Tonnage tax scheme in respect of a qualifying ship cannot be denied merely because it is used for transportation of cargo between Indian ports which are connected by rail / road

ACIT Vs West Asia Maritime Ltd. (ITAT Chennai) (Third Member)- The contention of the assessing authority that the ship was excluded from the ambit of tonnage tax scheme mainly for the reason that the ship is rendering services only between Indian ports, which would have also been rendered on land by road or rail, is too far-fetched. There is no such stipulation anywhere in law. The law is not making any reference to any other alternative method available for transportation of goods and cargo from destination to destination. The law only says that an assessee is entitled to opt for TTS if it ...