(1) The assessing authority may, at any time or from time to time, by notice in writing a copy of which shall be forwarded to the dealer at his last address known to the assessing authority require - ( a) any person from whom money is due or may become due to the dealer, or to any person who has become liable to pay any amount due under this Act; or ( b) any person who holds or may subsequently hold money for, or on account of the dealer or other person who has become liable to pay any amount due under this Act, to pay to the assessing authority either forthwith upon the money becoming due or being held at 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 by the dealer or other person in respect of the arrears that have become payable under this Act or the whole of the money when it is equal to or is less than the arrears aforesaid.
(2) The assessing authority may, at any time, or from time to time, amend or revoke any such notice or extend the time for making any payment in pursuance of the notice.
(3) Any person making any payment in compliance with a notice under this section shall be deemed to have made the payment under the authority of the dealer and the receipt of the assessing authority shall constitute a good and sufficient discharge of the liability of such person to the extent of the amount referred to in the receipt.
(4) Any person making any payment to the dealer after receipt of the notice referred to in this section, shall be personally liable to the assessing authority to the extent of the payment made or to the extent of the liability of the dealer for the amount due under this Act, whichever is less.
(5) Where any person to whom a notice under this section is served, objects to it by a statement in the prescribed form that the sum demanded or any part thereof is not due by him to the dealer or that he does not hold any money for or on account of the dealer, then, nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to require such person to pay the sum demanded or part thereof, as the case may be, to the assessing authority, but if it is discovered that such statement was false in any material particular, such person shall be personally liable to the assessing authority to the extent of his own liability to the dealer on the date of the notice or to the extent of the liability of the dealer for the amount due under this Act, whichever is less.
(6) Any amount which a person required to pay to the assessing authority or for which he is personally liable to the assessing authority under this section shall, if it remains unpaid, be a charge on the properties of the said person and may be recovered as if it were an arrear of land revenue.
Explanation. - For the purposes of this section, the amount due to a dealer or money held for or on account of a dealer by any person shall be computed after taking into account such claims, if any, as may have fallen due for payment by such dealer to such person and as may be lawfully subsisting.