BHUPENDRA BORA,GHAZIABAD vs. DCIT, DEHRADUN

Though the assessee has raised several grounds of appeal, the only effective issue to be decided in this appeal is as to whether the Learned JCITA was justified in upholding the action of the Learned AO in denying the foreign tax credit of Rs 5,72,956/- for the reason that Form No. 67 was filed beyond the due date of filing the return of income under section 139(1) of the Act.

It is not in dispute that assessee is a salaried individual employed with Shell India Markets Pvt. Ltd. The assessee was sent on short-term international assignment to Netherlands from 1-1-2019 to 31-12-2019. During the assessment year 2019-20, assessee was Resident and Ordinarily Resident under the Act and his payroll continued in India with Shell India Markets Pvt. Ltd. The assessee status as Resident and Ordinarily Resident was duly mentioned in the intimation processed under Section 143(1) of the Act by the Learned CPC itself. Salary was paid to the assessee by Shell India Markets Pvt. Ltd. for the entire year in India and accordingly tax was also deducted on the same in terms of Section 192 of the Act. In respect of services rendered outside India by the assessee i.e., from 1-1-2019 to 31-3- 2019, since the assessee was Resident and Ordinarily Resident, the said salary earned in Netherlands would also become taxable in India. The said salary was also subjected to tax in Netherlands and assessee had indeed duly paid tax in Netherlands. Whatever taxes that were paid in Netherlands, the assessee had sought foreign tax credit in terms of Section 90/ 90A of the Act while filing the revised income tax return in India. The assessee filed the revised written on 30-6-2020 and also filed Form No. 67 as a necessary proof of taxes paid in Netherlands on the income tax portal account on 23-06-2020. Since this Form No. 67 was not filed by the assessee within the due date prescribed under Section 139(1) of the Act and was ultimately filed within the due date prescribed under Section 139(4) of the Act, the assessee was denied the foreign tax credit of 5,72,956/- by the lower authorities. The law is now very well settled by the decision of Bengaluru Tribunal in the case of Brinda Ramakrishna vs ITO in dated 17-11-2021 reported in 193 ITD 840 (Bang Trib). The relevant operative portion of the said order is reproduced below:-

The Assessee filed a rectification application before the AO on 15-6-2020 & 25-2-2021 and submitted that credit for FTC as claimed in the return should be given. In the rectification order dated 10-3-2021, the AO upheld the action on the ground that the Assessee has failed to furnish Form 67 on or before the due date of furnishing the return of income as prescribed u/s 139(1) of the Act which is mandatory according to Rule 128(9) of the Rules.

On appeal by the Assessee, the CIT(A) vide Order dated 3-9-2021 confirmed the Order of AO. The CIT(A) held that the Assessee has not filed Form 67 before the time allowed under section 139(5) of the Act, and therefore Form 67 is non-est in law. The CIT(A) also held that provisions of rule 128 are mandatory in nature. The CIT(A)rejected the contention of the Appellant that filing of Form 67 is a procedural requirement and non- compliance thereof does not disentitle the Assessee of the FTC.

Aggrieved by the order of the CIT(A), the Assessee is in appeal before the Tribunal. The learned counsel for the Assessee submitted that disallowance of FTC is bad in law. He submitted that section 90 of the Act provides that Government of India can enter into Agreement with other countries for granting relief in respect of income on which taxes are paid in country outside India and such income is also taxable in India. Article 24 of India Australia DTAA provides for credit for foreign taxes. Article 24(4)(a) is relevant in the present context. Same is extracted below : "4. In the case of India, double taxation shall be avoided as follows : (a) the amount of Australian tax paid under the laws of Australia and in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, whether directly or by deduction, by a resident of India in respect of income from sources within Australia which has been subjected to tax both in India and Australia shall be allowed as a credit against the Indian tax payable in respect of such income but in an amount not exceeding that proportion of Indian tax which such income bears to the entire income chargeable to Indian tax; " It was submitted by him that section 90 of the Act read with article 24(4)(a) provides that Australian tax paid shall be allowed as a credit against the Indian tax but limited to proportion of Indian tax. Neither section 90 nor DTAA provides that FTC shall be disallowed for non-compliance with any procedural requirements. FTC is Assessee's vested right as per article 24(4)(a) of the DTAA read with section 90 and same cannot be disallowed for non-compliance of procedural requirement that is prescribed in the Rules.

It was further submitted by him that section 295(1) of the Act gives power to the CBDT to prescribe Rules for various purposes. Section 295(2)(ha) gives power to the Board to issue Rules for FTC. The relevant extract is as follow: "(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters :— ………………… (ha) the procedure for granting of relief or deduction, as the case may be, of any income-tax paid in any country or specified territory outside India, under section 90 or section 90A or section 91, against the income-tax payable under this Act;"

It was submitted that the Board has power to prescribe procedure to granting FTC. However, the Board does not have power to prescribe a condition or provide for disallowance of FTC. The procedure prescribed in Page | 5 rule 128 should therefore be interpreted in this context. Rule 128 is therefore a procedural provision and not a mandatory provision_ 10. It was further submitted that rule 128(9) provides that Form 67 should be filed on or before the due date of filing the return of income as prescribed u/s 139(1) of the Act. However, the rule nowhere provides that if the said Form 67 is not filed within the above stated time frame, the relief as sought by the assessee u/s 90 of the Act would be denied. The learned counsel for the Assessee submitted that in case the intention was to deny the FTC, either the Act or the Rules would have specifically provided that the FTC would be disallowed if the assessee does not file Form 67 within the due date prescribed under section 139(1) of the Act. It was submitted that that there are many sections in the Act which specifically deny deduction or exemption or relief in case the return is not filed within prescribed time. Reference was made to section 80AC, 80-IA(7), 10A(5) and 10B(5). Such language is not used in rule 128(9). Therefore, such condition cannot be read into rule 128(9).

It was further submitted that Filing of Form 67 is a procedural/directory requirement and is not a mandatory requirement. It was submitted that violation of procedural norm does not extinguish the substantive right of claiming the credit of FTC. Reliance was placed on the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, in the case of Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd. v. Dy. Commissioner AIR 1952 SC 152 wherein it observed that : "The mere fact that it is statutory does not matter one way or the other. There are conditions and conditions. Some may be substantive, mandatory and based on considerations of policy and some others may merely belong to the area of procedure. It will be erroneous to attach equal importance to the non-observance of all conditions irrespective of the purposes they were intended to serve." Further reliance was placed on the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, in the case of Sambhaji v. Gangabai [2008] 17 SCC 117, wherein it has been held that procedure cannot be a tyrant but only a servant. It is not an obstruction in the implementation of the provisions of the Act, but an aid. The procedures are handmaid and not the mistress. It is a lubricant and not a resistance. A procedural law should not ordinarily be construed as mandatory; the procedural law is always subservient to and is in aid to justice. It was submitted that filing of Form 67 as per the provisions of section 90 read with rule 128(9) is a procedural law and should not control the claim of FTC.

It was further submitted that even in the context of 80IA(7), 10A(5) etc, wherein there is specific provision for disallowance of deduction/exemption if audit report is not filed along with the return, various High Courts have taken a view that filing of audit report is directory and not mandatory. Reliance in this regard was placed on the following cases :

The learned DR reiterated the stand of the revenue that rule 128(9) of the Rules, is mandatory and hence the revenue authorities were justified in refusing to give FTC. He also submitted that the issue was debatable and cannot be subject matter of decision in sec.154 proceedings which are restricted in scope to mistakes apparent on the face of the record.

In his rejoinder, the learned counsel for the Assessee submitted that Form No. 67 was available before the AO when the intimation u/s.143(1) of the Act dated 28-5-2020 was passed. He pointed out that the AO or the CIT(A) did not dismiss the Assessee application for rectification u/s.154 of the Act on the ground that the issue was debatable but rather the decision was given that the relevant rule was mandatory and hence non furnishing of Form No. 67 before the due date u/s.139(1) of the Act was fatal to the claim for FTC.

I have given a careful consideration to the rival submissions. I agree with the contentions put forth by the learned counsel for the Assessee and hold that (i) rule 128(9) of the Rules does not provide for disallowance of FTC in case of delay in filing Form No. 67; (ii) filing of Form No. 67 is not mandatory but a directory requirement and (iii) DTAA overrides the provisions of the Act and the Rules cannot be contrary to the Act. I am of the view that the issue was not debatable and there was only one view possible on the issue which is the view set out above. I am also of the view that the issue in the proceedings u/s.154 of the Act, even if it involves long drawn process of reasoning, the answer to the question can be only one and in such circumstances, proceedings u/s.154 of the Act, can be resorted to. Even otherwise the ground on which the revenue authorities rejected the Assessee's application u/s.154 of the Act was not on the ground that the issue was debatable but on merits. I therefore do not agree with the submission of the learned DR in this regard.

In the result, the appeal is allowed.

Respectively following the same, we direct the Learned AO to grant foreign tax credit of Rs 5,72,956/- to the assessee and recompute the tax liability accordingly. Since the ground raised by the assessee on merits is decided in favor of the assessee, the other grounds raised by the assessee need not be adjudicated and they are left open.

In the result, the appeal of the assessee is allowed.