and shall be executed in the same manner as a decree of such Court; or
3. (c) on application to any Magistrate, by such Magistrate as if it were a fine imposed by him.

1. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force, no proceedings for the recovery of any amount under this Act shall be initiated after the expiry of five years from the end of the relevant year or from the date of the relevant assessment: Provided that when an appeal or application for revision has been filed, the period of limitation shall run from the date on which the amount due is finally determined.
2. (3) The period of limitation specified under sub-section (2) shall not apply to any case in which, during the course of recovery proceedings initiated under any clause of sub-section
3. (1) or under section 20, any other fresh proceedings are initiated or the employer has deducted any amount by way of tax or purporting to be by way of tax.]

¹ Substituted by Act 5 of 2006 w.e.f. 1.4.2006.