CORAA

Equalization Levy Compliance Checklist (Legacy — Sec 165 / 165A)

For open assessments and audit-trail documentation of years when the Equalization Levy applied — both the 6% online-advertisement levy (Sec 165) and the 2% e-commerce levy (Sec 165A) have since been withdrawn; verify current status before treating either as a live obligation.

Free · CORAA original — SA-aligned
Updated 28 Jul 2026
Status
Both limbs withdrawn — verify exact repeal dates before relying on this
Use case
Open assessments / historical-year documentation
Sec 165A rate (when in force)
2%, payable by the non-resident e-commerce operator
Sec 165 rate (when in force)
6%, withheld by the Indian payer
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EQUALIZATION LEVY — COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST (LEGACY / HISTORICAL-YEAR USE)

Entity: ___ · PAN: ___ · Previous year ended: ___ · Assessment Year: ___

IMPORTANT: both limbs of the Equalization Levy — the 2% levy on e-commerce supply of goods/services (Section 165A) and the 6% levy on online advertisement/related services (Section 165) — have been withdrawn by recent Finance Acts. Confirm the exact repeal date and whether any transitional provision applies before using this checklist for anything other than (a) documenting compliance for a year when the levy was still in force, or (b) confirming to file/tax positions that no ongoing obligation exists for the current year.

A. Section 165 — online advertisement levy (historical)

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This template follows the format published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in the AASB Audit Working Paper Templates (June 2023), the authoritative reference for Indian statutory-audit documentation. Fill in your firm’s letterhead and the engagement details on the form above, click Download Word file, and you’ll get a fully formatted .docx ready to use.

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Common questions

FAQs.

Is the Equalization Levy still applicable today?
No — both limbs have been withdrawn: the 2% e-commerce supply/services levy under Section 165A was removed effective 1 August 2024 (Finance (No. 2) Act, 2024), and the 6% online-advertisement levy under Section 165 was also subsequently phased out. Always verify the exact repeal date and whether the assessment year under review falls before or after it — this checklist is for documenting compliance in the years the levy was in force, not for a current-year obligation.
Why would a CA still need this checklist today?
Two live scenarios: assessments for a year when the levy was in force may still be open (scrutiny, appeal, or reassessment), and a CA may need to document why no Equalization Levy obligation exists for a subsequent transaction (i.e., confirm the transaction falls after the repeal date and no other provision has replaced it). Both need a documented conclusion rather than an assumption.
How did the Equalization Levy interact with regular income-tax and TDS provisions?
While in force, income subject to the Equalization Levy was separately exempted from income-tax under Section 10(50) to avoid double taxation of the same receipt, and payments subject to the levy were correspondingly kept outside the normal TDS provisions on that specific payment — this interaction is now only relevant when reviewing a historical year, since the underlying levy itself no longer applies.
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