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DATE: December 14, 2018 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 27, 2019 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:
S. 276C Prosecution: Prosecution should not be launched hurriedly by the Dept during the pendency of case before the ITAT. The law of limitation u/s 468 Cr.P.C. for criminal prosecution has been excluded by the Economic Offences (Inapplicability of Limitation) Act, 1974 & so there is no need for hasty action. Meaning of "wilful attempt to evade tax" explained (All imp judgements referred).

The very edifice on which the prosecution was launched against the accused, has crumbled like a pack of cards. There was no necessity for the Income Tax Department to have launched the prosecution hurriedly since the law of limitation under Section 468 Cr.P.C. for criminal prosecution has been excluded by the Economic Offences (Inapplicability of Limitation) Act, 1974. In fact, even in the complaint, the Income Tax Officer has stated that the accused has approached the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. This shows that the Income Tax Officer was aware of the fact that the accused is agitating his case before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, which is the final fact-finding body

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DATE: February 22, 2019 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 27, 2019 (Date of publication)
AY: 2012-13
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CITATION:
S. 28(iv)/ 56(2)(viia)/ 47(vii): S. 56(2)(viia) is an anti-abuse provision which applies only to cases of bogus capital building and money laundering. It does not apply to an amalgamation where shares are allotted at alleged undervaluation. Increase in general reserves due to recording of assets of amalgamating company at FMV not give rise to any real income to the assessee. It is capital in nature. Amendment to s. 47(vii) by FA 2012 is clarificatory & retrospective

The question, therefore, before us is, Whether the provisions of section 47(vii) as amended by Finance Act 2012 is retrospective in nature ? It is a fact that existing provision of section 47(vii) was not possible to comply with when amalgamating company is the 100% subsidiary of the amalgamated company. This is, in fact, was a defect in Section 47(vii) prior to the amendment. The amendment was made to cure this defect. Therefore, the decisions relied upon by the Learned Counsel for the Assessee above squarely apply to this case as the provisions of section 47(vii) prior to the amendment if read clause-(a) thereof, was unworkable and could not have applied in case, where amalgamating company is the owner of 100% shares of the amalgamating company

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DATE: February 22, 2019 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 26, 2019 (Date of publication)
AY: 1988-89
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CITATION:
Explanation to s. 37(1): Law on concept of "expenditure incurred for any purpose which is an offence or which is prohibited by law" explained in the context of customs redemption fine. Ratio laid down in Hazi Aziz 41 ITR 350 (SC) continues to hold the field even post decisions in the case of Prakah Cotton Mills 201 ITR 684 (SC) and Ahmedabad Cotton Mfg Co 205 ITR 163 (SC). In neither of these two decisions, the ratio laid down in Hazi Aziz, which was a decision of Bench of three Judges, has been diluted (Pannalal Narottamdas 67 ITR 667 (Bom) distinguished)

The Tribunal without adverting to the relevant facts and materials on record granted benefit to the assessee on the lines followed by this Court in the case of Pannalal (supra). The Tribunal without discussing the relevant materials compared the case of the assessee with the facts arising in the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of Ahmedabad Cotton Mfg Co Ltd (supra) in which it was recorded that the fault or defect in the REP licence was not attributable to the assessee and therefore, the assessee was not to be blamed for indulging in any offence or having incurred any expenditure for the purpose which was prohibited by the law.

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DATE: February 28, 2019 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 26, 2019 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
S. 92C Transfer Pricing: The TPO cannot re-characterize a transaction of subscription to redeemable preferential shares as being equivalent to interest free loans advanced by the assessee to the AE & charge notional interest thereon. The TPO cannot disregard the apparent transaction and substitute the same without any material or exceptional circumstances pointing out that the assessee had tried to conceal the real transaction or that the transaction in question was sham. The TPO cannot question the commercial expediency of the assessee entered into such transaction

The facts on record would suggest that the assessee had entered into a transaction of purchase and sale of shares of an AE. Nothing is brought on record by the Revenue to suggest that the transaction was sham. In absence of any material on record, the TPO could not have treated such transaction as a loan and charged interest thereon on notional basis

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DATE: February 20, 2019 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 26, 2019 (Date of publication)
AY: 2010-11
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CITATION:
S. 92C: Taxability under Transfer Pricing provisions of shares purchased at value in excess of FMV: As the transaction of purchase of equity shares is a capital transaction and does not give rise to any income, the transfer pricing provisions do not apply. Chapter X is a machinery provision. It can only be invoked to bring to tax any income arising from an international transaction. It is necessary for the revenue to show that income does arise from the international transaction. S. 2(24)(xvi) & 56(2)(viib) are prospective

There is no dispute before us that the transaction of purchase of shares by the respondent of its subsidiary company i.e. A.E. at a price much higher than its fair market value would be international transaction as defined in Section 92(B) of the Act. The only issue before us as considered by the impugned order of the Tribunal is whether Chapter X of the Act would at all be applicable in case of any investment made on capital account. This on the premise that the transaction of purchase of equity share capital would not give rise to any income. We note that similar issue was before this Court in Vodafone 268 ITR 1 and this court inter alia observed that Chapter X of the Act is machinery provision to arrive at the arm’s length price of transaction between associated enterprises

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DATE: June 19, 2018 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 23, 2019 (Date of publication)
AY: 2009-10
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CITATION:
S. 68 Bogus transactions: The AO cannot treat losses from off market commodity transactions as bogus and inadmissible in the eyes of the law if the transactions through the broker are duly recorded in the books of the assessee. The broker has also declared in its books of accounts and offered for taxation. To hold a transaction as bogus, there has to be some concrete evidence where the transactions cannot be proved with the supportive evidence. The fact that the broker was expelled from the commodity exchange cannot be the criteria to hold the transaction as bogus

To hold a transaction as bogus, there has to be some concrete evidence where the transactions cannot be proved with the supportive evidence. Here in the case the transactions of the commodity exchanged have not only been explained but also substantiated from the confirmation of the party. Both the parties are confirming the transactions which have been duly supported with the books of accounts and bank transactions. The ld. AR has also submitted the board resolution for the trading of commodity transaction. The broker was expelled from the commodity exchange cannot be the criteria to hold the transaction as bogus

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DATE: January 30, 2019 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 23, 2019 (Date of publication)
AY: 2006-07, 2007-08
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CITATION:
S. 147 Reopening of s. 143(1) Intimation for Bogus share capital: The AO cannot reopen without establishing prima facie that assessee's own money has been routed back in form of share capital. While he can rely on the report of the Investigation Wing, he has to carry out further examination and analysis in order to establish the nexus between the material and formation of belief that income has escaped assessment. In absence thereof, the assumption of jurisdiction u/s 147 has no legal basis and resultant reassessment proceedings deserve to be set-aside

Based on perusal of the report of the DIT, Investigation Wing, New Delhi, the Assessing officer has formed not merely a prima facie belief but has reached a conclusion that the assessee has routed back his undisclosed income in the form of share capital. For reaching such a decisive finding that it is assessee’s undisclosed income which has reached the investor company and thereafter, the latter has invested the amount so received in the assessee’s company by way of share capital, there is nothing which has been stated in the reasons so recorded. As we have noted above, the satisfaction of the Assessing officer should be discernable from the reasons so recorded only and nothing can be added or supplemented to the reasons.

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DATE: February 19, 2019 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 23, 2019 (Date of publication)
AY: 2015-16
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CITATION:
S. 22/ 23(4): The annual letting value (ALV) of unsold units of properties lying as stock in trade is not assessable as income under the head "Income from house property". The deeming provision of s. 23 cannot be extended beyond its ambit so as to cover the heads of income to which it does not operate. Taxing hypothetical income, which is otherwise not sanctioned by any provision under Chapter IV-D, cannot be permitted

it is apparent that the view point bolstered by the authorities that Annual Letting Value in respect of unsold properties lying with the assessee as a stock in trade, should be determined u/s. 23 of the Act, cannot be countenanced in the hue of the later judgments of the Hon’ble Summit Court.

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DATE: February 20, 2019 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 22, 2019 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:
S. 80-IC: An assessee availing exemption of 100% tax on setting up of a new industry, which is admissible for 5 years, and either on the expiry of 5 years or thereafter (but within 10 years) from the date when these assessees started availing exemption, they carried out substantial expansion of its industry, from that year the assessees become entitled to claim exemption @ 100% again (Classic Binding Industries 407 ITR 429 held not good law and reversed)

We have no hesitation to accept this mistake which occurred in Commissioner of Income Tax vs. M/s. Classic Binding Industries 407 ITR 429. The Court specifically dealt with ‘initial assessment year’ and came into conclusion that there cannot be two initial assessment years within a span of 10 years which is the maximum period for allowing deduction as per sub-section (6) of Section 80-IC. As the issue directly concerned with initial assessment year, its definition contained in that very Section was missed out. To that extent, there is an error in the judgment dated 20th August, 2018 in Classic Binding Industries case

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DATE: January 22, 2019 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: February 22, 2019 (Date of publication)
AY: 2011-12
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CITATION:
S. 220(6) Stay of demand: The AO cannot impose the per se condition that pending consideration of the application for stay of demand, certain minimum amount (15%/ 20%) has to be deposited by the assessee as prescribed by the CBDT. He has apply his mind and decide the application for stay of demand

It is evident that the concerned authorities and tax officials have to apply their mind to decide an application for stay of demand. This does not, however, mean that any particular AO in a given case has to impose a per se condition that pending consideration of the application for stay of demand, certain minimum amount has to be deposited

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