The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) as of late informed the Companies (Restrictions on number of layers) Rules, 2017 (Rules) to confine the quantity of layers of auxiliaries for particular classes of holding organizations. This warning has happened from September 20, 2017 is just the most recent (not the last, obviously) in the progressing drive by the Government of India to battle dark cash, tax evasion and defilement.
Segment 2(87) of The Companies Act, 2013 (“the Act”) characterizes the expression “backup organization” or “auxiliary” as one where the holding organization is either controlling the piece of the top managerial staff or is responsible for over half of the aggregate offer capital of the auxiliary organization. The stipulation to this Section indicates that specific classes of holding organizations should not have layers of auxiliaries past the recommended numbers.
The key features of the Rules are as per the following:
No organization should be permitted to have in excess of two layers of auxiliaries aside from those that have been particularly exempted. Managing an account companies[1], non-keeping money budgetary companies[2], protection companies[3] and government companies[4] and Indian organizations gaining abroad organizations with in excess of two layers of auxiliaries according to the nearby laws of such remote nation have been exempted.
To compute the quantity of layers under the Rules, one layer which comprises of at least one completely possessed auxiliary or auxiliaries might not be considered.
The Rules will apply tentatively to existing organizations; anyway organizations having in excess of two layers of backups need to consent to the accompanying conditions:
Record an arrival in Form CRL-1 inside 150 days from September 20, 2017, i.e. by February 17, 2018. The arrival requires layer-wise subtle elements of auxiliary organizations alongside the level of offers held by the holding organization in every backup.
Not have any extra layers of backups well beyond the layers existing on September 20, 2017; and
On the off chance that at least one layers of auxiliaries of an organization are diminished after September 20, 2017, at that point the quantities of layers of backups of such an organization should not be past the quantity of layers it will have after such lessening or two layers, whichever is more. For instance, if an organization decreases its layers of backups, conveying it down from five to three layers of auxiliaries, after the Rules have become effective, at that point in such a situation the organization can keep on operating with three layers of auxiliaries despite the fact that the Rules confines it to two.
The Rules likewise force a punishment on the organization and each officer of the organization which is in default will be culpable with fine up to INR 10,000 and on account of proceeding with repudiation with a further fine up to INR 1,000 every day.