Case Law Details
Learn about a legal ruling on tax assessment for a freight company engaged in regular shipping business. Details on jurisdiction and DTAA implications.
Looking to the magnitude of the voyages undertaken by the freight beneficiary and the fact that the respondent-company has been, as observed by the ld. CIT(A), regularly filing its return of income at Mumbai and being assessed to tax at Mumbai, the finding of the CIT(A) that the freight beneficiary is not engaged in occasional shipping business but in regular shipping business and hence would be outside the scope of section 172 cannot be said to be untenable on facts and in law.
His finding in this behalf is therefore confirmed. Similarly, the Department has not placed any material on record to rebut the finding recorded by the CIT(A) that the respondent-company has already filed its return of income at Mumbai. That being the position, the provisions of section 172(7) would apply to the respondent-company. Besides, as rightly observed by the CIT(A), the Income-tax Act does not permit multiple assessments in the hands of the same taxable entity and that too in respect of income from the same business. On these facts, we are unable to disturb the finding recorded by the CIT(A). The order of the CIT(A) that the respondent-company is liable to be assessed on the basis of return filed u/s 139(1) for its entire income is therefore confirmed. His further order quashing the order passed by the AO u/s 172(4) is also resultantly confirmed.
As stated earlier, the Hon’ble jurisdictional High Court has held in Arabian Express Line Ltd. of United Kingdom (supra) that the procedure contemplated by section 172 for “assessing the income of a non-resident Indian because of his occasional activity in shipping business in India would not be applicable in a case where there is a convention between the Government of India and the foreign countries as provided under section 90 of the Income-tax Act”. The reason for such a view is obvious. Section 172(2)/(4) provides for summary assessment @ 7.5% of the freight paid or payable. By the very nature of assessment contemplated by section 172, it is not possible to deal with the cases covered by Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement. In the matters before us, the AO has rejected the claim of the respondent-company that its case falls under DTAA. Such an examination, in our view, cannot be undertaken in the proceedings u/s 172 as the AO has no discretion u/s 172(2)/(4) except to compute the income @ 7.5% of freight paid or payable. It is perhaps for this reason that section 172(7) gives an option to the owners/charterers of ships to seek assessment of their income in accordance with the normal provisions of the Income-tax Act. Once a return is filed by a non-resident u/s 139 claiming the benefit of DTAA, his assessment would need to be completed under the normal provisions of the Income-tax Act. The ld. CIT-DR vehemently contented that the jurisdictional Assessing Officer should be directed to verify the position and tax the income of the freight beneficiary (represented by the respondent-company) from the business of handling cargo transportation (including slot chartering business) as per normal provisions of the Act. It is the case of the respondent-company that its income including the income from 45 voyages covered by the impugned order passed by the AO u/s 172(4) should be taxed in accordance with the normal provisions of the Income-tax Act on the basis of the return filed by it u/s 139 at Mumbai. Perusal of the order passed by the CIT(A) shows that he has taken a view that the case of the respondent falls u/s 172(7) and not u/s 172(4). The respondent-company has also accepted the liability to be dealt with u/s 172(7). The jurisdictional AO may therefore verify the position and take such action as may be warranted in law in terms of section 172(7) to ensure that the income of the assessee from the aforesaid 45 voyages does not escape assessment as per the normal provisions of the I-T Act.
