Bank of India v. ACIT (Mum)(Trib), www.itatonline.org

S. 90 :Double taxation relief – Book Profit – The fact that profits of foreign branches of a resident are taxed outside India under tax treaties does not imply that the said income is not taxable in India. The entire global income has to be taxed in India- The assesseee is entitled to credit for taxes paid abroad, as admissible under the treaty or the domestic law – Even profits of foreign branches which are taxed under the tax treaties are also liable for MAT. [ S.115JB ]

The Tribunal held that the fact that profits of foreign branches of a resident are taxed outside India under tax treaties does not imply that the said income is not taxable in India. The entire global income has to be taxed in India. The assesseee is entitled to credit for taxes paid abroad, as admissible under the treaty or the domestic law. (ii) S. 115JB applies to banking companies after the 2012 amendment. Even profits of foreign branches which are taxed under the tax treaties are also liable for MAT. (iii) The argument that S. 90 overrides S. 115JB and so the incomes taxed abroad should be excluded from taxation of book profits u/s 115 JB is not correct. Treaty protection come normally into play for taxation of a non-resident in India, i.e. source country taxation, and not for taxation of a resident in whose hands global income is to be taxed anyway. All that one gets in the residence jurisdiction, by the virtue of tax treaties, is tax credits for the taxes paid abroad.(ITA Nos: 1767 and 2048/Mum/2019, dt. 11.12.2020)(AY. 2015-16)