Union Budget 2016: Section 9A of the Act provides for a special regime in respect of offshore funds. It provides that in the case of an eligible investment fund, the fund management activity carried out through an eligible fund manager acting on behalf of such fund shall not constitute business connection in India of the said fund. Further, an eligible investment fund shall not be said to be resident in India merely because the eligible fund manager undertaking fund management activities on its behalf is located in India. The benefit under section 9A is available subject to the conditions provided in sub-sections (3), (4) and (5) of this section.
The sub-section (3) of section 9A provides for the conditions for the eligibility of the fund. These conditions, inter-alia, are related to residence of fund, corpus size, investor base, investment diversification and payment of remuneration to fund manager at arm’s length. In respect of residence of the fund, the condition is that the fund has to be resident of a country or territory with which India has entered into a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) or Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA). In respect of activities of fund, there is a restriction that the fund shall not carry on or control and manage, directly or indirectly, any business in India or from India and shall neither engage in any activity which constitutes a business connection in India nor have any person acting on its behalf whose activities constitute a business connection in India other than the activities undertaken by the eligible fund manager on its behalf.
Representations had been received stating that there are many instances where a fund may not qualify as a tax resident of a country on account of domestic tax laws or legal framework of the country. The global structure of these funds had been based on applicable legal and regulatory framework of their country of incorporation and cannot be modified in respect of any investment made in a particular country. Examples of large pension funds or mutual funds from USA or SICAVs (open ended collective investment schemes) from Luxembourg had been cited. It has been stated that India would still be able to collect information regarding fund under the applicable DTAA or TIEA as under the agreements with many of the countries, information can be exchanged in respect of persons who may not be resident of the country. It had been further represented that the conditions relating to restriction on fund carrying on business or controlling fund managing business in India or from India restricts the flexibility of operation for funds and focus should be on nature of activities undertaken in India.
In order to rationalize the regime and to address the concerns of the industry, it is proposed to modify these conditions to provide that the eligible investment fund for purposes of section 9A, shall also mean a fund established or incorporated or registered outside India in a country or a specified territory notified by the Central Government in this behalf.It is also proposed to provide that the condition of fund not controlling and managing any business in India or from India shall be restricted only in the context of activities in India.
The amendments will take effect from 1stApril, 2017 and shall apply to the assessment year 2017-18 and subsequent assessment years.
Clause 6 of Finance Bill 2016
Clause 6 of the Bill seeks to amend section 9A of the Income-tax Act relating to certain activities not to constitute business connection in India.
Sub-section (3) of the aforesaid section provides for the conditions to be fulfilled for being an eligible investment fund.
It is proposed to amend clause (b) of the said sub-section so as to provide that the eligible investment fund also means a fund established or incorporated or registered in a country or a specified territory notified by the Central Government in this behalf.
It is further proposed to amend clause (k) of the said sub-section to omit reference to the fund not carrying on or controlling and managing, directly or indirectly, any business from India.
These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017- 2018 and subsequent years
[Clause 6]
