| COURT: |
|
| CORAM: |
|
| SECTION(S): |
|
| GENRE: |
|
| CATCH WORDS: |
|
| COUNSEL: |
|
| DATE: |
(Date of pronouncement) |
| DATE: |
August 12, 2010 (Date of publication) |
| AY: |
|
| FILE: |
|
| CITATION: |
|
|
|
S. 14A applies where shares are held as investment and the only benefit derived is dividend. S. 36(1)(iii) deduction allowable if shares held as stock-in-trade
The assessee borrowed funds to acquire controlling interest shares in a company with which she claimed to have business dealings. The interest on the borrowings was claimed as a deduction u/s 36(1)(iii). The AO rejected the claim on the ground that the only benefit derived from the investment in shares was dividend and that the interest had to be disallowed u/s 14A. This was confirmed by the CIT (A). The Tribunal held that the deduction of interest was allowable u/s 36(1)(iii) in principle though a portion of the interest paid had to be regarded as attributable to the dividend and was disallowable u/s 14A. On appeal by the Revenue, HELD reversing the order of the Tribunal:
(i) The only benefit derived by the assessee from the investment in shares was the dividend income and no other benefit was derived from the company for the business carried on by it. As dividend is exempt u/s 10(33), the disallowance u/s 14A would apply. The Tribunal was not correct in estimating the s. 14A disallowance to a lesser figure than the interest paid on the borrowing when the whole of the borrowed funds were utilized by the assessee for purchase of shares;
(ii) Deduction of interest u/s 36(1)(iii) on borrowed funds utilized for the acquisition of shares is admissible only if shares are held as stock in trade and the assessee is engaged in trading in shares. So far as acquisition of shares in the form of investment is concerned and where the only benefit derived is dividend income which is not assessable under the Act, disallowance u/s 14A is squarely attracted.
Note: In
CIT vs. Hero Cycles 323 ITR 518 (P&H) it was held that held that in the absence of an actual nexus between tax-free income and expenditure, s. 14A disallowance could not be made.
Related Posts:
- Ventura Textiles Ltd vs. CIT (Bombay High Court) Concealment of particulars of income was not the charge against the appellant, the charge being furnishing inaccurate particulars of income. As discussed above, it is trite that penalty cannot be imposed for alleged breach of one limb of Section 271(1)(c) of the Act while penalty proceedings were initiated for breach…
- Amazonite Steel Pvt. Ltd vs. UOI (Calcutta High Court) The failure to do the above is nothing short of being an act of highhandedness. Such actions of the authorities is an obloquy and reprehensible. No explanation has been provided for the same either in the affidavits filed in the earlier writ petitions or by counsel appearing on behalf of…
- Paradigm Geophysical Pty Ltd vs. CIT (Delhi High Court) If the nature of services rendered have a proximate nexus with the extraction of production of mineral oils, it would be outside the ambit of the definition of FTS. In the instant case, since the nature of services rendered by the Petitioner gets excluded from the definition of “FTS”, in…
- M/s. J. S. & M. F. Builders vs. A. K. Chauhan (Bombay High Court) According to the Assessing Officer, assessee had erred in offering to tax ‘capital gains’ in the year when the individual flats were sold whereas such ‘capital gains’ could be assessed to tax only when the land is trasferred to the co-operative society formed by the flat purchasers. If the assessee…
- PCIT vs. JSW Steel Ltd (Bombay High Court) In view of the second proviso to Section 153A(1) of the said Act, once assessment gets abated, it is open for the assessee to lodge a new claim in a proceeding under Section 153A(1) which was not claimed in his regular return of income, because assessment was never made/finalised in…
- Tata Communications Ltd vs. UOI (Bombay High Court) Although the respondents purport to contend that proper procedure had been followed, record does not bear that there had been any communication made to the petitioner as to its submissions being not acceptable before or at the time of making the adjustment. Decisions in the cases of “A. N. Shaikh”,…
[…] CIT vs. Smt. Leena Ramchandran ( ITA No. 1784 of 2009—order dated14.6.2010) […]