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Issues:
1. Interpretation of section 212(3) of the Income-tax Act regarding the obligation to file an estimate of advance tax. 2. Validity of the estimate of advance tax filed by the assessee. 3. Applicability of penalty under section 273(a) for filing an allegedly untrue estimate of advance tax. 4. Consideration of the decision in CIT v. N. D. Georgopoules [1980] 125 ITR 630 by the Madras High Court. Analysis: The case involved a limited company assessed for the first time for the assessment year 1975-76, with the accounting period ending on May 31, 1974. The Income-tax Officer charged a penalty under section 273(a) for filing an allegedly untrue estimate of advance tax. The Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals) upheld the penalty, stating that as there was no previous year relevant to the assessment year 1974-75, the estimate of advance tax filed by the assessee could not be ignored. However, in the second appeal before the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal, it was argued that since the assessee had already been assessed for the previous year, there was no obligation to file an estimate of advance tax. The Tribunal considered the decision in CIT v. N. D. Georgopoules [1980] 125 ITR 630 and held that the estimate filed by the assessee was not valid as there was no obligation to file it. Therefore, the Tribunal concluded that no penalty under section 273(a) was exigible in this case. The Tribunal's decision was based on the interpretation of section 212(3) of the Income-tax Act, which requires an assessee hitherto assessed to be issued a notice under section 210 for payment of advance tax. As the assessee had already been assessed, there was no requirement to file an estimate of advance tax. The Tribunal also emphasized that the word "assessed" in section 212(3) refers to the computation of income or determination of tax liability, even if the assessment results in nil tax liability. Therefore, the assessee was not obligated to file the estimate of advance tax, and the penalty under section 273(a) was deemed inapplicable. The decision in CIT v. N. D. Georgopoules [1980] 125 ITR 630 by the Madras High Court was crucial in establishing that the obligation to file an estimate of advance tax does not apply when the assessee has already been assessed. The Madras High Court clarified that even if the assessment results in nil tax liability, the process of computation and determination of tax payable still constitutes an assessment. This interpretation supported the Tribunal's ruling that the estimate of advance tax filed by the assessee, in this case, was not valid, and thus, no penalty under section 273(a) should be imposed. In conclusion, the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal's decision to cancel the penalty under section 273(a) for the assessment year 1975-76 was deemed justified. The Tribunal correctly interpreted the provisions of the Income-tax Act and considered the relevant legal precedent to determine that the assessee was not obligated to file the estimate of advance tax, leading to the cancellation of the penalty.
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