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Month: April 2016

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Posted on by editor
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DATE: April 15, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 22, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2009-10
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CITATION:
S. 40(a)(ia)/ 192: Employees deputed pursuant to a secondment agreement are not "employees" of the assessee and so the amounts paid by way of reimbursement of their salary is not subject to TDS in the assessee's hands

The employees are not the employees of assessee Mahanagar Gas Ltd but employees of British Gas and they are working with assessee only in view of secondment agreement. As per joint venture agreement GAIL and British Gas have agreed to second, therefore, employees to the joint venture company i.e. Mahanagar Gas Ltd. on secondment basis and under secondment agreement certain employees have been seconded to the assessee. Since the employers were seconded for limited time of 2 to 3 years, the remuneration payable to these seconded employees were being paid by British Gas or GAIL recoverable from assessee on cost to cost basis. The nature of secondment agreement make clear the duties of second employees, their liabilities towards assessee and reimbursement of actual cost of remuneration, benefits and disbursement by assessee to the joint venture partners. These are reimbursements. Also the employee’s remuneration was allowable to tax in India then there would be tax deduction obligation on the employer who was responsible for making payment to the employees

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DATE: November 4, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 22, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2009-10
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CITATION:
S. 40(a)(ia), though inserted w.e.f. 01.04.2013, is retrospective in operation because it is curative and intended to remedy an unintended consequence. Accordingly, if the payee has paid the tax, the payer will not suffer a disallowance

The second proviso to s. 40(a)(ia) inserted by the Finance Act, 2012 is curative in nature intended to supply an obvious omission, take care of an unintended consequence and make the section workable. Section 40(a)(ia) without the second proviso resulted in the unintended consequence of disallowance of legitimate business expenditure even in a case where the payee in receipt of the income had paid tax, and, therefore, the second proviso although inserted with effect from 1st April, 2013 is curative in nature and has retrospective effect

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DATE: April 5, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 20, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2007-08, 2009-10
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CITATION:
Fundamental principles of accrual of income under mercantile system of accounting explained in the context of waiver of income recoverable from person facing financial difficulties

Merely because assessee was following mercantile system of accounting, it could not be held that income had accrued to it. Earning of the income, whether actual or notional, has to be seen from the viewpoint of a prudent assessee. If in given facts and circumstances the assessee decides not to charge interest in order to safeguard the principal amount and ensure its recovery, it cannot be said that he has acted in a manner in which no reasonable person can act

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Posted on by ananyakapoor
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DATE: February 16, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 20, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
Failure by ITAT to grant an adjournment requested due to bereavement results in breach of principles of natural justice

In the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case and in the interest of justice, the learned Tribunal could have given an opportunity of hearing to the appellant for the subsequent date. Having failed to grant a short adjournment has resulted in passing the impugned order in breach of the principle of natural justice which calls for the interference of this Court

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Posted on by shreesh
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DATE: March 8, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 20, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2008-09
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CITATION:
S. 14A/ Rule 8D: Non-consideration by the ITAT of a judgement of the co-ordinate Bench makes the order a non-speaking one and breaches the principles of natural justice

In fact the impugned order of the Tribunal ought to have dealt with its decision in J. K. Investors (supra) and considered its applicability to the present facts. In view of the fact that the impugned order of the Tribunal does not deal with its decision in J. K. Investors (supra) relied upon by the assessee in support of its submission as recorded in the impugned order itself makes the impugned order a nonspeaking order and, therefore, in breach of principles of natural justice. The substantial question of law is answered in the affirmative i.e. in favour of the assessee and against the revenue

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Posted on by shreesh
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DATE: February 22, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 20, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2008-09
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CITATION:
Mere non-introduction of interest-bearing funds is not sufficient to conclude that gains from sale of shares are not business income

There are various factors such as frequency, volume, entry in the books of accounts, nature of funds used, holding period etc. which are relevant in deciding the true nature of transactions and no single factor is conclusive. Thus, mere non-introduction of interest bearing funds will not alone determine the nature of the transactions. The impugned order, after analyzing the statement of capital gains which were available before it, came to the conclusion that most of the shares have been sold within 30 days of its purchase and upheld the order of the CIT(A)

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DATE: April 13, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 19, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
S. 2(15)/ 11: If the predominant purpose is charitable, the earning of profit from an incidental activity like letting of property does not affect the charitable status. As the letting is a part of the educational activities, there is no obligation to maintain separate books u/s 11(4A). As per CBDT Circular No. 11 of 2008, the first proviso to s. 2(15) applies to the 'advancement of any other object of general public utility'

The revenue’s contention that the tribunal has overlooked the provisions of section 11(4A) is unfounded. We have noted above that the service charges received in respect of 6th and 7th floor were clearly on account of educational purpose. Letting out was incidental and not the principle activity of the assessee trust. Thus, in our opinion, section 11(4A) which require separate account to be maintained would not be attracted in view of our conclusion that the said amounts as received by the assessee for the assessment year have been received from educational activity which is the dominant activity of the assessee trust. In our opinion, if this be the case, separate books of accounts cannot be insisted upon as the said activity becomes part and parcel of the educational activities carried out by the assessee trust. In such a case, the benefit of exemption under section 11 (4A) cannot be denied. An interpretation as urged on behalf of the revenue would render nugatory the very spirit, rationale and the object of the exemption provisions making the same unworkable

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Posted on by editor
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DATE: February 2, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 19, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 1992-93, 1993-94
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CITATION:
S. 244A(1)(b) is a residual provision under which interest on refund of excess payment of self-assessment tax is payable to the assessee. Such interest is also payable on the principles of restitution and unjust enrichment. Engineers India 373 ITR 377 (Del) is not good law

In these circumstances the principle of restitution would be squarely attracted and the revenue is also statutorily bound to pay interest u/s.244A(1)(b) to the assessee. The apex court in South Eastern Coalfield –Vs- State of M. P. reported in 2003 (8) SCC 648 has categorically held that once the doctrine of restitution is attracted, the interest is often a normal relief given. Restitution sometimes refers to “disgorging of something which has been taken” and sometimes refers to “compensation for injury done”

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DATE: March 2, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 18, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
Important law on concept of "ancestral property" under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 and the formation of a HUF by the surviving members of the deceased explained

On a conjoint reading of Sections 4, 8 and 19 of the Act, after joint family property has been distributed in accordance with section 8 on principles of intestacy, the joint family property ceases to be joint family property in the hands of the various persons who have succeeded to it as they hold the property as tenants in common and not as joint tenants

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Posted on by editor
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DATE: March 18, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 18, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2008-09
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CITATION:
In view of CBDT Circular No. 6/2016 dated 29.02.2016, if assessee has consistently shown shares as an “investment” and offered gains as capital gains, AO is not entitle to urge that the same constitutes “stock-in-trade” and assess gains as business profits on grounds that there were substantial and frequent transactions and motive was to earn profit and holding period of such shares was very short

Before us the moot question which is required to be decided is whether the income earned by the assessee on account of share is required to be treated as business income or required to be treated as short term capital gain. After the matter was heard on 11.02.2016, the CBDT came out with the Circular No. 6/2016 dated 29.02.2016 in the following manner. In view of the circular, we have clearly noticed that the issue raised in this appeal stands fully covered by the Circular issued by the CBDT. Since the assessee has treated the securities as investment and not as stock in trade in all the years, therefore, in view of the CBDT Circular, the revenue is not permitted to take a contrary view in the present year and claimed that the security is stock in trade and, therefore, the profit/gain caused to the assessee be treated as business income. In our view, there is no merit in the contention of the revenue and is deserves to be dismissed in view of the circular.

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