During the assessment year 2005-06, the Taxpayer sold fabrics worth INR 66,101,237 to its associated enterprise, M/s Spin International Inc., incorporated in the U.S., and relied on the Comparable Uncontrolled Price Method (“CUP Method”) to justify the arm’s length nature of such transaction. Upon examination of the Form 3CEB submitted by the Taxpayer, the Assessing Office (“AO”) found that in respect of two qualities of materials, the items were sold to the associated enterprise at much lower price compared to the price charged in comparable uncontrolled transactions entered into by the Taxpayer.
The Mumbai bench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (Tribunal) recently pronounced its ruling in the case of Monsanto Holdings Private Limited vs. Dy. Commissioner of Income Tax Range – 8(2) (Mumbai Bench), ITA No: 9130/Ml/2010 , on transfer pricing issues arising from international transactions entered by the Taxpayer with its Associated enterprises (AEs). The Tribunal ruled in favour of the Revenue stating that Resale Price Method (RPM) cannot be applied based on expected gross margin. Application of RPM is required to be based on examination of audited accounts and consequent computation of actual profit margin.
TPO cannot reject TP method adopted by assessee on the ground that the comparables are wrongly chosen. Further the ALP has to be determined with respect to an international transaction and not at an entity level.
Brief:- The DRP, being an authority created under a statute and conferred with the powers, has the obligation to act as a body living to the expectations which the law mandates. The DRP has to afford adequate opportunity for personal hearing and deal with the issues urged by a speaking order which would reflect cogent reasons. This is apt to say so that no assessee can have any kind of apprehension that the approach to the DRP is perfunctory.
Brief: High Court held that It is not possible to carry on educational activity in such a way that the expenditure exactly balances the income and there is no resultant profit, for, to achieve this, would not only be difficult of practical realization but would reflect unsound principles of management. The assumption that for exemption there should not be any surplus and if it is otherwise the institution society exists for profit and not charity is not justified.
When there is no specific provision in the Income Tax Act for protective assessment, power lies with the AO to make such an assessment on protective basis under certain circumstances. When there is such a power to make the protective assessment while carrying out the normal assessment proceedings even in the absence of specific provision, we fail to understand how the absence of provision should be a ground to preclude the AO for making protective assessment in block assessment proceedings under Section 158BC/BD of the Act. Principle of law laid down by the Supreme Court holding that the AO has power to make protective assessment even when there is no specific provision under the Act would equally apply to the block assessment also.
The above decision presupposes that salary would be taxable if the accrual of income is in India. However, in India, salary income has been taxed either if it accrued or was received in India. Being a Tribunal decision, this it would be binding in the jurisdictional location though it is to be seen whether the principles laid therein will be endorsed by the courts to have a wider impact.
As the department had examined the fundamental nature of the transaction in the earlier years and its nature remained unchanged, the department could not have changed its view as regards the nature of the transaction by dubbing it as erroneous.
The scheduled review in 2009 of “Road Map for presence of foreign banks” laid down in 2005 was put on hold primarily on account of uncertainties caused by the financial crisis in late 2008. Further, many foreign banks applied to RBI for setting up a branch presence in India during the last couple of years. There were representations to consider differentiated banking licenses regime in line with other developed nations. During this time, RBI has had the occasion to study and analyse, the impact on the Indian banking system, of the financial crisis and also the practices followed in other countries.
Normally VAT is leviable on the sales of goods by a dealer but in certain circumstances and on certain goods tax is also levied on the purchases made under Punjab VAT Act 2005. Chapter III of Punjab VAT Act 2005 deals with the purchase tax. The provisions relating to purchase tax under PVAT Act are discussed as follows.
