Income Tax Officer vs VXL India Limited

K.A. Puj, J.—The revenue has filed this Tax Appeal u/s 260A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 proposing to formulate the following substantial

question of law for determination and consideration of this Court:

Whether, the Appellate Tribunal is right in law and on facts in restoring the matter to the Assessing Officer to decide the issue of grant of deduction

u/s 80HHC when the said claim was neither made nor certificates of the auditor was filed u/s 10CCAB of the Act along with return of income.

This Court has admitted this Tax appeal on 30-8-2000 reframing the following substantial question of law:

Whether, the Appellate Tribunal was right in making a remand of the case to the Assessing Authority for considering the claim of deduction u/s

80HHC regardless of the fact that in accordance with Sub-section (4) of the said Section, the assessee had not submitted the requisite report with

the certification of the Accountant and the said report with the certificate was produced in the course of assessment

The facts giving rise to the present Tax Appeal are that the assessee has made claim for deduction u/s 80HHC of the Income Tax Act during the

course of assessment proceedings. No such claim was made by the Assessee at the time of filing of the return of income. It was the case of the

assessee that the claim u/s 80HHC of the Act could be put up even in the assessment proceedings subsequently. The Assessing Officer held that

with the plain reading of Sub-section (4) of Section 80HHC makes it clear that no deduction under Sub-section (1) shall be admissible unless the

assessee furnished report of the Accountant as defined in sub-section along with the return of income. Keeping in view the said provisions, the

Assessing Officer has rejected the claim of the assessee.

Being aggrieved by the said order of the Assessing Officer, the assessee preferred an appeal before the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeal),

Rajkot. The learned CIT(A) has observed in its order that the assessee did not put up this claim in the original return but pressed this claim only

during the assessment proceedings subsequent on the export reserve was created in the annual accounts, subsequently in the form of a letter dated

26-12-1989 that it should be treated as revised return. He has, therefore, confirmed the order of the Assessing Officer by observing that assessing

officer has rightly pointed out that the claim will not be admissible unless the assessee files the report of an accountant along with the return of

income as provided u/s 288 Sub-section (1) & (2) along with Explanation thereto.

Being aggrieved by the said order of the CIT(A) the assessee took up the matter before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Ahmedabad and

the tribunal took the view that the assessing officer should not have rejected the claim of the assessee on merely technical ground. The Tribunal,

therefore, remitted the said issue back to the Assessing Officer directing him to consider the claim of the assessee in accordance with law.

It is in the above background of the matter, the present appeal is filed by the revenue.

Mrs. Mauna R. Bhatt learned Standing Counsel appearing for the Revenue submitted that the provisions contained in Section 80HHC are very

clear. Sub-section 4 of Section 80HHC of the Income Tax Act, 1961 clearly stipulates that the deduction under Sub-section (1) shall not be

admissible unless the assessee furnishes in the prescribed form along with the return of income, the report of an accountant, as defined in the

Explanation below Sub-section (2) of Section 288, certifying that the deduction has been correctly claimed in accordance with the provisions of

this section. She has, therefore, submitted that whether the assessee has correctly claimed deduction u/s 88HHC of the Act has to be seen at the

time of furnishing return of income. If the report of the Accountant is not filed along with the return of income certifying that the deduction was

correctly claimed, the Assessing Officer cannot process the claim u/s 80HHC of the Act. Therefore, if the assessee furnishes the report

subsequently and on that basis he claims the deduction u/s 80HHC of the Act the same cannot be allowed. She has, therefore, submitted that the

Assessing Officer and CIT(A) have taken correct view and the Tribunal should not have remanded the matter back to the Assessing Officer to

consider the claim of the assessee on merits.

As against this, learned advocate Mr. Tushar P. Hemani appearing with Mr. S.N. Soparkar learned senior counsel for the assessee has

submitted that the issue is squarely covered by the decision of this Court in the case of Commissioner of Income Tax Vs. Gujarat Oil and Allied

Industries, . He has submitted that the said decision has been followed by this Court in subsequent decision in case of Zenith Processing Mills Vs.

Commissioner of Income Tax,

Mr. Tushar Hemani has further submitted that the Calcutta High Court in the case of Commissioner of Income Tax Vs. Magnum Export (P)

Ltd., has gone one step further and held that the deduction cannot be disallowed simply because the audit report was not furnished along with the

return. The purpose of incorporation of Sub-section (4) was to enable the Assessing Officer to ascertain the claim for deduction on the basis of

authentication by the auditor that the goods or merchandise was really exported, which is otherwise admissible only on actual basis, a situation

which is difficult for the Assessing Officer to determine. While deciding the issue in favour of the assessee the Calcutta High Court has relied on the

decision of this Court in the case of Zenith Processing Mills v. Commissioner of Income Tax (supra). Mr. Hemani has further relied on the later

decision of this Court in the case of Commissioner of Income Tax v. Mayur Foundation (supra).

Mr. Hemani further relied on the later decision of this Court in the case of Commissioner of Income Tax Vs. Mayur Foundation, wherein this

Court has taken view after considering the Hon''ble Supreme Court''s decision in the case of Commissioner of Income Tax v. Nagpur Hotel

Owners'' Association, reported in (2001) 247 ITR 201 that the details have to be furnished before the completion of assessment proceedings and

any information supplied subsequent to the completion of the assessment cannot be taken into consideration. The Court, therefore, was of the view

that the question that arises is when can an assessment be said to be complete or till what point of time the assessment proceedings can be said to

be alive. Therefore, the Court took the view that jurisdiction to entertain the new ground which the assessee claimed the benefit u/s 11(2) of the

Act and adjudicate the tax liability of the assessee.

Based on the aforesaid decisions of this Court as well as the decisions of the Apex Court, Mr. Hemani has urged that the Tribunal has rightly

decided the appeal against the revenue and in favour of the assessee and directed the assessing officer to consider the claim of the assessee u/s

80HHC of the Act on its own merits.

We have heard the learned Counsels appearing for the Assessee and the Revenue at great length. We have gone through the orders passed by

the authorities below. We have also considered the relevant statutory provisions as contained in Section 80HHC of the Act and the authorities

cited before the Court. We are of the view that the issue is covered by the decision of this Court in the case of Commission of Income Tax v.

Gujarat Oil and Allied Industries (supra). The question for consideration before the Court in the said decision was SWhether, on the facts and in

the circumstances of the case, the Tribunal was right in coming to the conclusion that Section 80J(6A) merely requires that the audit report should

be so furnished so that it would be available at the time of assessment ? While answering the said question in favour of the assessee and against the

revenue, the Court took the view that the stage which is relevant for considering the merits of the claim of the party is the stage when the assessing

authority sits down to assess income for the purpose of computing Income Tax after framing appropriate assessment and it is at that stage that the

requirements of Section 80J(1) read with Sub-section (6A) thereof can be taken into consideration. It is obvious that the main purpose and object

of Section 80J(1) is to give incentive and development benefit to the new industries covered by the provisions of the Act. Consequently, while

considering it, care has to be taken to see that the relevant purpose underlying Section 80J is augmented and fortified and not frustrated by the

construction put upon the said provision. The Court, therefore, took the view, that even assuming that another view is possible on the construction

of the second part of Sub-section (6A) of Section 80J, as that view is likely to frustrate the very object and purpose of the scheme underlying

Section 80J(1) and would result in absurdity, the other view by which the beneficial provision of Section 80J(1) is made fully operative should be

preferred.

This very principle was reiterated by this Court in the case of Zenith Processing Mills v. Commissioner of Income Tax (supra), wherein it is

held that from the perusal of Sub-section (6A) of Section 80J of the Income Tax Act, 1961, for claiming deduction u/s 80J, it is apparent that

compliance in respect of two things is necessary. The first requirement is that the statement of accounts for the previous year relevant to the

assessment year for which deduction is claimed must have been audited by an accountant and the second is that the assessee must furnish along

with his return of income the report of such audit in the prescribed form duly signed and verified by such accountant. The former is the requirement

which furnishes the substantial foundation for claiming the allowance and the latter is the requirement of furnishing proof that the foundation for

claiming such deduction has been laid. While compliance with the former before the deduction is claimed is mandatory, so far as the manner of

submitting proof of such compliance along with the return is concerned, it is directory because such requirement falls in the realm of procedure for

furnishing evidence in support of the claim and can be furnished at the time while allowance or disallowance u/s 80J of the Act is being considered

by the concerned authority.

What has been stated in respect of the claim u/s 80J of the Income Tax Act is equally applicable to one u/s 80HHC. Simply because u/s

80HHC connotes that the report of accountant in the prescribed form should be attached along with the return of income, certifying that the

deduction has been correctly claimed in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it does not mean that if such report is not attached along

with the return of income and it is produced before the Assessing Officer during the course of assessment proceedings, the assessee is not entitled

to the deduction u/s 80HHC of the Act. To obtain the report of the Chartered Accountant is a condition precedent and it is mandatory in nature.

However, non-furnishing of such report at the time of filing the return of income but at subsequent stage and in any case, before the assessment

proceeding is completed, the assessee''s claim for deduction u/s 80HHC of the Act cannot be disallowed.

This view which we are taking is duly supported by earlier two decisions of this Court and we have found support from the decision of the

Hon''ble Apex Court in the case of Commissioner of Income Tax v. Nagpur Hotel Owners'' Association, reported in (2001) 247 ITR 201, where

the Hon''ble Apex Court has observed that it is abundantly clear from the wording of Sub-section (2) of Section 11 of the Income Tax Act, 1961,

that it is mandatory for the person claiming the benefit of Section 11 to intimate to the assessing authority the particulars required, under Rule 17 in

Form No. 10 of the Income Tax Rules, 1962. If during the assessment proceedings, the Assessing Officer does not have the necessary

information, the question of excluding such income from assessment does not arise at all. As a matter of fact, this benefit of excluding this particular

part of the income from the net of taxation arises from Section 11 and is subject to the conditions specified therein. Therefore, it is necessary that

the assessing authority to give the benefit of such exclusion. Even assuming that there is no valid limitation prescribed under the Act and the Rules, it

is unreasonable to presume that the intimation required u/s 11 has to be furnished before the assessing authority completes the concerned

assessment because such requirement is mandatory and without the particulars of this income the assessing authority cannot entertain the claim of

assessee u/s 11 of the Act.

In view of this settled legal position, we are of the view that the Tribunal was right in holding that the Assessing Officer should not have rejected

the legitimate claim of the assessee on mere technical ground i.e. non-furnishing of the Chartered Accountant''s report along with the return of

income. The Tribunal is also right in directing the Assessing Officer to consider the claim of the assessee u/s 80HHC on its own merits.

We, therefore, decide this Tax Appeal in favour of the assessee and against the revenue and answer the question posed before us in

affirmative.

This appeal is accordingly disposed off without any order as to costs.