COURT: | Supreme Court |
CORAM: | A.K. Sikri J., R. Banumathi J, T. S. Thakur J |
SECTION(S): | 115VA, 115VF, 115VG |
GENRE: | Domestic Tax |
CATCH WORDS: | shipping income, Slot Charters, Tonnage Tax Scheme |
COUNSEL: | Porus Kaka |
DATE: | July 5, 2016 (Date of pronouncement) |
DATE: | July 6, 2016 (Date of publication) |
AY: | - |
FILE: | Click here to view full post with file download link |
CITATION: | |
Entire law on assessment of shipping companies under the "Tonnage Tax" Scheme in Chapter XIIG of the Income-tax Act, 1961 in the context of "slot charters" explained |
When the scheme of the aforesaid special provision for computation of income under TTS is exempted, we find the balance tilted in favour of the assessee as that was the precise purpose in introducing TTS in India. It may be stated in brief that in view of the stiff competition faced by the Indian shipping companies vis-a-vis foreign shipping lines, and in order to ensure an easily accessible, fixed rate, low tax regime for shipping companies, the Rakesh Mohan Committee in its report (of January, 2002) recommended the introduction of the TTS in India, which was similar to, and adopted some of the best global practices prevalent. The whole purpose of introduction of the Scheme was to make the Indian shipping industry more competitive in the global space by rationalising its tax cost. For the reason that it is impossible to cater to all shipping routes on owned ships, it is an accepted and widely prevalent practice globally and in India that shipping companies engage in slot charter operations. If such slot charter arrangements are not entered into, then Indian shipping companies will not be able to take up contract of affreightments and these contracts would have fallen to only foreign shipping lines thereby making Indian shipping industry uncompetitive. Such slot charter arrangements being with a shipping company but not in relation to or for a particular ship, it is impossible for the Indian shipping company to identify the cargo ship, which carried the goods
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