From the above note, it is clear that the above equipment primarily include the routers, switches, modems, etc. which are in the nature of input and output support devices which performs the functions including communication and control and, thus, they are computer hardware when they are used along with computer and when their functions are integrated with `computer’. Such devices used as part of the computer in its functions and, thus, it can be termed as `computer’ only, therefore, eligible for depreciation @ 60%. Therefore, also we find no infirmity in the claim of the assessee of depreciation @ 60% of ITG networking equipments.
When the statements made by the assessees here, later retracted, do not have any evidentiary value, there is no basis in holding that there are materials available before the Assessing Officer to make out cases of escapement of income. A reason must be formed by the Assessing Officer to reopen an assessment on the basis of material or information recognized under law.
Assessee has maintained quantitative records wherein full details of newsprint purchased and used are given. The assessee has also explained the reason for excessive wastage before the Assessing Officer. The Assessing Officer, however, without rejecting the contentions of the assessee, relied on the report of the Registrar of Newspapers of India, called for by him u/s 133(6) of the Act. The CIT(A), though accepted that assessee had maintained quantitative records of wastage etc., applied the wastage rate of 7%. On the facts and circumstances of the case we accept the contention of the assessee that the Registrar of Newspaper of India is an authority, entrusted with the job of allotment of quota of foreign newsprint and the actual wastage cannot be compared with fixed standard because of various factors.
Transfer Pricing Officer recomputed the expenditure relating to reimbursement of business promotion expenses by Assessee to its associated enterprise based in Cyprus. The TPO had compared the said expense with the average of promotional expenditure incurred by 17 pharmaceutical companies, to compute arm’s length price (ALP) using Transaction Net Margin Method (TNMM). The Honourable Mumbai Tribunal held that the TPO had adopted an adhoc method and not TNMM to disallow the said expenses under the guise of Transfer Pricing provisions; hence the addition on account of disallowance was deleted.
Assessee has invested in purchase of new residential house at Rs. 70,80,620/- within the period of two years in which the transfer took place and therefore, the assessee was eligible for deduction u/s 54F(1) of the Act in respect of the said investment out of this deemed long term capital gains. In our considered opinion, the Assessing Officer was not justified in not granting exemption u/s 54F with reference to this investment made by the assessee in computing long term capital gains of the year under consideration.
The taxpayer adjusted the interest expenditure against the interest income earned. After such adjustment no interest expenditure remained to be disallowed. The taxpayer offered expenditure other than interest of Rs. 111,521 for disallowance under Section 14A of the Act on the estimated basis. The Kolkata Tribunal held that there was no interest expenditure remaining after adjusting the interest credited to the Profit and Loss Account. Therefore, no part of interest paid can be disallowed for earning tax free dividend. Further, expenditure other than interest had been offered for disallowance by the taxpayer under Section 14A of the Act. Therefore, no further disallowance shall be made.
The Tribunal dismissed the taxpayer’s proposition that only real income should be taxed and noted that these arguments could not be accepted in the context of Chapter X – Special Provisions relating to Avoidance of Tax, of the Act. In this regard, reliance was placed on the decision of Perot System TSI (India) Limited. The Tribunal observed that RBI’s approval was not sufficient from an Indian transfer pricing perspective as the character and substance of the transaction needs to be judged in order to determine whether the transaction has been done at arm’s length. The Tribunal dismissed the taxpayer’s contention that the loans granted were commercially expedient and economic circumstances did not warrant the charging of interest.
AAR in the case of Dassault (supra) was a case of sale of shrink wrap software and the AAR has held that reproduction and adaptation envisaged by section 14(a)(i) and (vi) can contextually mean only reproduction and adaptation for the purpose of commercial exploitation. The ruling of the AAR in the case of Dassault (supra) was approved by the Hon’ble Delhi High Court in the case of DIT Vs. Ericsson AB,New Delhi (supra). It can therefore be said that the Hon’ble Delhi High Court has held that consideration paid merely for right to use cannot be held to be royalty. This ratio laid down by the Hon’ble Delhi High Court would also apply when shrink wrap software is sold.
Section 50C of the Act is a deeming provision and ostensibly involves creation of an additional tax liability on the assessee and, therefore, notwithstanding the presence of the expression ‘may’ in section 50C(2)(a), the Assessing Officer in the instant case (where assessee had claimed in his return itself that stamp duty values exceeds FMV) ought to have referred the matter to the Valuation Officer for ascertaining the value of the capital asset in question.
A charitable trust is not invalid merely because that settlor is one of the beneficiaries as long as he is not the sole beneficiary. If settlor is the sole beneficiary, then the trust would be invalid on account of non-divesting of party. Where dominant object of the trust was to help the poor Parsis and to donate to educational institutions, registration u/s 12A was not deniable merely because preference was to be given to poor relatives of the settlor so long as it did not make the poor relatives of the settlor the only beneficiaries.
