Section 143 - Special provisions in respect of certain undertakings in North-Eastern States
Qualifying North-Eastern undertakings receive 100% of eligible profits for ten consecutive tax years from the initial tax year, subject to commencement, business type and anti-abuse conditions.
Reviewed by CA Nikhil Gupta · Updated 9 October 2026
Current-law control
This page uses the consolidated Income-tax Act, 2025 as amended by the Finance Act, 2026. The Act and Income-tax Rules, 2026 operate from 1 April 2026. Earlier years and saved proceedings remain subject to the repeal-and-savings framework.
Primary statute: Income Tax Department consolidated Act | Rules: Notified Income-tax Rules, 2026
2-minute decode
Qualifying North-Eastern undertakings receive 100% of eligible profits for ten consecutive tax years from the initial tax year, subject to commencement, business type and anti-abuse conditions.
Who should use this section
Eligible undertakings, enterprises or units claiming a profit-linked or transition deduction, generally subject to historical eligibility and audit conditions This applicability note is specific to section 143.
Old-law bridge
1961 Act section 80-IE
The bridge is navigational only. A 1961 Act case or rule is carried forward only after checking wording, transition provisions and the current 2025 Act text.
Professional alert
Exception / professional alert The commencement window is historical and several excluded activities apply. Rule 66/Form 32 and original approvals are essential.
Connected Income-tax Rules, 2026 and Forms
| Rule | Current control | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Rule 66 | Audit report for profit-linked deductions | Form 32 |
Worked application
A qualifying undertaking that commenced within the statutory window and has three years left can continue the remaining period, subject to the section.
Evidence / compliance checklist
- Maintain the original eligibility file for section 143, including commencement/approval history and the remaining deduction period.
- Keep unit-wise books and a computation linking eligible profits to the qualifying undertaking or activity (section 143: Special provisions in respect of certain undertakings in North-Eastern States).
- Where Rule 66 applies, obtain Form 32 and reconcile the accountant-certified figures to the return before the due date (section 143: Special provisions in respect of certain undertakings in North-Eastern States).
- Preserve evidence that reconstruction, transfer, location, approval and other formation conditions continue to be satisfied (section 143: Special provisions in respect of certain undertakings in North-Eastern States).
Common mistake
Treating section 143 as a fresh 2026 tax holiday. For section 143, the preserved or transitional old-law eligibility must be checked specifically; the deduction clock does not restart merely because the 2025 Act is now in force.
Recommended approach
For section 143, fix the governing tax year, identify the operative sub-section for “Special provisions in respect of certain undertakings in North-Eastern States”, trace every amount to evidence, apply only verified Rule/Form links, and retain a computation that another reviewer can reproduce from the primary source.
Thresholds, periods and timing checkpoints
- income of the assessee, a deduction of an amount equal to 100% of the profits and
- gains derived from such business for ten consecutive tax years commencing with
- the initial tax year.
- the 1st April, 2007 and ending before the 1st April, 2017, has begun or begins, in
- 80-IB(4) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961) exceeds ten tax years.
- (c) “initial tax year” means the tax year in which the undertaking begins
- and machinery by at least 25% of the book value of plant and machinery
- (before taking depreciation in any year), as on the first day of the tax
- year in which the substantial expansion is undertaken.
Judicial / interpretive bridge
- Liberty India v. Commissioner of Income Tax (Supreme Court; (2009) 317 ITR 218): Useful only to the extent the preserved old-law profit nexus is textually carried forward; current section 143 remains a transition provision and must be read with its own conditions. Official Supreme Court source
Related provisions
Current statutory text
Primary-source trail
FAQs
What does section 143 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 cover?
Section 143 covers special provisions in respect of certain undertakings in north-eastern states. The operative result depends on the exact statutory conditions shown on this page and applies from 1 April 2026, subject to transition/savings provisions.
Who should check section 143?
Eligible undertakings, enterprises or units claiming a profit-linked or transition deduction, generally subject to historical eligibility and audit conditions This applicability note is specific to section 143.
Are there specific Rules or Forms for section 143?
Rule 66 - Audit report for profit-linked deductions / Form 32