Exemption claimed by the assessee under S.54 of the Act cannot be denied on the ground that the assessee has not utilised the sale consideration received from the sale of flats itself, in purchasing the plot. Law is well settled by the judicial precedents that investment in purchase of pot for construction of house would entitle an assessee to claim exemption u/s.54 or 54F of the Act. Board’s circular No.667 dated 18.10.1993 also says so.
Brief facts of the case are that the assessee is a director in M/s. Veen Promoters Pvt. Ltd. There was a survey u/s. 133A of the Act on 14.7.2009 in the case of M/s. Veen Promoters Pvt. Ltd. The assessee filed return of income for the A.Y. 2008-09 on 31.7.2009 declaring total income
On examining section 54 and 54F, we find that the provision contained u/s 54 including the proviso are parimateria with section 54F of the Act. The proviso to section 54 also lays down that if the amount of capital gain is not utilized towards construction of residential house within a period of 3 years from the date of transfer of original asset, then, it will be charged to capital gain u/s 45 of the Act in the year in which the period of three years from the date of transfer of the original asset expires.
A reading of the aforesaid provision makes it clear that an assessee will be entitled to claim deduction under the said provision if he fulfills all the conditions mentioned therein. Clause (a)(ii) of the aforesaid provision, which is relevant for our purpose, provides that in a case where housing project has been approved by the local authority on or after the 1st day of April, 2004 and has been completed within 4 years
Since the assessee’s operations are efficient enough to obtain more profits and since the receipts are at arm’s length and there is no passing of excess profits by the parent company (AE) to the assessee, the Assessing Officer’s action in restricting the profits is not correct. Also there is no reason to restore it to the Assessing Officer since there is nothing else to examine. Accordingly, grounds of the assessee are allowed and the Assessing Officer is directed to treat the profits declared by the assessee as ordinary profits and allow deduction under section 10A, without any further adjustment.
(d) Companies having super normal profit may have to be examined further to determine the reason for the extra ordinary profits. (e) Companies whose employee or directors are involved in fraud should not be accepted as the financial results are not reliable. (f) Companies having the turnover of less than Rs. one crore or more than Rs.200 crores should not be taken as comparables.
In this case ownership of the dredger was not transferred to the assessee in pursuance to the sale agreement, contrary to the claim of the assessee made in this regard. Even accepting the contention of the learned AR that no registration of dredger is required and customs duty is not payable on dredgers, it is a fact on record that the assessee has not produced any evidence of substance to prove its ownership over the dredgers.
In the instant case, the assessee was not under an obligation to carry out the work as it was not under the control of the lender and the possession of the machinery temporarily was passed to the assessee after entering into agreement with the lender. Therefore, in the present case, taking of the machinery and equipment on hire would not amount to a contract for carrying out any work as contemplated in s. 194C of the Act.
In view of decision of the ITAT in assessee’s own case for earlier year, respectfully following the same, it was held that interest income earned during the year by assessee, from the fixed deposits made out of borrowed funds was rightly taxed by Assessing Officer under the head ‘income from other sources’. The ITAT in their decision for the earlier year, had found that the interest payable on borrowed funds had no connection with the receipt of interest. Following the decision of the coordinate bench, it was to be held that the interest payable on the loans out which the fixed deposits were made was not allowable as deduction under section 57 (iii).
Section 54 and 54F apply under different situations. While sec. 54 applies to long term capital gain arising out of transfer of long term capital asset being a residential house, sec. 54F applies to long term capital gain arising out of transfer of any long term capital asset other than a residential house. However the condition for availing exemption under both the sections is purchase or construction of a new residential house within the stipulated period.
