Category: All Judgements

Archive for the ‘All Judgements’ Category


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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: May 7, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

Jurisdiction u/s S. 143(1)(a) and 143 (1A) is confined to making “prima facie” adjustments. When there are conflicting judgments on interpretation of Section 80-O, it is not permissible to make “prima facie” adjustments u/s 143(1)(a) and consequently additional tax u/s 143(1A) is not payable.

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 23, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

The word “tax”in Articles 14(2) and 2(1)(b) of the India-USA DTAA includes “surcharge” and for purposes of Article 14(2) which provides that the rate of tax payable by a USA company shall not exceed 15% of the rate payable by domestic companies, the surcharge payable by domestic companies has to be included.

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 23, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

Where the assessee entered into “international transactions” with “associated enterprises” and the AO made adjustments to the arms length price, held, deleting the adjustments that:

(i) In order to determine the most appropriate method for determining the arm’s length price, it is first necessary to select the ‘tested party’ and the tested party will be the least complex of the controlled taxpayer and will not own valuable intangible property or unique assets that distinguish it from potential uncontrolled comparables.

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 18, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

The AO has no jurisdiction u/s 115J of the Act to go behind the Profit & loss account of the assessee and to make adjustments therein beyond what is expressly provided in s. 115J. An assessee is entitled to provide for depreciation in its books at rates which are higher than the rates specified in Schedule XIV to the Companies Act.

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 18, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

Before dubbing the accounts to be complex or difficult to understand, there has to be a genuine and honest attempt on the part of the AO to understand accounts maintained by the assessee; appreciate the entries made therein and in the event of any doubt, seek explanation from the assessee. The opinion must be based on objective criteria and not on the basis of subjective satisfaction. Recourse to s. 142 (2A) cannot be had by the AO merely to shift his responsibility of scrutinizing the accounts of an assessee and pass on the buck to the special auditor.

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 12, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

U/s 6 (6), a person will become an ordinarily resident only if (a) he has been residing in nine out of ten preceding years; and (b) he has been in India for at least 730 days in the previous seven years;

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 12, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

The Tribunal deleted penalty on the finding that the assessee had been induced to offer undisclosed income on the assurance that penalty would not be levied. The frame of the question raised by the department in its appeal to the High Court did not challenge the perversity of the finding. However, the High Court still held that the finding was perverse. Held: the Tribunal is the final fact- finding authority and its decision on the facts can be gone into by the High Court only if a question has been referred to it which says that the finding of the Tribunal on facts is perverse, in the sense that it is such as could not reasonably have been arrived at on the material placed before the Tribunal. In the absence of such a question having been claimed, the High Court was obliged to accept the findings of fact arrived at by the Tribunal and then proceed to decide the question of law referred to it.

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 9, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

In McDowell 154 ITR 148, the Court nowhere said that every action or inaction on the part of the tax payer which results in reduction of tax liability to which he may be subjected to in the future, is to be viewed with suspicion and be treated as a device for avoidance of tax irrespective of legitimacy or genuineness of the act.

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 9, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

The issue of notice under s. 16 (2) W. T. Act {s. 143 (2) I. T. Act} is mandatory for reassessment proceedings. If notice u/s 16 (2) {143 (2)} is not issued, the assessment order passed u/s 17 {s. 147} is not valid.

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DATE: (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 9, 2008 (Date of publication)
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CITATION:

The consequences arising out of invoking Chapter XIV-B of the Act are drastic and draconian. The accounts of the assessee may be re-opened for ten years and not only a legal presumption is raised against the assessee but the burden shifts on the assessee to show that it did not have any undisclosed income. Under these circumstances the Revenue should not exercise its powers in a mechanical power but should be circumspect while taking action under the provisions of Chapter XIV-B of the Act.Where the ‘satisfaction’ recorded by the AO u/s 158 BD was vague and lacking material particulars, held the proceedings were bad-in-law.