INDIRA GANESAN EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE TRUST,TRICHY vs. DCIT, TRICHY

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ITA 250/CHNY/2017Status: DisposedITAT Chennai06 February 2018AY 2009-104 pages

In favour of the assessee: the assessee's appeal was allowed. From the AI summary of this appeal.

AI SummaryAllowed

What did the Tribunal hold?

The Tribunal held that even if the cost of an asset was claimed as application of income, a charitable institution is still entitled to claim depreciation on that asset. The orders of the lower authorities were set aside.

What were the facts?

The assessee trust claimed depreciation on assets, the cost of which was previously claimed as application of income. The Assessing Officer disallowed the depreciation, a view upheld by the CIT(A).

What were the issues?

Whether depreciation can be claimed on an asset when its cost has already been claimed as application of income by a charitable trust. Whether the computation of income under Section 11 requires commercial principles including depreciation.

Which sections of the Income-tax Act were involved?

Section 11,Section 32,Section 143(3)

AI-generated summary — verify with the full judgment below

Cases cited in this judgment(1)Show list

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Before: Shri Abraham P. George & Shri Duvvuru RL Reddy

Hearing: 06.02.2018Pronounced: 06.02.2018

आयकर अपील�य अ�धकरण, ‘‘डी’’ �यायपीठ, चे�नई IN THE INCOME-TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL ‘D’ BENCH, CHENNAI �ी अ�ाहम पी. जॉज�, लेखा सद�य एवं �ी धु�वु� आर.एल रे�डी, �या�यक सद�य के सम� Before Shri Abraham P. George, Accountant Member & Shri Duvvuru RL Reddy, Judicial Member आयकर अपील सं./I.T.A.No.250/Mds/2017 �नधा�रण वष�/Assessment Year:2009-10 Indira Ganesan Educational & The Deputy Commissioner of Charitable Trust, No. 72, Vs. Income Tax, West Boulevard Road, Circle I(2), Trichirapalli 620 008. Trichirapalli 620 001. [PAN: AAATI4222Q] (अपीलाथ� /Appellant) (��यथ�/Respondent) अपीलाथ� क� ओर से / Appellant by : Shri M. Narayanan, Retd. Addl. CIT ��यथ� क� ओर से/Respondent by : Mrs. S. Vijayaprabha, JCIT सुनवाई क� तार�ख/ Date of hearing : 06.02.2018 घोषणा क� तार�ख /Date of Pronouncement : 06.02.2018 आदेश /O R D E R PER DUVVURU RL REDDY, JUDICIAL MEMBER:

This appeal filed by the assessee is directed against the order of the ld. Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) 2, Tiruchirappalli dated 08.12.2016 relevant to the assessment year 2009-10. The only effective ground raised in the appeal of the assessee is that the ld. CIT(A) erred in confirming the disallowance of depreciation claimed by the assessee.

2.

Brief facts of the case are that the assessee trust filed its return of income on 30.09.2009 admitting “NIL” income and claiming exemption under section 11 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 [“Act” in short]. Further, the assessee claimed depreciation to the extent of ₹.1,17,46,854/-. The Assessing Officer disallowed the claim of the assessee on the ground that the depreciation claimed by the assessee cannot be allowed since the cost of the asset was already claimed as application of income while concluding the assessment under section 143(3) of the Act.

3.

On appeal, after considering the submissions of the assessee and by considering various decisions, the ld. CIT(A) confirmed the assessment.

4.

On being aggrieved, the assessee is in appeal before the Tribunal. By relying upon the judgment of Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of CIT v. Rajasthan and Gujarati Charitable Foundation Poona in Civil Appeal No.7186 of 2014 dated 13.12.2017, the ld. Counsel for the assessee submitted that while computing the income of the trust under section 11 of the Act, the same has to be computed commercially and depreciation has to be allowed. In fact, the Hon’ble Supreme Court confirmed the judgment of the Hon’ble Bombay High Court in the case of DIT (Exemption) v. Framjee Cawasjee Institute (1993) 109 CTR 463. In view of the above judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the ld. Counsel for the assessee has submitted that the assessee is eligible for depreciation even though the cost of asset was claimed as application of income in the year of acquisition.

5.

Per contra, the ld. DR submitted that, admittedly, the assessee claimed the cost of acquisition as application of income, therefore, the cost of asset becomes ‘nil’. The ld. DR further submitted that there is no mechanism for computing the depreciation. Moreover, the assessee is a charitable institution. Moreover, the provision of section 32 of the Act is applicable only for the asset which is used for business and in this case, according to the ld. DR, the asset was not used for business and, therefore, there is no question of granting depreciation under section 32 of the Act. The ld. DR strongly supported the order passed by the ld. CIT(A).

6.

We have heard both sides, perused the materials available on record and gone through the orders of authorities below. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of CIT v. Rajasthan and Gujarati Charitable Foundation Poona (supra) found that even though the cost of asset was allowed as application of income in the year of acquisition of asset, the charitable institution is still entitled for depreciation. In view of this judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, we are unable to uphold the contention of the ld. DR. By respectfully following the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of CIT v. Rajasthan and Gujarati Charitable Foundation Poona (supra) and for the reasoning stated therein, the orders of both the authorities below are set aside and the Assessing Officer is directed to allow the depreciation as claimed by the assessee.

7.

In the result, the appeal filed by the assessee is allowed.

Order pronounced in the open Court on the 06th February, 2018 at Chennai.

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