Section 79, Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 [S10-8N8]
As at 6 September 2026. In force from 1 July 2017 by Notification No. 9/2017-Central Tax, dated 28-6-2017 [N10-27X].
79. Recovery of tax.—
(1) Where any amount payable by a person to the Government under any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder is not paid, the proper officer shall proceed to recover the amount by one or more of the following modes, namely:-
(a) the proper officer may deduct or may require any other specified officer to deduct the amount so payable from any money owing to such person which may be under the control of the proper officer or such other specified officer;
(b) the proper officer may recover or may require any other specified officer to recover the amount so payable by detaining and selling any goods belonging to such person which are under the control of the proper officer or such other specified officer;
(c) (i) the proper officer may, by a notice in writing, require any other person from whom money is due or may become due to such person or who holds or may subsequently hold money for or on account of such person, to pay to the Government either forthwith upon the money becoming due or being held, or within the time specified in the notice not being before the money becomes due or is held, so much of the money as is sufficient to pay the amount due from such person or the whole of the money when it is equal to or less than that amount;
(ii) every person to whom the notice is issued under sub-clause (i) shall be bound to comply with such notice, and in particular, where any such notice is issued to a post office, banking company or an insurer, it shall not be necessary to produce any pass book, deposit receipt, policy or any other document for the purpose of any entry, endorsement or the like being made before payment is made, notwithstanding any rule, practice or requirement to the contrary;
(iii) in case the person to whom a notice under sub-clause (i) has been issued, fails to make the payment in pursuance thereof to the Government, he shall be deemed to be a defaulter in respect of the amount specified in the notice and all the consequences of this Act or the rules made thereunder shall follow;
(iv) the officer issuing a notice under sub-clause (i) may, at any time, amend or revoke such notice or extend the time for making any payment in pursuance of the notice;
(v) any person making any payment in compliance with a notice issued under sub-clause (i) shall be deemed to have made the payment under the authority of the person in default and such payment being credited to the Government shall be deemed to constitute a good and sufficient discharge of the liability of such person to the person in default to the extent of the amount specified in the receipt;
(vi) any person discharging any liability to the person in default after service on him of the notice issued under sub-clause (i) shall be personally liable to the Government to the extent of the liability discharged or to the extent of the liability of the person in default for tax, interest and penalty, whichever is less;
(vii) where a person on whom a notice is served under sub-clause (i) proves to the satisfaction of the officer issuing the notice that the money demanded or any part thereof was not due to the person in default or that he did not hold any money for or on account of the person in default, at the time the notice was served on him, nor is the money demanded or any part thereof, likely to become due to the said person or be held for or on account of such person, nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to require the person on whom the notice has been served to pay to the Government any such money or part thereof;
(d) the proper officer may, in accordance with the rules to be made in this behalf, distrain any movable or immovable property belonging to or under the control of such person, and detain the same until the amount payable is paid; and in case, any part of the said amount payable or of the cost of the distress or keeping of the property, remains unpaid for a period of thirty days next after any such distress, may cause the said property to be sold and with the proceeds of such sale, may satisfy the amount payable and the costs including cost of sale remaining unpaid and shall render the surplus amount, if any, to such person;
(e) the proper officer may prepare a certificate signed by him specifying the amount due from such person and send it to the Collector of the district in which such person owns any property or resides or carries on his business or to any officer authorised by the Government and the said Collector or the said officer, on receipt of such certificate, shall proceed to recover from such person the amount specified thereunder as if it were an arrear of land revenue;
(f) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the proper officer may file an application to the appropriate Magistrate and such Magistrate shall proceed to recover from such person the amount specified thereunder as if it were a fine imposed by him.
(2) Where the terms of any bond or other instrument executed under this Act or any rules or regulations made thereunder provide that any amount due under such instrument may be recovered in the manner laid down in sub-section (1), the amount may, without prejudice to any other mode of recovery, be recovered in accordance with the provisions of that sub-section.
(3) Where any amount of tax, interest or penalty is payable by a person to the Government under any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder and which remains unpaid, the proper officer of State tax or Union territory tax, during the course of recovery of said tax arrears, may recover the amount from the said person as if it were an arrear of State tax or Union territory tax and credit the amount so recovered to the account of the Government.
(4) Where the amount recovered under sub-section (3) is less than the amount due to the Central Government and State Government, the amount to be credited to the account of the respective Governments shall be in proportion to the amount due to each such Government.
Explanation.-For the purposes of this section, the word person shall include distinct persons as referred to in sub-section (4) or, as the case may be, sub-section (5) of section 25.
Defined terms in this text (18)
act: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (2) "act", used with reference to an offence or a civil wrong, shall include a series of acts, and words which refer to acts done extend also to illegal omissions;
act: 363 more definitions.
banking: Section 5(b), Banking Regulation Act: "banking" means the accepting, for the purpose of lending or investment, of deposits of money from the public, repayable on demand or otherwise, and withdrawable by cheque, draft, order or otherwise;
banking: Section 2, Forfeited Deposits Act, 1850 [S11A6B] (In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—): "banking" means the accepting, for the purpose of lending or investment, of deposits of money from the public, repayable on demand or otherwise, and withdrawable by cheque, draft, order or otherwise
banking: Section 2, Rent Recovery Act, 1853 [S11HSK] (In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—): "banking" means the accepting, for the purpose of lending or investment, of deposits of money from the public, repayable on demand or otherwise, and withdrawable by cheque, draft, order or otherwise
banking: 25 more definitions.
business: Section 2(17), Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017: "business" includes - (a) any trade, commerce, manufacture, profession, vocation, adventure, wager or any other similar activity, whether or not it is for a pecuniary benefit; (b) any activity or transaction in connection with or incidental or ancillary to sub-clause (a); (c) any activity or transaction in the nature of sub-clause (a), whether or not there is volume, frequency, continuity or regularity of such transaction; (d) supply or acquisition of goods including capital goods and services in connection with commencement or closure of business; (e) provision by a club, association, society, or any such body (for a subscription or any other consideration) of the facilities or benefits to its members; (f) admission, for a consideration, of persons to any premises; (g) services supplied by a person as the holder of an office which has been accepted by him in the course or furtherance of his trade, profession or vocation; (h) activities of a race club including by way of totalisator or a license to book maker or activities of a licensed book maker in such club; and (i) any activity or transaction undertaken by the Central Government, a State Government or any local authority in which they are engaged as public authorities;
business: 13 more definitions.
Central Government: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (8) "Central Government" shall,(a)in relation to anything done before the commencement of the Constitution, mean the Governor-General or the Governor-General in Council, as the case may be; and shall include,(i)in relation to functions entrusted under sub-section (1) of section 124 of the Government of India Act, 1935, to the Government of a Province, the Provincial Government acting within the scope of the authority given to it under that sub-section; and(ii)in relation to the administration of a Chief Commissioners Province, the Chief Commissioner acting within the scope of the authority given to him under sub-section (3) of section 94 of the said Act; and(b)in relation to anything done or to be done after the commencement of the Constitution, mean the President; and shall include,(i)in relation to functions entrusted under clause (1) of article 258 of the Constitution, to the Government of a State, the State Government acting within the scope of the authority given to it under that clause; * The word "and" omitted by the Adaptation of Laws(No.1) Order, 1956.(ii)in relation to the administration of a Part C State before the commencement of the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, the Chief Commissioner or the Lieutenant-Governor or the Government of a neighbouring State or other authority acting within the scope of the authority given to him or it under article 239 or article 243 of the Constitution, as the case may be;]and(iii)in relation to the administration of a Union territory, the administrator thereof acting within the scope of the authority given to him under article 239 of the Constitution;
Collector: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (11) "Collector" shall mean, in a Presidency town, the Collector of Calcutta, Madras or Bombay, as the case may be, and elsewhere the chief officer-in-charge of the revenue-administration of a district;
Collector: 41 more definitions.
company: Section 2(20), Companies Act: "company" means a company incorporated under this Act or under any previous company law;
company: Section 2, Presidency Towns Insolvency Act, 1909 [S162E3] (In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—): "company" means a company incorporated under this Act or under any previous company law
company: Section 2, Provisional Insolvency Act, 1920 [S170JY] (In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—): "company" means a company incorporated under this Act or under any previous company law
company: 11 more definitions.
document: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): "document" shall include any matter written, expressed or described upon any substance by means of letters, figures or marks, or by more than one of those means which is intended to be used, or which may be used, for the purpose of recording that matter
goods: Section 2, Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 [S1061R] (In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires): "goods" means every kind of movable property other than money and securities but includes actionable claim, growing crops, grass and things attached to or forming part of the land which are agreed to be severed before supply or under a contract of supply
goods: 38 more definitions.
Government: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (23) "Government" or the Government shall include both the Central Government and any State Government;
Magistrate: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (32) "Magistrate" shall include every person exercising all or any of the powers of a Magistrate under the Code of Criminal Procedure for the time being in force;
Magistrate: 27 more definitions.
Part: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (40) "Part" shall mean a Part of the Act or Regulation in which the word occurs;
person: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): "person" shall include any company or association or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not
person: 1 more definition.
rule: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (51) "rule" shall mean a rule made in exercise of a power conferred by any enactment, and shall include a Regulation made as a rule under any enactment;
sale: Section 54, Transfer of Property Act: "Sale" is a transfer of ownership in exchange for a price paid or promised or part-paid and part-promised. [Sale how made] Such transfer, in the case of tangible immoveable property of the value of one hundred rupees and upwards, or in the case of a reversion or other intangible thing, can be made only by a registered instrument. In the case of tangible immoveable property of a value less than one hundred rupees, such transfer may be made either by a registered instrument or by delivery of the property. [...] [Contract for sale] A contract for the sale of immoveable property is a contract that a sale of such property shall take place on terms settled between the parties. It does not, of itself, create any interest in or charge on such property.
section: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (54) "section" shall mean a section of the Act or Regulation in which the word occurs;
section: 363 more definitions.
State: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (58) "State"(a)as respects any period before the commencement of the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, shall mean a Part A State, a Part B State or a Part C State; and(b)as respects any period after such commencement, shall mean a State specified in the First Schedule to the Constitution and shall include a Union territory;](59)State Act shall mean an Act passed by the Legislature of a State established or continued by the Constitution;
State Government: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (60) "State Government",(a)as respects anything done before the commencement 26th January, 1950. of the Constitution, shall mean, in a Part A State, the Provincial Government of the corresponding Province, in a Part B State, the authority or person authorised at the relevant date to exercise executive Government in the corresponding Acceding State, and in a Part C State, the Central Government, * The word "and" omitted by the Adaptation of Laws (No.1) Order, 1956.;(b)as respects anything done [after the commencement of the Constitution and before the commencement of the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956], shall mean, in a Part A State, the Governor, in a Part B State, the Rajpramukh, and in a Part C State, the Central Government;(c)[ as respects anything done or to be done after the commencement of the Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, shall mean, in a State, the Governor, and in a Union territory, the Central Government; and shall, in relation to functions entrusted under article 258-A of the Constitution to the Government of India, include the Central Government acting within the scope of the authority given to it under that article] ;
sub-section: Section 3, General Clauses Act, 1897 [S100SN] (In this Act, and in all Central Acts and Regulations made after the commencement of this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context): (61) "sub-section" shall mean a sub-section of the section in which the word occurs;
Made under this section, or naming it (0)
none
Cited by (8)
Section 75, Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 [S10-8H0], 12 April 2017, Band A. "section 79".
Rule 143, Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017 [S10-JP9], 19 June 2017, Band A. "section 79".
Rule 144, Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017 [S10-JQB], 19 June 2017, Band A. "section 79".
Rule 145, Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017 [S10-JSQ], 19 June 2017, Band A. "section 79".
Rule 155, Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017 [S10-K32], 19 June 2017, Band A. "section 79".
Rule 156, Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017 [S10-K4C], 19 June 2017, Band A. "section 79".
Rule 88C, Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017 [S10-G9T], 19 June 2017, Band A. "section 79".
Rule 96A, Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017 [S10-GN7], 19 June 2017, Band A. "section 79".
Not held (0)
none
Duties published under this section (0)
none