Year: 2016

Archive for 2016


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DATE: August 22, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 26, 2016 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:
S. 68: When the facts show that the loan applications of 37 alleged trade creditors were processed and handled by the assessee and that the loan amounts were not reflected in the returns of the alleged creditors, the High Court erred in remanding the matter to the AO on the ground that the AO ought to given notice to the alleged trade creditors

Both the Assessing Officer and the C.I.T. had recorded findings of fact adverse to the Assessee which has been upheld by the learned single judge of the High Court. The Division Bench of the High Court in the Writ Appeal thought it appropriate to reverse the said findings on the ground that the 37 persons who had advanced the loan to the Assessee ought to have been given notice. The jurisdiction of the Division Bench in a Writ Appeal is primarily one of adjudication of questions 6 of law. Findings of fact recorded concurrently by the authorities under the Act and also in the first round of the writ proceedings by the learned single judge are not to be lightly disturbed

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DATE: August 22, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 26, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a lawyer to gain popularity and publicity and attract more clients amounts to an unethical practice of soliciting work and is in violation of the Code of Conduct. The Media should not publish the names of the advocates who appeared in any case as it is an indirect method of soliciting work or indulging in advertisement of the professional abilities or skills of the advocates. The Media should also not publish the names of the Judges unless it is so essentially required

Often times, we have been noticing that the Print and Electronic Media is carrying on publication of the names of legal practitioners as well as the names of the Judges of the High Court concerned, who dealt with particular cases, publication of names of practitioners who may have appeared for one party or the other in a particular case can lead to an indirect method of soliciting or indulging in advertisement of the professional abilities or skills of the advocates. We, therefore, direct the Registrar (Administration) of this Bench to immediately circulate instructions to all Print, Electronic and Media Houses not to publish the names of the practitioners as part of news item

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DATE: August 11, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 20, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2009-10
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CITATION:
S. 37(1): Foreign exchange loss is not a "notional" or "speculation" loss and is allowable as a deduction. CBDT's Instruction No. 3 of 2010 which deals with foreign exchange derivative transactions (forward contracts) is not applicable to cases of losses in dealings with foreign exchange

The loss was not on account of derivatives but are in fact losses and gains in foreign exchange relating to the purchase and sales transactions i.e. creditors and debtors outstanding as on 31st March, 2010. Therefore, Instruction No.3 of 2010 issued by the CBDT would have no application to the facts of the present case. In fact, the issue arising herein would be covered by the principles laid down by the Apex Court in Woodward Governor India (P) Ltd. (supra). Accordingly, as the impugned order of Tribunal followed by the decision of the Apex Court in Woodward Governor India (P) Ltd. (supra) which governs the issue, the question as proposed does not give rise to any substantial question of law

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DATE: June 21, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 20, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2007-08
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CITATION:
Transfer Pricing: Argument that transaction of extending credit period to AEs cannot be regarded as “international transaction” in the absence of any income arising therefrom is not acceptable. Observations in Vodafone vs. UOI 368 ITR 1 (Bom) are in a different context. The transaction of extending credit period to AEs is closely linked with the transaction of providing services to the AE and is not a separate transaction. Both transactions have to be aggregated for determination of ALP

Extending credit period for realization of sales to the AE is a closely linked transaction with the transaction of providing services to the AE and therefore cannot be treated as an individual and separate transaction of advance or loan. Accordingly, we direct the A.O/TPO to redo the exercise of determination of ALP by considering the credit period allowed in realization of sales proceeds as closely linked transaction with the transaction of providing services to the AE and therefore both has to be clubbed and aggregated for the purpose of determination of ALP

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DATE: August 5, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 20, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2010-11
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CITATION:
Transfer Pricing: The TPO is required to be consistent in matters relating to selection of comparables. If a comparable has been included or rejected in an earlier year, he is not entitled to take a different view in a later year if there is no change in circumstances

Without any proper reason or change in the functionality and financial data, it cannot be held that these companies are to be excluded/included (as prayed for herein above), in the intermediary period of the assessment year under consideration. The TPO has to bring some material on record to show as to why these comparables which were excluded/included (as prayed for herein above) in the earlier year and also in succeeding year, cannot be excluded/included in the year under consideration

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DATE: August 11, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 17, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
S. 28: Income from letting of property on rent by an assessee engaged in the business of letting is assessable as "business profits" u/s 28 and not as "Income from house property" u/s 22

The issue involved in these appeals is no more res integra as this Court has decided in the case of Chennai Properties and Investments Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income Tax [2015] 373 ITR 673 (SC) that if an assessee is having his house property and by way of business he is giving the property on rent and if he is receiving rent from the said property as his business income, the said income, even if in the nature of rent, should be treated as “Business Income” because the assessee is having a business of renting his property and the rent which he receives is in the nature of his business income

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DATE: May 31, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 17, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2004-05
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CITATION:
S. 14A is applicable even where the motive of the assessee in acquiring the shares is to obtain controlling interest in a company and not to earn dividends

The question arose whether s. 14A applies to a case where the motive of the assessee is to acquire controlling interest in a company and not to earn dividends. The Tribunal followed the judgement of the Special Bench in ITO v. Daga Capital Management Pvt. Ltd (2009) 312 ITR (AT) 1 and held that section 14A is applicable even where the motive in acquiring the shares was to obtain controlling interest in the companies. The Tribunal upheld in principle the applicability of section 14A but remanded the matter to the Assessing Officer to ascertain from the facts of the case as to how much interest bearing borrowings was utilized to acquire shares in the companies

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DATE: August 11, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 17, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2004-05 to 2007-08
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CITATION:
Conduct of the Counsel in making selective reference to the Tribunal’s order in “very deceitful manner” is “highly deplorable”. Attempt to re-argue matter is “clear case of abuse of process of court” and is condemned “in no uncertain terms as it resulted in colossal waste of valuable time of this Tribunal”. Verdict in Dr. T.K. Dayalu (202 TM 531 (Kar) on taxability of development agreements is “not good law” in view of CIT vs. N. Vemanna Reddy (Kar)

We highly deplore the attempts of the petitioner to knock the doors of the Tribunal again in the guise of seeking rectification of order alleging that additional ground of appeal was not decided. As mentioned supra, the additional grounds have been specifically adjudicated and a specific finding had been rendered vide para.9 of the impugned order. Attempts made by the petitioners is nothing but clear case of abuse of process of court and in breach of principles of Res Judicata. We condemn this conduct of petitioner in no uncertain terms as it resulted in colossal waste of valuable time of this Tribunal

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DATE: July 8, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 10, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2010-11
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CITATION:
S. 54F: If the assessee has made full payment to the builder for purchase/ construction of a new residential house but is not able to get the title of the flat registered in his name or is unable to get the possession of the flat within the prescribed period due to fault of the builder, the assessee cannot be denied deduction u/s 54F

It is a fact that the assessee has invested this amount of Rs.18,60,000/- in purchase of residential house within the stipulated period prescribed u/s 54F of the Act. But, it is not in the assessee’s hand to get the flat completed or to get the flat registered in his name, because it was incomplete. The intention of the assessee is very clear that he has invested almost the entire sale consideration of land in purchase of this residential flat. It is another issue that the flat could not be completed and the matter is pending before the Hon’ble Bombay High Court seeking relief by the assessee by filing suit for direction to the Builder to complete the flat. It is impossible for the assessee to complete other formalities i.e. taking over possession for getting the flat registered in his name and this cannot be the reason for denying the claim of the assessee for deduction u/s 54 of the Act

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DATE: June 8, 2016 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: August 10, 2016 (Date of publication)
AY: 2010-11
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CITATION:
S. 54: The date of "purchase" of the new residential house is the date when the assessee receives possession and not the date of the agreement of purchase

Just to encourage assessee, Section 54 is enacted to give relief of exemption from capital gains in the case of assessee selling existing residential units and acquiring any other residential unit. This has to be done within a period of one year either before or after the date of sale of the first house property. If that is done so, capital gains arising on transfer of the first house property will be exempt to the extent of investment in the second house property as stipulated in Section 54. The flat in cities is the most common and a peculiar feature. The builder has to take plans of construction in his own name and sometimes in the names of his vendors and start construction. He invites prospective customers, enters into agreement for sale of flats proposed to be constructed by him and at times, demands the payment of price in one or more instalment. He may sometimes to finance his own construction activity, gives discounts and accepts lesser payment. The price paid before construction is complete, will be different from the price demanded by the vendors after the flat is constructed