ITAT Chandigarh held that reopening of assessment under section 148 of the Income Tax Act merely on the basis of ‘reasons to suspect’ rather than on ‘reason to believe’ is invalid in the eye of law. Held that passive reliance on third-party intelligence would render the reopening invalid as it reflected merely a ‘reason to suspect’.
The ITAT Delhi quashed a rectification order under Section 154, holding that a debatable issue regarding provision for construction expenses is not a “mistake apparent from record.” The ruling reinforces that Section 154 cannot be used to make additions that require a long-drawn process of reasoning or legal interpretation.
The ITAT followed its earlier ruling for the German financial institution, confirming that the management/processing fee was a component of the loan financing and not a fee for technical services. The decision directed the deletion of the entire addition, reinforcing that the taxability of fees must be determined based on their underlying nature and link to the principal loan.
The Tribunal ruled that the cross-charged fee for use of third-party software does not qualify as Royalty as the payment is for a copyrighted article and not the transfer of copyright rights. This decision deletes a significant addition, reaffirming that the make available clause in the DTAA was not satisfied.
The ITAT confirmed the CIT(A)’s pragmatic decision to restrict an addition of ₹8.21 crore for unexplained cash deposits to a 5% profit margin on the total deposits. This estimation was deemed reasonable, considering the nature of the assessee’s pottery trading business where full documentation was absent, balancing commercial reality with revenue protection.
The ITAT Mumbai quashed a revisionary order under Section 263, ruling that the Assessing Officer’s detailed scrutiny into the Rs.124 crore business loss was adequate.2 The Tribunal confirmed that when an AO conducts proper inquiries, the order is not “erroneous” and cannot be subject to revision merely because the PCIT disagrees.
The ITAT Mumbai deleted an addition of Rs.85.05 lakh, ruling that Long-Term Capital Gain (LTCG) on the sale of M/s Pine Animation Ltd. shares was genuine. The Tribunal held that demat-backed transactions through banking channels cannot be rejected merely based on a general Investigation Wing report.
The ITAT allowed the assessee’s appeal, holding that the PCIT’s order under Section 263 was unsustainable because it failed to cite any specific instance where the AO neglected to verify the alleged fictitious loan transaction. For Section 263 to apply, both the error in the assessment and prejudice to the revenue must be proven, which the PCIT did not demonstrate.
The ITAT Dehradun quashed an entire reassessment, holding the mandatory notice under Section 148 invalid because it was sent to an old postal address and a wrong email ID. The ruling confirms that non-service of the foundational notice renders all subsequent proceedings void ab initio.
The ITAT deleted an addition under Section 69 for unexplained investment in property. The tribunal held that authorities couldn’t ignore the sale deed and bank statements proving the co-owner (husband) made the payments in a preceding year, even in ex-parte proceedings.
