2002 (9) TMI 96 - HC - Income Tax

Business Income, Banking Business, Bad Debts, Sticky Loans, Business Expenditure - Whether, on the facts and circumstances of the case, the assessee was entitled to deduct net interest paid by the assessee for the broken period to persons from whom the assessee bought Dated Government Securities while computing the assessee s business income? - we find that the assessee s method of accounting does not result in loss of tax/revenue for the Department. That, there was no need to interfere with the method of accounting adopted by the assessee-bank.

Issues Involved:
1. Deduction of net interest paid by the assessee for the broken period while computing business income.
2. Correct treatment of broken period interest under the Income-tax Act.
3. Applicability of the judgment in Vijaya Bank Ltd.'s case.
4. Consistency of the assessee's method of accounting with the Income-tax Act.
5. Applicability of section 40A(5) of the Income-tax Act for disallowance of expenses.
6. Applicability of section 44C of the Income-tax Act for restriction of deduction of expenses.

Detailed Analysis:

1. Deduction of Net Interest Paid by the Assessee for the Broken Period while Computing Business Income:
The primary issue was whether the assessee could deduct the net interest paid for the broken period to persons from whom they bought Dated Government Securities while computing business income. The court examined the facts and ruled that the assessee's method of accounting, which included such deductions, was consistent and did not result in any loss of revenue for the Department. The court upheld the Tribunal's decision that the broken period interest payment was allowable as revenue expenditure under section 28 of the Income-tax Act.

2. Correct Treatment of Broken Period Interest under the Income-tax Act:
The court compared the Department's method of accounting with the assessee's method. The Department argued that the broken period interest paid was a part of the capital cost of the investment and could not be bifurcated into interest accrued up to the date of purchase and the balance of the price. The court found that the Department's approach led to an anomaly where broken period interest received was taxed, but the payment was disallowed. The court concluded that the assessee's method of accounting provided a true and proper income disclosure and did not result in loss of revenue.

3. Applicability of the Judgment in Vijaya Bank Ltd.'s Case:
The Department relied on the judgment in Vijaya Bank Ltd.'s case, arguing that the outlay on the purchase of income-bearing assets was in the nature of capital outlay and could not be set off as expenditure against income accruing from the asset. The court distinguished the present case from Vijaya Bank Ltd.'s case, noting that in the present case, the income was assessed under section 28 (business income) rather than section 18 (interest on securities). The court held that the judgment in Vijaya Bank Ltd.'s case did not apply to the facts of the present case as the Department had assessed the income from securities under section 28 right from the inception.

4. Consistency of the Assessee's Method of Accounting with the Income-tax Act:
The court noted that the assessee-bank had consistently followed a method of accounting that included the valuation of securities and the offering for taxation of appreciation in their value due to the efflux of time. The court upheld the Tribunal's finding that the assessee's method of accounting did not result in any tax loss for the Department and provided a true and proper income disclosure.

5. Applicability of Section 40A(5) of the Income-tax Act for Disallowance of Expenses:
The court addressed whether the provisions of section 40A(5) applied for disallowance of expenses incurred by the assessee in respect of club membership subscription fees paid for employees. The court, following the judgment in the case of Otis Elevator Co. (India) Ltd. v. CIT, held that section 40A(5) was not applicable for disallowance of these expenses, which were considered business expenditure and not a perquisite.

6. Applicability of Section 44C of the Income-tax Act for Restriction of Deduction of Expenses:
The court examined whether the restriction of deduction of expenses at 5 percent laid down in section 44C was applicable in respect of expenditure incurred up to June 1, 1976. Following the judgment in Mercantile Bank Ltd. v. CIT, the court held that section 44C was not applicable to expenditure incurred up to June 1, 1976.

Conclusion:
The court answered the questions referred to it under section 256(1) of the Income-tax Act, 1961, primarily in favor of the assessee. The court upheld the assessee's method of accounting, ruled that the broken period interest payment was allowable as revenue expenditure, and distinguished the present case from the judgment in Vijaya Bank Ltd.'s case. The court also held that sections 40A(5) and 44C were not applicable in the manner argued by the Department.

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