Yum Restaurants (India) Pvt. Ltd vs. ITO (Delhi High Court)

The Assessee, Yum Restaurants (India) Private Limited (‘Yum India’), is part of the Yum Restaurants Group with its ultimate holding company being Yum! Brands Inc. USA (Yum USA). 99.99% of shares of Yum India were initially held by Yum Restaurants Asia Private Limited (‘Yum Asia’). After 28th November 2008, the shares were held by Yum! Asia Franchise Pte. Ltd. Singapore (‘Yum Singapore’) pursuant to a restructuring within the group. Yum India had a licence arrangement with Kentucky Fried Chicken International Holdings Inc. (‘KFC’) and Pizza Hut International LLC (‘Pizza Hut’) for opening KFC and Pizza Hut Restaurants in the Indian sub-continent. The licences were later assigned by KFC and Pizza Hut to Yum Asia. Subsequently it was assigned by Yum Asia in favour of Yum Singapore with effect from August 2008. Yum India also entered into an agreement with Yum Asia and subsequently with Yum Singapore with effect from August 2008 for the provision of support to Pizza Hut, KFC and ANW in South Asia. The restructuring that took place in 2008 of the Yum Group saw the splitting up of the business region of Yum Asia, the regional franchisee, into two major regions, viz., China and countries other than China including India. It is stated that the group decided to hold shares in Yum India through Yum Singapore and, therefore, the entire share holding in Yum India was transferred from one holding company, viz., Yum Asia to another immediate holding company, Yum Singapore, although the ultimate beneficial owner of the share holding in Yum India remained the holding company viz., Yum USA. As regards the issue concerning the disallowance of carry forward of accumulated business losses of the past years and set off under Section 79 of the Act, the AO did not accept the contention of Yum India that since the ultimate holding company remained Yum USA, it was the beneficial owner of the shares, notwithstanding that the shares in Yum India were held through a series of intermediary companies. The AO observed that the requirement of Section 79 was that the shares should be beneficially held by the company carrying 51% of voting power at the close of the financial year in which the loss was suffered. The parent company of Yum India on 31st March 2008 was the equitable owner of the shares but not as on 31st March 2009. Accordingly, Yum India was not permitted to set off the carry forward business losses incurred till 31st March 2008. The ITAT analysed Section 79 of the Act and noted that the set off and carry forward of loss, which is otherwise available under the provisions of Chapter VI, is denied if the extent of a change in shareholding taking place in a previous year is more than 51% of the voting power of shares beneficially held on the last day of the year in which the loss was incurred. In the present case, there was a change of 100% of the shareholding of Yum India and consequently there was a change of the beneficial ownership of shares since the predecessor company (Yum Asia) and the successor company (Yum Singapore) were distinct entities. The fact that they were subsidiaries of the ultimate holding company, Yum USA, did not mean that there was no change in the beneficial ownership. Unless the Assessee was able to show that notwithstanding shares having been registered in the name of Yum Asia or Yum Singapore, the beneficial owner was Yum USA, there could not be a presumption in that behalf. On appeal by the assessee HELD dismissing the appeal:

Having examined the facts as well as the concurrent orders of the AO and the ITAT, the Court finds that there was indeed a change of ownership of 100% shares of Yum India from Yum Asia to Yum Singapore, both of which were distinct entities. Although they might be AEs of Yum USA, there is nothing to show that there was any agreement or arrangement that the beneficial owner of such shares would be the holding company, Yum USA. The question of ‘piercing the veil’ at the instance of Yum India does not arise. In the circumstances, it was rightly concluded by the ITAT that in terms of Section 79 of the Act, Yum India cannot be permitted to set off the carry forward accumulated business losses of the earlier years.