M/S BOTHRA INTERNATIONAL vs. I.T.O.WARD-1,3,JODHPUR
What did the High Court hold?
The High Court held that the Tribunal was not justified in dismissing the assessees' appeals. The Court noted that the facts of the cases cited by the assessee were not verifiable from the submissions. Consequently, the Assessing Officer (AO) was directed to reconsider the matter, taking into account the Supreme Court's decision in Topman Exports and the ITAT decisions referred to by the assessee (Angira Art Exports, Suraj Exports India, and Arts & Crafts Exports). The AO was instructed to recalculate the income accordingly. The Court also referred to the Supreme Court's decision in Commissioner of Income Tax vs. Meghalaya Steels Ltd., which distinguished export incentives from reimbursement of expenses. The Court clarified that subsidies reimbursed on incurring costs relatable to business would fall under 'profits and gains of business or profession' and not 'income from other sources'. The High Court quashed and set aside the Tribunal's order and allowed the appeals, remitting the matters back to the AO. The operative direction is to remit the matters back to the AO for fresh adjudication.
What were the facts?
These appeals by the assessees, Patram Bishnoi, M/S Shehawati Art Exports, and M/S Bothra International, challenge the orders of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) which dismissed their appeals. The assessment years are not explicitly stated. The core issue revolves around the assessees' eligibility to claim tax exemption under Section 10BA of the Income Tax Act. The assessees are seeking to overturn the Tribunal's decision that denied them this benefit. The High Court admitted these matters and framed a substantial question of law concerning the Tribunal's justification in holding the assessees not entitled to the Section 10BA exemption.
What were the issues?
1. Whether the Tribunal was justified in holding that the assessee is not entitled to claim the benefit of tax exemption available to them under Section 10BA of the Income Tax Act. Assessee's Contention: The assessee argued that the issue is not covered and, in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Liberty India, the appeal should be allowed in their favour. They also referred to decisions of the ITAT Jodhpur Bench in Angira Art Exports and Suraj Exports India, and the ITAT Mumbai Bench in Arts & Crafts Exports, which allowed similar appeals based on the Supreme Court's rulings in Liberty India and Topman Exports. Revenue's Contention: The judgment does not explicitly record the revenue's specific arguments on this issue. However, it notes the Tribunal's view that Section 10BA and Section 80HHC are different and that export incentives like DEPB credit are income under Section 28(iiid). The revenue's stance appears to be that the assessees do not qualify for the Section 10BA exemption.
Which sections of the Income-tax Act were involved?
Section 10BA,Section 28(iiid),Section 56,Section 14,Section 80HHC
AI-generated summary — verify with the full judgment below
Cause title — parties, addresses and appearances
by this common judgment. By way of these ppeals, -the assessee has challenged the judgment and order of the Tribunal whereby the Tribunal has dismissed the appeals of the assessee. This Court while admitting the matters framed the following substantial question of law:- I n DBITA No. 77/2010 "Whether the Tribunal was justified in holding that: assessee is not entitled to claim the benefit of tax (Uploaded on 18/07/2024 at 03:17:09 PM)
exemption available to them under Section IOBA of the Income Tax Act." Counsel for the appellant contended that the issue is not covered and in view of decision of Supreme Court in Liberty India,
the appeal is required to be allowed in favour of assessee. that the issue is now sq 12016) decided on 23rd October, 2017 whesein it has v$$ beer j as under:- the Tribunal in the case o as considered back and with r m part of the net deduction is usiness of an n percentage of assessment reas in section derived from (IIA) and I I B ) as such business being referred to as the eligible business on certain percentage basis and for such number of assessment years specified under the law. Section IOBA also provides special deduction of such profit of eligible article or things. This section applies to any undertaking which fulfill the following conditions, namely, (a)It manufactures or produces the eligible articles or things without the use of imported raw materials (d) Ninety per cent or more of its sales during the (Uploaded on 18/07/2024 at 03:17:09 PM)
previous year relevant to the assessment year are by way of exports of the eligible articles or things. Besides these, other conditions provided in clause (b), (c) and (e) are to be fulfilled for claiming deduction. The sub section (4) of section IOBA reads as under :- Sub Section (4) : For the purposes of sub-section (I), the profits derived from export out of India of the eligible articles or things shall be the amount which bears to the profits of the business of the undertaking, the same proportion as the export turnover in respect of such articles or things bears and sub-section (I) o in relation to th rred to in this section as they se of undertaking referred to in section 8@8, on IOBA was inserted by the Finance Act, reas section ~ t h effect from e sections are are different. reme Court in the applicable in case IOBA and cre Profit & Loss reverse the order hat entire sale credit - DEPB credihcha s income under T* section 2 8 ( i i i ~ @ ~ $ ~ ~ [ ~ ~ plied for against exports. ~urthe;, profit nsfer of credit chargeable under section 28(iiid) in year in which transferred. The Id AR has also referred the decision of ITAT Jodhpur Bench, Jodhpur in the case of Angira Art Exports and Suraj Exports India and others in ITA No. 360/Jodh/2012 order dated 31/1/2013 and also ITAT Mumbai Bench in the case of Arts & Crafts Exports Vs. IT0 66 DTR 69 (ITAT Mumbai Bench) and claimed that both the ITATs have allowed the assesseers appeal by considering the Hon'ble Supreme Court decision in the case of Liberty India and Topman Exports (supra). We have (Uploaded on 18/07/2024 at 03:17:09 PM)
considered the assessee's submission but fact of both the cases are not verifiable from the submissions made by the assessee, therefore the Assessing Officer is directed to considering the order of t h e Hon'ble Supreme Court in t h e case of Topman Exports (supra) and case laws referred by t h e assessee i.e, decision of ITAT Jodhpur Bench, Jodhpur in t h e case of Angira Art Exports and Suraj Exports India and others and ITAT Mumbai Bench decision in the case of Arts & Crafts Exports Vs. IT0 (supra)and recalculate the income accordingly. Therefore, this ground of appeal is setaside to the Id Assessing Offce . However the view taken by L &t d .&'-% t h e ~ u p r - $ $ g u the&-gse ~of"Go.mmissioner of 1ncome;~~xbrs Meg halaya Steels -% 2 tdp~bFO16] 383 wherein it has been heldgas~rr der:- this being the fourth judgment" help Revenue. What th'fburt VFB.~ %&as concerned with was an export incentive, w y ~ p is very far removed from reimbursement ofFan at is after it s not proximate or . Also, t h e object s been held by this itself." 28, It only der one further argument by Shri Radhakrishnan. He has argued that as the subsidies that are received by the respondent, would be income from other sources referable to Section 56 of the Income Tax Act, any.' deduction that is tc be made, can only be made from income from other sources and not from profits and gains of business, which is a separate and distinct head as recognised by Section 14 of the Income Tax Act. Shri Radhakrishnan is not correct in his submission that assistance by way of subsidies which are reimbursed on the incurring of (Uploaded on 18/07/2024 at 03:17:09 PM)
subsidies which are reimbursed on the incurring of costs relatable to a business, are under the head 'income from other sources", which is a residuary head of income that can be availed only if' income does not fall under any of the other four heads of income. Section 28(iii)(b) specifically states that income from cash assistance, by whatever name called, received or receivable by any person against exports under any scheme of- the^ ~ o v e r n m e n t of ~ndia, will be income chargeable to income tax under the head "profits and gains of business or profession". If cash- assistance received or receivable against exports schemes are included as being inco,me ..+ % .und,er .' the head "profits and gains of busines<br profession", it is obvious that subsidies which go to reimbursement of cost in the prod,uction of goods of a particular business would also have to be included under the head "profits and gains of business or profession", and not under the head "income from other sources". .-.-
For the reasons g i v e ~ . by us, we are of the view .-.*y..".p that the Gauhaii, 4~d-~b* pg Gzi:lphkka$ &+ s.t"4~% 8 +.\. and Del hi High Courts have c o r r e c t l ~ ~ r o n s r e ~ e o n s $- Y,a .y%,af;.3.~rilj. %*..~i?:~~ ::- .: 80- I B and 80- IC . The Mijn gch,a:li~@~a&e,s,h H'i g h Co u rt, h avi ng . ' + \ s b : , wrongly inte'qrphete,d.'-they judgments in Sterling Foods and k$@;e$$$$$diarpo arrive at the opposite ,'I-. u . ' a & & a ,, (, conclusion, is"$h&Il+tip; ,be. ?.wrongly decided for the - )*a reasons given.:baydr'~2;hgrejipa bove. The same view Wnids :followed by this Court in the case of CIT Jaipur Y/s Suresh Kumar Bajoria in D. B. Income Tax :Appeal No. 29412008 decided on 18.05.2017. The said d,ecisions have not been taken into cons.i:d.eration by the authority. 6 1 ?@ Therefore, tfie~matter ~i's 'r;.erriitted back to the A 0 to @$,& %:w-*.x+ "*g'%-c) ;YJ{ ,'+?-,j i:! , , , It is made ~ ~ . ~ ~ : e a ! ~ ~ t h i s w e ~ ~ ~ b a u ' e lLh3Akc9sy -. 6,..vs;wy~~~-;~T iqC ( .- not expressed a n t h i n 0 n dri@$$~~~$i,~~~k~&3~L -+.i I n case of assessee we have remitted back the matter to the AO. I n that view of the matter, on same principle, the matters are remitted back to the AO. It will be open for both the sides to raise all contentions including appli.cability of the circular before the authority. The order of the Tribunal is quashed and set aside. (Uploaded on 18/07/2024 at 03:17:09 PM)
The appeals are allowed and the matters are remitted back to the AO. (DR. PUSHPENDRA SINGH BHAT1)J. (K. S. 3HAVERI)J. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) (Uploaded on 18/07/2024 at 03:17:09 PM)
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