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Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, ‘C’ BENCH, CHENNAI
Before: SHRI CHANDRA POOJARI & SHRI DUVVURU R.L. REDDY
आदेश / O R D E R
PER CHANDRA POOJARI, ACCOUNTANT MEMBER
These two appeals by Revenue are directed against the different orders of the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals)-VIII & V, Chennai for the above assessment years.
I.T.A.Nos.620/Mds/13 :- 2 -: and 360/Mds/2015
The only issue in these two appeals is with regard to allowability
of deduction u/s.80IA(4) of the Act. Since the issue in these appeals
are common in nature, these appeals are clubbed, heard together, and
disposed of by this common order for the sake of convenience.
The facts narrated in the case of ITA No.620/Mds/2013 for the
assessment year 2009-10 is considered for adjudication.
The brief facts of the case are that the return of income for the
assessment year 2009-10 was filed on a total income of �28,83,467/-.
The case was selected through CASS for scrutiny. Notices u/s.143(2)
and 142(1) were issued to the assessee. The Assessing Officer
completed the assessment u/s.143(3) on 27.12.2011 after making the
disallowance of section 80-IA which was claimed as exemption of
�18,45,450/- to the returned income. Aggrieved, the assessee
preferred an appeal before the Commissioner of Income Tax
(Appeals).
The Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) observed that the
assessee is not a works contractor and a developer as stipulated
u/s.80IA(4) of the Act. The section 80-IA(4) applies to any enterprise,
which carries on the business of (i) developing or (ii) operating and
maintaining or (iii) developing, operating and maintaining any
I.T.A.Nos.620/Mds/13 :- 3 -: and 360/Mds/2015
infrastructure facilities, which fulfill all the above conditions. From the
assessment year 2000-01, deduction is available if the assessee is
carrying out the business of anyone of the above mentioned three
types of activities. When an assessee is only developing an
infrastructure facility project and is not maintaining nor operating it,
such an assessee will be paid for the cost incurred by it. If the
infrastructural facility, after its development is transferred to the
Government, the cost would be paid by the Government. Merely
because the transferee had paid for the development of infrastructure
facility carried out by the assessee, it cannot be said that the assessee
did not develop the infrastructure facility. If the interpretation done by
the Assessing Officer is accepted, no enterprise carrying on the
business of only developing the infrastructure facility would be entitled
to deduction u/s. 80 IA(4), which is not the intention of the Law. An
enterprise who develop the infrastructure facility is not paid by the
Government, the entire cost of development would be a loss in the
hands of the developer as he is not operating the infrastructure
facility. The legislature has provided that the income of the developer
of the infrastructure project would be eligible for deduction, it
presupposes that there can be become to developer i.e. to a person
who is carrying on the activity of only development infrastructure
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facility. A developer would have income only if he is paid for the
development of infrastructure facility, that he is having the riqht
/authorization to operate the infrastructure facility and to collect toll
there from, has no other sources of recoupment of his cost of
development. After taking a contract from the Government, if the
assessee develops infrastructure facilities, the assessee would be
regarded as 'developer' and not as a 'works contractor'. The assessee
firm has carried on entire construction/development of the
infrastructure facilities and satisfy all the conditions of sections 80
IA(4)(i)(a) of the act. It is fact that the assessee has taken
development of infrastructure facility agreement from the State
Government/Local Authority. A contractor who develops the
infrastructure facility becomes a developer to claim exemption u/s
80IA(4). The Bombay Bench of the Tribunal while deciding the case of
Patel Engineering Limited Vs. DCIT 94 ITD 411 (Mumbai) held that a
civil contractor, having executed a part of contracts of irrigation and
water supply on "build and transfer’’ basis and handed over them over
to contractee Governments was eligible for deduction u/s.80IA(4).
Similarly, Tribunal Chennai Bench has taken a similar view in ITA
No.554/Mds/ 2010 in the case of East Cost Constructions & Industries
Limited vs. DCIT vide order dated 13.09.2011. The deduction u/s 80 lA
I.T.A.Nos.620/Mds/13 :- 5 -: and 360/Mds/2015
(4) is available to an enterprise which develops or operates and
maintains, or develops maintains and operates that infrastructure
facility after 01.04.1995. A 'developer' is a specific kind of works
contractor to be eligible for deduction u/s.80IA (4) who fulfills all the
conditions viz., if the assessee develops the infrastructure facility if it
operates the infrastructure facility and if it maintains the infrastructure
facility, the deduction is available to an enterprise who develops or
operates and also maintains, or develops, maintains and operates that
infrastructure facility. The handing over of the infrastructure
facility/project by the developer to the Government or Authority takes
place after recoupment of the developer's cost whether it be 'BT' or
'BOT' or 'BOOT', because in 'BOT' and 'BOOT' this recoupment is by
way of collection of toll therefrom whereas in 'BT' it is by way of
periodical payment by the Government/Authority. The land involved in
infrastructure facility/ project always belongs to the Government/Local
Authority etc., whether it be the case of 'BOT' or 'BOOT' and it IS
handed over by the Government/Authority to the developer for
development of infrastructure facility/project. The same has been the
position in the instant case as well. So deduction u/s 80 IA(4) is
available to the assessee who has undertaken work of a mere
developer.
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4.1 In this regard, the decision of ACIT Vs. Bharat Udyag Limited
118 ITD 336 and Patel Engineering Ltd., Vs.DCIT 84 TTJ 646 are
relevant. As per CBDT Circular No.4/2010(F.No.178/14/210 ITA-I)
dated 18.05.2010, widening of existing roads constitutes creation of
new infrastructure facility for the purpose of section 80 IA(4)(i). The
assessee is not required to develop the entire road in order to qualify
for deduction u/s 8OlA as has been held by the Hon'ble Bombay High
Court in the case of CIT Vs. ABG Heavy Industries Limited 332 ITR
The newly inserted Explanation 2 to Section 80 lA vide Finance
Act 2007, not apply to a work contract entered into by the overnment
and the Enterprise. It applies to a work contract entered into between
the enterprise and other party 'the Sub Contractor'. The amendment
aims at denying deduction to the sub contractor who executes a work
contract with the enterprise as held by the ITAT Jaipur 'A' Bench in the
case of OM Metal Infraprojects Ltd. Vs. CIT-I, Jaipur ITA No.722 &
723/JP/2008 dated 31.12.2008. The reliance by the Commissioner of
Income Tax (Appeals) on the decision of ITAT, Chennai Bench in the
case of ACIT vs. Indwell Lianings Pvt. Ltd. 313 ITR (AT) 118, has been
enlarged its findings by the ITAT Mumbai ‘F’ Bench in its decision
rendered in the case of ACIT vs. Bharath Udyag Ltd. by holding that
such a deduction is only to be denied to a sub contractor and not to a
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main contractor. Similar view has been taken by the Chennai Bench of
the Tribunal in the case of ACIT Vs. Smt.C.Rajini in which the
difference between works contractor and a developer has been
examined in detail. The main thrust of the decision is that a developer
need not be the owner of the land on which development is made. The
incentive provisions allowed to the assessee, the construction should
be liberally given as held by the Supreme Court rendered in the case
of Bajaj Tempo Ltd. Vs. CIT 196 ITR 198. Thus, when the assessee
makes investment and himself executes development work and carries
out civil work, he is eligible for tax benefit u/s. 80-IA of the Act.
Therefore, the assessee is entitled to deduction u/s. 80 IA(4) of the
Act and the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) directed the
Assessing Officer to delete the addition made at �18,45,450/-
disallowed u/s 80 IA(4). The ld. Authorised Representative for
assessee submitted that the Assessing Officer while computing income
of the assessee has wrongly disallowed the deduction u/s 80lA. The
AO has proceeded to the compute the income from the total income
admitted by the assessee before claiming the deduction u/s 80lA and
again disallowed the deduction u/s 80lA and thus the addition has
been made twice in the order resulting in excess disallowance to the
extent of �18,45,450/-. The Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals)
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directed the Assessing Officer to verify the computation of income of
the assessee and if the contention of ld. Authorised Representative for
assessee found to be correct, the Assessing Officer may re-compute
the taxable income and delete the excess addition made in the
computation of income. Thus, the Commissioner of Income Tax
(Appeals) allowed the claim of the assessee. Against this, the
Revenue is in appeal before us.
The main contention of the Departmental Representative is that
the assessee is a contractor and not developer and the assessee does
not develop any infrastructure facility by investing own funds. Rather
it executed the work contracts awarded by the clients involved in
construction of infrastructure related projects. Merely by executing the
contracts relating to infrastructure projects assessee cannot be treated
as ‘’developer’’ of infrastructure.
6.1 Further according to the ld. Departmental Representative the
provisions of 80IA(4) applies to any enterprise which is ‘’owned by a
company registered in India or by a consortium or a corporation or any
other body established or constituted under any Central or State Act’’.
In this case, the assessee is an individual having proprietary concern
engaged in the business of civil contract work in the relevant financial
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year and hence it is also hit by the above condition laid down in
Sec.80IA (4)(i)(a) of the Act.
On the other hand, the ld. Authorised Representative for
assessee submitted that the main issue involved in the appeals before
this Tribunal is allowability of deduction under section 80IA(4)(i) of the
Act. This issue is common for all the assessment years under appeal.
He dealt with the introduction and changes made by the legislature to
Section 80IA(4) of the Act till date. The said section is meant for
allowing deduction in respect of profits and gains from industrial
undertakings or enterprises engaged in infrastructure development.
The assessee claimed deduction as it is engaged in development of
infrastructure and as it satisfied all the conditions mentioned therein.
The provisions of Section 80IA(4)(i) as introduced by the by the
Finance Act, 1999 and as amended from time to time are applicable to
the assessee.
7.1 He submitted that from a reading of the section, it is clear that
the deduction is allowable to:
(a) any company incorporated;
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(b) which entered into agreement with Government; or any government body; and undertakes development of infrastructure facility.
The purpose for which the said section was amended with effect from
the assessment year 2000-01, can be traced to a brochure issued by
the Government of India, Ministry of Roads, Transport and High Ways
in August, 2001. He has taken support from the aforesaid brochure. In
the said brochure, the Government of India extracted some of the
decisions taken by it to bring in the development of infrastructure
facility in the country. He pointed out that the Government provided
the benefits to the Indian entrepreneurs by providing contract
packages to the private enterprises. While providing benefits, the
government specifically specified certain grants only to BOT Schemes.
For the other schemes all the other benefits are made available. The
classification provided in the brochure clearly indicates that the
schemes of packages are meant for all the enterprises whether
engaged in the development of infrastructure or under BOT. Hence, it
clearly indicates that the Government of India with a view to develop
the infrastructure facility provided various incentives to the Indian
concerns for development of such infrastructure facility. With a view to
provide the exemptions to the entrepreneurs carrying on such activity,
the legislature introduced the amendment to Section 80IA(4) in the
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Finance Bill 1999 to be effective for and from the assessment years
2000-01 and onwards to fulfil the objective of the Prime Minister. The
provisions of Sec. 80IA(4) are made applicable to "any enterprise
carrying on the business of (i) developing, (ii) maintaining and
operating or (iii) developing, maintaining and operating or
development, maintenance and operating any infrastructure
facility………". Because of the amendment, the enterprises which are
engaged in any of the three activities became eligible for deduction
compared to the earlier provision, which was made applicable only to
such enterprises engaged in all the three activities cumulatively. The
provisions of sub section (4A) which were earlier applicable to the
entrepreneurs engaged in developing, maintaining and operating was
deleted with effect from 01-04-2000, but is incorporated in section
80IA(4) of the Act. It is clear that the enterprises which were
developing, operating and maintaining and developing, operating and
maintaining were only eligible for such deduction up to the assessment
year 1999-2000 by virtue of the provisions of Section 80IA(4A). With
the introduction of the new Section 80IA(4) amending the sub section
(4) of Section 80IA and deleting the sub section (4A), the legislature
provided deduction for any enterprise carrying on the business either
developing or operating and maintaining or development, operating
I.T.A.Nos.620/Mds/13 :- 12 -: and 360/Mds/2015
and maintaining instead allowing deduction only to the enterprises
engaged in activity covering all the three activities together.
7.2 According to ld. Authorised Representative for assessee the
provision extended to an enterprise carrying on any one of the three
activities. It makes the matters more clear that the sub section (4) is
amended again by the Finance Act, 2001 with effect from 01-04-
2002.The legislature specifically added the conjunction 'OR' between
the words (developing), (operating and maintaining) (developing,
operating and maintaining). It makes it clear that the provision would
apply to any enterprise carrying on the business of developing or
carrying on the business of operating and maintaining or carrying on
the business of development, operating and maintaining the
infrastructure facility. Therefore, there is no requirement that all the
three activities should have been carried on by a single enterprise so
as to enable it to claim deduction under section 80IA(4) of the Act.
This view is also supported by the decision of the Bombay High Court
in the case of CIT v. ABG Heavy Industries Ltd. [2010] 322 ITR 323/
189 taxman 54 . It mentioned clearly that the three conditions
development, operation and maintenance were not intended to be
cumulative in nature. Therefore, any assessee who has undertaken
any one of the activity is eligible for deduction under section 80IA(4) of
I.T.A.Nos.620/Mds/13 :- 13 -: and 360/Mds/2015
the Act. The Mumbai Bench of the ITAT in the case of Asstt. CIT v.
Bharat Udyog Ltd. [2009] 118 ITD 336/[2008] 24 SOT 412(Mum.) also
held that after the amendment of Section 80IA(4) it is applicable to
enterprises who are engaged in developing infrastructural facility.
Earlier, the Mumbai Bench in the case of Patel Engg. Ltd., v. Dy. CIT
[2005] 94 ITD 411 also observed that the civil contractors who are
developing the infrastructure facility is eligible for deduction under
section 80IA(4) of the Act. It is mentioned that the statutory provisions
as contained in 80IA(4) provides for development of infrastructure
facility. Therefore, it is clear that to be eligible for deduction under
section 80IA(4), an enterprise need not necessarily be engaged in all
the three activities of developing, maintaining and operating the
infrastructure. It is enough if it is carrying on the business of either
developing or maintaining and operating or developing, maintaining
and operating the infrastructure facility.
7.3. It was submitted by counsel for assessee that, as per the
agreement, the possession of the site is handed over to the assessee
by the Government. The assessee takes possession and access to the
property and thereafter it shall be the responsibility of the assessee to
develop the said area into more useful infrastructure facility. In the
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process, every act required (whether mentioned in the agreement or
not) in converting the area into more useful one shall be that of the
assessee. The assessee has to undertake the responsibility of
maintenance of the existing traffic and there should not be
inconvenience to the regular traffic. The developed area after
completion of the development of infrastructure is handed over to the
Government. After handing over, the assessee shall maintain the
infrastructure for a period of 48 months and any defects are to be
rectified and it is clear that the assessee is converting the area
entrusted to it into more useful and more profitable area and handing
over the developed one to the Government. Therefore, the activity of
the assessee is "to develop" an existing two lane road into four lane
road thereby making the road more useful and profitable. The ld.
Authorised Representative for assessee further submitted that as per
the explanation introduced by the Finance Act, 2007, any assessee
who entered into a contract with the enterprise mentioned in Sub-
Section (4) would not be eligible for deduction. It clearly indicates that
any sub-contractor who undertakes a part of the work from the
undertaking which was allotted the work would not be eligible for such
deduction. The said explanation has no application to the assessee.
The assessee did not claim such deduction or any income pertaining to
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a sub contract work undertaken from the enterprises referred to in
Section 80IA(4). Therefore, the explanation introduced by the Finance
Act, 2007 shall not affect the claim made by the assessee. The
explanation introduced by the Finance Act, 2009 added that those
enterprises undertaking simple works contracts by entering into
agreements with the enterprises or with the government or
government organizations. As per this explanation, any enterprises
which enter into a mere works contract either with any other
enterprise or Government or Government corporation shall not be
eligible for the deduction. It is made clear that any enterprise, which
entered into development of infrastructure, would be eligible for
deduction and not those enterprises, which enter into contract for
executing works contracts. The assessee herein entered into
agreement for development of infrastructure facility and not for a mere
works contract. It is submitted that this explanation has to be read in
the context of the application of the main provisions of Section 80IA(4)
of the Act. From a reading of Section 80IA(4)(i) of the Act, it is clear
that the deduction is available for any company which enters into
agreement with any government or government body. It is clear that
the deduction is available not for any person but for those companies
entering into agreement with the government or other Government
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bodies/corporations. It is also made clear that the deduction is
available for the corporate bodies entering into agreement with the
government organizations. Therefore, the main provision makes it
clear that the deduction is available to companies entering into
agreement with government bodies or Government. Therefore, it is not
correct to read the explanation to mean that the government body is
eligible for deduction under section 80IA of the Act and the company
entering into agreement with such government body is not eligible for
deduction.
7.4 In so far as the meaning of the word "works contract" is
concerned, the ld. AR placed reliance on the judgement of Bombay
High Court in the case of CIT v. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., [2010]
324 ITR 199/ 191 Taxman 455(Bom.) wherein held that in a works
contract, the contractee would provide the material and all other
requirements in the process of manufacture/production. The contractor
merely carries on the work with the material supplied by the
contractee and the knowledge supplied by the contractee. Further, in a
works contract, the risk is undertaken by the contractee and in case of
development contract, the contractor undertakes the risks involved. In
the case of the assessee, it was allotted a premises and the possession
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of the premises was handed over to the assessee. It was asked by the
government to develop the said area into an infrastructure facility. All
the activities necessary in the process of development and the losses
suffered in the process, the material to be used including the expertise
shall be of the assessee. The maintenance of the existing facility
during the period of development also shall be of the assessee.
Therefore, the assessee is a developer and not a works contractor. He
relied on the Circular No. 4 of 2010 dated 18-05-2010, which is after
introduction of the explanation by the Finance Act, 2009, for the
proposition that widening of existing road is an infrastructure facility
and any enterprise carrying on the activity of widening of an existing
road would be eligible for deduction under section 80IA(4) of the Act.
7.5 The ld. Authorised Representative for assessee submitted that
as per Circular No.4/2010, dated 18.5.2010 wherein the Central Board
of Direct Taxes has clarified that widening of existing roads constitutes
creation of new infrastructure facility for the purposes of section
80IA(4)(i) of the Act.
7.6 The ld. Authorised Representative for assessee also relied on the
following decisions.
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(i) CTI vs. Radhe Developers, 341 ITR 403 (Guj)
(ii) Patel Engineering Ltd. vs. DCIT, 84 TTJ 646 (Mum)
(iii) ACIT vs. Bharat Udyog Ltd, 123 TTJ 689 (Mum)
(iv) CIT vs ABG Heavy Industries Ltd, 322 ITR 323(Bom)
(v) The order of the Tribunal in the case of Ramky Infrastructure Ltd vs. DCIT in ITA No.472/Hyd/09 dated 17.07.2013
We have considered the elaborate submissions made by
both the parties and also perused the materials available on record.
We have also gone through all the case laws cited by both the parties.
We find that the provisions of Section 80IA(4) of the Act when
introduced afresh by the Finance Act, 1999, the provisions under
section 80IA(4A) of the Act were deleted from the Act. The deduction
available for any enterprise earlier under section 80IA(4A) are also
made available under Section 80IA(4) itself. Further, the very fact that
the legislature mentioned the words (i) "developing" or (ii) "operating
and maintaining" or (iii) "developing, operating and maintaining"
clearly indicates that any enterprise which carried on any of these
three activities would become eligible for deduction. Therefore, there is
no ambiguity in the Income-Tax Act. We find that where an assessee
incurs expenditure on its own for purchase of materials and towards
labour charges and itself executes the development work i.e., carries
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out the civil construction work, it will be eligible for tax benefit under
section 80 IA of the Act. In contrast to this, a assessee, who enters
into a contract with another person including Government or an
undertaking or enterprise referred to in Section 80 IA of the Act, for
executing works contract, will not be eligible for the tax benefit under
section 80 IA of the Act. At this stage, we deem it appropriate to
reproduce hereunder section 80IA of the “Act” providing deduction in
respect of profits and gains from industrial undertaking or enterprises
engaged in infrastructure development which reads as follows:-
80IA. (1)Where the gross total income of an assessee includes any profits and gains derived by an undertaking or an enterprise from any business referred to in sub-section (4) (such business being hereinafter referred to as the eligible business), there shall, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of this section, be allowed, in computing the total income of the assessee, a deduction of an amount equal to hundred per cent of the profits and gains derived from such business for ten consecutive assessment years. (2) ………………….. (2A) ………………… (3) ………………….. (4) This section applies to— (i) any enterprise carrying on the business of (i) developing or (ii) operating and maintaining or (iii) developing, operating and maintaining any infrastructure facility which fulfils all the following conditions, namely:— (a) it is owned by a company registered in India or by a consortium of such companies or by an authority or a board or a corporation or any other body established or constituted under any Central or State Act; (b) it has entered into an agreement with the Central Government or a State Government or a local authority or any other statutory body for (i) developing or (ii) operating and maintaining
I.T.A.Nos.620/Mds/13 :- 20 -: and 360/Mds/2015
or (iii) developing, operating and maintaining a new infrastructure facility; (c) it has started or starts operating and maintaining the infrastructure facility on or after the 1st day of April, 1995: Provided that where an infrastructure facility is transferred on or after the 1st day of April, 1999 by an enterprise which developed such infrastructure facility (hereafter referred to in this section as the transferor enterprise) to another enterprise (hereafter in this section referred to as the transferee enterprise) for the purpose of operating and maintaining the infrastructure facility on its behalf in accordance with the agreement with the Central Government, State Government, local authority or statutory body, the provisions of this section shall apply to the transferee enterprise as if it were the enterprise to which this clause applies and the deduction from profits and gains would be available to such transferee enterprise for the unexpired period during which the transferor enterprise would have been entitled to the deduction, if the transfer had not taken place. Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, “infrastructure facility” means— (a) a road including toll road, a bridge or a rail system; (b) a highway project including housing or other activities being an integral part of the highway project; (c) a water supply project, water treatment system, irrigation project, sanitation and sewerage system or solid waste management system; (d) a port, airport, inland waterway, inland port or navigational channel in the sea; (5) ……………… (13) ……………. *Explanation. - For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that nothing contained in this section shall apply in relation to a business referred to in sub-section (4) which is in the nature of a works contract awarded by any person (including the Central or State Government) and executed by the undertaking or enterprise referred to in sub-section (1). *It introduced by Finance (No.2) Act, 2009 w..e.f. 1.4.2000
A perusal of the statutory provisions makes it clear that it does
not provide a blanket deduction i.e. in order to succeed in a claim of
deduction; the concerned assessee has to derive profits and gains
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from any business referred to in sub-section 4. Further, sub-section 4
prescribes applicability of clause i.e. the case in which the deduction
provision would apply. It is in this sub-section that the legislature has
enumerated the nature of the undertakings, their activities in
contributing raising of infrastructure. Further, in the explanation
attached to the sub-section, the legislature has also entrusted the
meaning of the infrastructure facilities. In our opinion, an assessee
while claiming deduction has to satisfy all conditions in sub-section
4(1)(a) or (b) or (c). It is mandatory for the assessee to first satisfy
sub-section clause i(a), then (b) then (c), then proviso and so on. In
case the concerned assessee fails in any one of the clauses, even if it
satisfies the other part of the sub-section, the claim has to be rejected.
Now we proceed to decide as to whether the assessee proprietorship
concern satisfies sub-section 4(i) of the “Act” or not. For the said sub-
section, a reading of the provision makes it unambiguous that the
concerned claimant has to be an enterprises carrying on the business
of developing or operating and maintaining or developing, operating
and maintaining any infrastructure facility and it has to be owned by a
consortium of such company or by an authority or a board or a
corporation or any other body established or constituted under any
Central or State Act. Admittedly, the assessee is a proprietorship. As
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we notice from the relevant statutory provision, the enterprise in the
nature of proprietorship nowhere finds mention in the mandate of the
legislature. Although it was emphasized from the definition of the word
‘body’ in the Law Lexicon which reads as follows:
“Statutory definition, includes partnership, Financial Services and Markets Act, 2000 (c.8), S. 367(2) (Stroud, 6th Edn., 2000, Supplement, 2003). It also includes group of bodies, partnership of enterprise card on by one or more persons or bodies and a body which is substantially the same at or successor, to, another body, Government Resources and Accounts Act, 2000 (c.20), S. 17(7) (Stroud, 6th Edn., 2000, Supplement, 2003). The main-central or principal part [Art. 110 (2), Const.]; physical or material frame of a man or animal; gang of thieves etc.”
8.1 In our opinion, the said definition being a general preposition
does not help the assessee’s case. It is a trite preposition of law while
interpreting a statute and more so a fiscal statue, neither the judicial
forum concerned can insert its own words nor it can take away any
from the statute. As it is seen, the earlier portion of the statutory
provision prescribes a company registered in India or a consortium of
such companies or by an authority or corporation or any other body
established or constituted and so on. In our view, the latter part is
liable to be read in the light of the earlier part by following the
principles of ejusdem generis.
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8.2 Further, it was noticed that in the case of M/s. Ramky
Infrastructure Ltd vs. DCIT, in ITA No.472/Hyd/2009 & others the
Hyderabad bench of the Tribunal vide order dated 17.07.2013
observed in his order in para 14 following the earlier order of the
Tribunal in the case of NCC-ECCI(JV) vs. ITO in ITA Nos. 124 &
125/Hyd/2009 vide order dated 17.06.2013 inter alia that word ‘owned’
in sub-clause (a) on clause (1) of sub-section (4) of section 80IA of the
Act referred to the enterprise. In other words, the enterprises carrying
on development of the infrastructure facilities should be owned by a
company or consortium of companies. The infrastructure facilities
need not be owned by a company. It was held that the word
‘ownership’ is attributable only to the enterprise carrying on the
business which would mean that only companies are eligible for
deduction under section 80IA(4) and not any other person like new
HUF Firm etc. Hence, we hold that the assessee fails to satisfy the
applicability clause of the provision as envisaged under section
80IA(4)(i) of the “Act”.
So far as catena of the judgments submitted by the AR of the
assessee, we notice that they only pertain to section 80IA(4)(i)(b) i.e.
regarding the issue of contractor viz-a-vis developer. Hence, we do not
deem it appropriate to decide on the said issue since the assessee
does not fulfill the condition enumerated in the first part of the
I.T.A.Nos.620/Mds/13 :- 24 -: and 360/Mds/2015
statutory provision.
Consequently, in the light of our above discussions, the appeals of the Revenue in ITA No.620/Mds/2013 and ITA No.360/Mds/2015 are allowed.
Order pronounced on Friday, the 6th day of November, 2015 at Chennai.
Sd/- Sd/- (धु�वु�आर.एलरे�डी) (चं� पूजार� ) (DUVVURU R.L. REDDY) (CHANDRA POOJARI) �या�यक सद�य/ JUDICIAL MEMBER लेखा सद�य/ ACCOUNTANT MEMBER चे�नई/Chennai. �दनांक/Dated:06.11.2015. KV आदेश क� ��त�ल�प अ�े�षत/Copy to: 1. अपीलाथ�/Appellant 2.��यथ�/ Respondent 3. आयकर आयु�त (अपील)/CIT(A) 4. आयकर आयु�त/CIT 5. �वभागीय ��त�न�ध/DR 6. गाड� फाईल/GF.