Eaton Fluid Power Limited vs. ACIT (ITAT Pune)

(i) Now, coming to the issue of transfer pricing adjustment made by TPO on account of services availed by the assessee from its associated enterprises and taking the value of said international transactions at Nil. In the first instance, we hold that TPO cannot sit in the judgment of business module of assessee and its intention to avail or not to avail any services from its associated enterprises. The role of TPO is to determine the arm’s length price of international transactions undertaken by the assessee and whether the same is at arm’s length price when compared with similar transactions undertaken by external entities or internal comparables. We have already addressed similar issue in Emerson Climate Technologies (India) Limited Vs. DCIT in ITA No.2182/PUN/2013.

(ii) The second aspect which needs to be considered in the present case is the services availed by assessee from its associated enterprises. The assessee is a group concern of worldwide Eaton group of companies and the intention to avail the said services is to carry out his business on worldwide platform. The total turnover of assessee for the year was ₹ 173 crores and the services availed from associated enterprises were intermingled to the extent that the Tribunal in earlier years has directed that for benchmarking international transactions undertaken by the assessee, import of raw materials for manufacturing purpose and export of finished goods should be aggregated.

(iii) The information technology services availed by the assessee also relate to aforesaid business carried on by the assessee and hence, we find merit in the plea of assessee in aggregating the same with other international transactions undertaken by the assessee with its associated enterprises. Accordingly, we hold so. In any case, the assessee in the reasons for filing additional evidence has pointed out that information was filed before the TPO along with agreement and certificate of Eaton China, but thereafter, no other query was raised by TPO or any clarification was sought in respect of information technology services availed. The assessee thus, was under the bonafide belief that the documents and explanation furnished by it has been accepted. Further, the assessee before us has pointed out that though it is filing additional evidence but because of confidentiality clause, such information cannot be shared as it would affect the business transactions of assessee.

(iv) We have gone through the additional evidence filed by the assessee and we are of the view that the assessee has established its case of availment of said services in the field of information technology. In addition, the assessee has also filed certificate from its associated enterprise dated 22.04.2011 i.e. during the course of TP proceedings, under which there is certification of factum of provision of services by Eaton China to the assessee and also basis for charging of such charge i.e. cost plus 5% markup. It was also confirmed by Eaton China that similar services were availed by other Eaton group companies and they were charged on the same basis as in the case of assessee. The assessee had also filed on record copies of debit notes and other JV vouchers raised during the year under consideration justifying its case of availing the said services and payment in lieu thereof.

(v) In the above said facts and circumstances in the issue involved, we hold that there is no merit in observations of TPO in holding that the assessee had not availed any services, hence the arm’s length price of international transactions is to be adopted at Nil.

(vi) The learned Departmental Representative for the Revenue had placed heavy reliance on the ratio laid down by Hon’ble High Court of Delhi in Cushman and Wakefield (India) (P.) Ltd. (2015) 233 TAXMAN 0250 (Delhi), which in turn, has also taken into consideration the decision of Mumbai Bench of Tribunal in Delloite Consulting India (P.) Ltd. Vs. DCIT (2012) 137 ITD 21 (Mum). In the facts of the case before the Tribunal, the TPO had determined arm’s length price of international transactions at Nil keeping in view the factual position as to whether in a comparable case, similar payments would have been made or not in the terms of agreement. The Hon’ble High Court taking note of the issue before it observed that neither Revenue nor the Court must question the commercial wisdom of assessee or replace its own assessment or commercial viability of the transaction. However, the details of specific activities for such cost was incurred and the attended benefit to the assessee had to be considered since the same was not considered, the matter was remanded back to the file of concerned Assessing Officer for arm’s length price adjustment by the TPO, in accordance with law. The said judgment is dated 23.05.2014.

(vii) The Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad in the case of R.A.K. Ceramics India Pvt. Ltd (2016) 293 CTR 0361 (AP) while deciding the issue of fulfillment of conditions of benefit test as raised by the TPO vis-à-vis royalty payments made by assessee @ 3% which was restricted to 2% of net ex-factory sale proceeds, held that it was incumbent upon the TPO after rejecting comparables selected by the assessee to come up with other comparables so as to justify the reduction of royalty payments. Further, no such exercise was undertaken by the TPO and by going into whys and wherefores of the improvement in the net sales and profits of assessee, the TPO held that there was no justification for payment of royalty @ 3% to associated enterprises by the assessee. The Hon’ble High Court held This reasoning is without legal basis of law as it is not for the TPO to decide the best business strategy for the assessee. The Hon’ble High Court also held that This whimsical fixation by the TPO amounts to an arbitrary and unbridled exercise of power. Thus, the order of Tribunal rejecting the case of TPO was upheld by the Hon’ble High Court.

(viii) The Hon’ble Bombay High Court in CIT Vs. M/s. Kodak India Pvt. Ltd (2016) 288 CTR 0046 (Bom) interpreted the provisions of section 92B(2) of the Act. The facts of the case as noted by the Hon’ble Bombay High Court were as under:-

“3. The respondent assessee is an Indian subsidiary of M/s. Eastman Kodak Co. USA (EKC). During the previous year relevant to the assessment year the respondent assessee sold its imaging business to one M/s. Carestream Health India Pvt. Ltd. The buyer company i.e. M/s. Carestream Health India Pvt. Ltd. was a Indian subsidiary of M/s. Carestream Inc. an USA company. The case of the respondent assessee was that the transaction of sale of imaging business by the respondent assessee to M/s. Carestream Health India Pvt. Ltd. was a transaction between the two domestic non Associated Enterprises. Hence, the provision of Chapter X of the Act would have no application. Thus, had not even declared this transaction in its 3 CEB report. 4. However the Transfer Pricing Officer (TPO) while examining another Transfer Pricing issue came across the impugned transaction. It held on the basis of Section 92B(2) of the Act that even if the transaction between Kodak India Pvt. Ltd. and M/s. Carestream Health India Pvt. Ltd. was between two domestic non Associated Enterprises, yet it would still be considered to be an International transaction and Chapter X of the Act would be applicable. This on the basis that the holding companies of both the respondent assessee as well as M/s. Carestream Health India Pvt. Ltd. had entered into a global agreement for sale of its business. This global agreement was prior in point of time to the sale of imaging business by the respondent assessee to M/s. Carestream Health India Pvt. Ltd. The Assessing Officer passed a draft Assessment order under section 144C of the Act on the basis of the order of the TPO.”

(ix) Two aspects were decided by the Tribunal of section 92B(2) of the Act, which came into effect from 01.04.2015 and prior to that the transaction could not be deemed to be an international transaction. It also held that no addition on account of arm’s length price was warranted since the TPO failed to apply any of the methods prescribed under section 92C of the Act. The Hon’ble High Court vide para 10 held as under:-

“10. We must also record the fact that the ALP was arrived at by the Transfer Pricing Officer (TPO) by not adopting any of the methods prescribed under section 92C of the Act. The method to determine the ALP adopted was not one of the prescribed methods for computing the ALP. It was not even any method prescribed by the Board. At the relevant time, i.e. for A.Y. 2008-09 Section 92C of the Act did not provide for other method as provided in Section 92C(1)(f) of the Act. The impugned order of the Tribunal holds that the method adopted by the Revenue to determine the ALP was alien to the methods prescribed under section 92C of the Act. In the above circumstances, the Tribunal declined to restore the issue to the Assessing Officer for re-determining the ALP by adopting one of the methods as listed out in Section 92C of the Act. This finding of the Tribunal has also not been challenged by the Revenue.”

(xi) In the facts of the case before the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay in CIT Vs. M/s. Lever India Exports Ltd. (2017) 292 CTR 0393 (Bom), the TPO while evaluating the transactions between the parties held that the same were on principal to principal basis and no reimbursement of advertisement expenses by the respondent assessee to its associated enterprises could be allowed. Consequently, he determined the arm’s length price at Nil by virtue of disallowing the expenditure. The Hon’ble High Court in such circumstances observed as under:-

“7. We note that the Tribunal has recorded the fact that the respondent assessee has launched new products which involved huge advertisement expenditure. The sharing of such expenditure by the respondent assessee is a strategy to develop its business. This results in improving the brand image of the products, resulting in higher profit to the respondent assessee due to higher sales. Further, it must be emphasized that the TPO‟s jurisdiction was to only determine the ALP of an International transaction. In the above view, the TPO has to examine whether or not the method adopted to determine the ALP is the most appropriate and also whether the comparables selected are appropriate or not. It is not part of the TPO‟s jurisdiction to consider whether or not the expenditure which has been incurred by the respondent assessee passed the test of Section 37 of the Act and / or genuineness of the expenditure. This exercise has to be done, if at all, by the Assessing Officer in exercise of his jurisdiction to determine the income of the assessee in accordance with the Act. In the present case, the Assessing Officer has not disallowed the expenditure but only adopted the TPO‟s determination of ALP of the advertisement expenses. Therefore, the issue for examination in this appeal is only the issue of ALP as determined by the TPO in respect of advertisement expenses. The jurisdiction of the TPO is specific and limited i.e. to determine the ALP of an International transaction in terms of Chapter X of the Act read with Rule 10A to 10E of the Income Tax Rules. The determination of the ALP by the respondent assessee of its advertisement expenses has not been disputed on the parameters set out in Chapter X of the Act and the relevant Rules. In fact, as found both by the CIT(A) as well as the Tribunal that neither the method selected as the most appropriate method to determine the ALP is challenged nor the comparables taken by the respondent assessee is challenged by the TPO. Therefore, the ad-hoc determination of ALP by the TPO dehors Section 92C of the Act cannot be sustained.” (underline provided by us for emphasis)

(xii) In view of the ratio laid down by the jurisdictional High Court in CIT Vs. M/s. Kodak India Pvt. Ltd. (supra) and CIT Vs. M/s. Lever India Exports Ltd. (supra), the proposition laid down by the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi (supra) stands modified.

(xiii) Applying the above said principle and in view of the facts and circumstances as referred to by us in the paras hereinabove, we hold the international transactions of information technology services availed has to be aggregated with other transactions being intrinsically linked to other international transactions undertaken by the assessee during the year and the same has to be benchmarked applying internal TNMM method as in the case of other international transactions. Further, we also reverse the order of TPO in holding that the assessee has not availed any services in view of various documents filed by the assessee and also certificate of Eaton China, which was filed during the course of TP proceedings evidencing not only the availment of services but also the basis of cost for such services. Similar services were availed by other Eaton group entities from Eaton China and its certificate that the same has also charged at the same rates as charged to the assessee. In the entirety of the above said facts and circumstances, we reverse the order of TPO / Assessing Officer in taking the value of international transactions of Information Technology Services availed at Nil and delete the adjustment made.