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Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, MUMBAI BENCHES “SMC”, MUMBAI
Before: Shri Joginder Singh,
सुनवाई क" तार"ख / Date of Hearing 09/08/2016 09/08/2016 आदेश क" तार"ख /Date of Order: आदेश / O R D E R These three appeals are by the different assessee, aggrieved by the impugned orders all dated 14/11/2014 of the Ld. First Appellate Authority, Mumbai.
The only issue involved in the present appeals is with respect to confirming the addition made u/s 14A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter the Act) read with Rule 8D(2)(iii) of the Rules and consequent addition made in the respective appeal.
2.1. During hearing, the ld. counsel for the assessee, Shri Reepal G. Tralashwala, took me to various pages of the paper book, while explaining, the claim of the assessee. It was explained that the assessee (Assessment year 2009-10) made suo-moto disallowance of Rs.1,05,271/- and further Rs.6,47,197/- u/s 14A of the Act (page-2 of the paper book). My attention was invited to the computation of total income and the finding contained in para 4.3.3 of the Ld. Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeal). It was explained that the Assessing Officer has taken the total investment while making the disallowance, whereas, the assessee has made much more disallowance Rakesh S. Reniwal & Ors. than which was needed. The ld. DR, Shri S. K. Mishra, though defended the addition but did not controvert the factual matrix available on record.
2.2. I have considered the rival submissions and perused the material available on record. The facts, in brief, in the case of Mr. Sanjeev S. Reniwal, (Assessment year 2009-10) are that the assessee an individual, deriving income from letting out of house property and also income from business and profession/capital gain. The business income is in the nature of interest income on loans, declared income of Rs.35,57,665/- in e-return filed on 28/08/2009. It is noted that while calculating disallowance u/s 14A, the assessee worked out the average value of investment of those shares on which dividend was earned. The investment held by the assessee are quoted/unquoted investment and also other investment. The other investment mainly includes LIC premium, Gold jewellery, etc. During the year, the assessee received dividend only from quoted investment and the unquoted investment was held mainly in group companies with an intention of controlling interest. It is noted that the assessee duly furnished the details before the Assessing Officer as well as before the Ld. Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeal). The ld. Assessing Officer completed the assessment by recalculating the disallowance and made further addition/disallowance (over and above disallowance suo-moto made by the Rakesh S. Reniwal & Ors. assessee amounting to Rs.1,89,064/-) of Rs.9,50,556/- u/s 14A of the Act r.w.r. 8D(2)(iii) of the Rules. I find that the assessee has already made voluntary disallowance of Rs.6,47,197/- and suo-moto disallowed administrative expenses of Rs.1,05,271/-. Out of the total expenses claimed in Profit & Loss Account of Rs.2,25,510/- (page- 10 of the balance sheet) thus there remains no further scope of further disallowance u/s 14A of the Act r.w.r. 8D(2)(iii) of the Rules. Further it is noted that in para 3.3.3 of the impugned order, the Ld. Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeal) has noted that the assessee was having own interest free funds, which were sufficient to meet the investment. From perusal of the balance sheet, it is observed that the assessee was having own funds of Rs.9.74 crores besides borrowed funds of Rs.1.54 lakhs, whereas, the investment is Rs.2.42 crores, meaning thereby, interest free funds available with the assessee were 9.74 crores, which are sufficient to cover the investment of 2.42 crores in shares yielding tax free income and hence no part of the interest can be said to be attributable to the earning of exempt income over and above but has already been disallowed by the assessee in computation of income. Thus, there is a merit in the appeal of the assessee, therefore, considering the totality of uncontroverted facts, no further disallowance was required to be made. This appeal of the assessee is, therefore, allowed. Rakesh S. Reniwal & Ors.
So far as, the appeal in and (Rakesh S. Reniwal) is concerned, the ld. counsel claimed that facts are identical to the above appeal. This factual matrix was not controverted by the ld. DR. 3.1. I have considered the rival submissions and perused the material available on record. In the case of Mr. Rakesh S. Reniwal, the total income of Rs.31,18,710/- was declared in his return on 28/08/2009. The assessee is also deriving income from renting of house property, business and profession and capital gains. The business income is in the nature of interest income on loans granted and from commission and brokerage. The assessee is having sufficient own funds out of which the investment was made. The assessee made disallowance of Rs.1,56,937/- u/s 14A of the Act which is as expenditure under the head share de-mat charges and STT was disallowed as usual. However, the ld. Assessing Officer completed the assessment disallowing Rs.10,97,190/- u/s 14A of the Act read with rule 8D. I find that the disallowance was mechanically made because as per the provisions of section 14A, the Assessing Officer is expected to re-compute the amount of disallowance u/s 14A of the Act only in a situation where he is not satisfied with the correctness of the accounts/claim of the assessee. My view find support from the decision in CIT Rakesh S. Reniwal & Ors. vs Hero Cycles Ltd. 323 ITR 158 (P & H), Reliance Utilities and Power Ltd. 313 ITR 340 (Bom.), DCIT vs Jindal Photo Ltd. (Del. Trib.) and Shiva Industries & Holdings Ltd. vs ACIT (2011) 59 DTR 182. The Hon'ble jurisdictional High Court in Reliance Utilities & Power Ltd. categorically held that if interest free funds are available with the assessee, which are sufficient to meet the investment and at the same time assessee raised a loan, it can be presumed that the investment was made from the available interest free funds. Since, the assessee was having sufficient funds for making the investment and had made reasonable suo- moto disallowance, considering the totality of facts, in my view, no further disallowance was required to be made. Identical is the situation in the case of Rajeev S. Reniwal. The ld. Assessing Officer is directed to restrict the disallowance which has already been made by the assessee, therefore, both these appeals are allowed.
Finally, all these three appeals of the respective assessee is allowed.