# CBDT revises Form 161 for penalty waiver on income misreporting 2026-10-09T15:57:22+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 8 October introduced a revised Form 161, allowing eligible taxpayers, including individuals, to apply for waiver of penalty imposed for misreporting of income or other cases. The notification was published in the e-gazette of India and is effective from 8 October. The revised form expands the scope of immunity, which previously excluded misreporting of income. Taxpayers must meet conditions including paying tax and interest within the demand notice period, paying additional income-tax of 100% or 120% of tax on under-reported income, and not having filed an appeal. The application must be submitted within one month from the end of the month the order is received. The Assessing Officer must decide within three months from the end of the month of receipt. Chartered Accountant Suresh Surana, speaking to ET Wealth Online, called the amendment a welcome development that could help resolve disputes early and reduce litigation. However, he noted the relief is subject to conditions and is not automatic. Isha Sekhri of Isha Sekhri & Associates, speaking to Livemint, said the change reflects a fundamental shift, as the revised form now requires details of penalty orders and evidence of additional income-tax payment. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both outlets report the same CBDT notification neutrally, with no partisan framing. ET Wealth Online leads with a positive headline and quotes a chartered accountant calling the change welcome, while Livemint leads with what has changed and quotes a lawyer noting the trade-off of losing appeal rights. Neither outlet omits key conditions such as the additional income-tax rates or the one-month filing deadline. The coverage is uniform straight reporting, the only difference is which expert is quoted. The practical implication for taxpayers is the same from both: the waiver is available but conditional, and the decision deadline for the Assessing Officer is three months from the application's receipt. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with 'good news' but presents conditions neutrally - livemint.com (neutral report) Straightforward notification report with expert caution This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: CBDT, Form 161, Income-tax Act, 2025, Isha Sekhri, Suresh Surana Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/cbdt-revises-form-161-for-penalty-waiver-on-income-misreporting/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/cbdt-revises-form-161-for-penalty-waiver-on-income-misreporting/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/