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2019 (7) TMI 1547 - AT - Income Tax


Issues Involved:
1. Disallowance under Section 35D for ?5,02,818.
2. Disallowance of ?2,129 being employees’ contribution to ESI.
3. Disallowance of ?1,81,33,969 on account of depreciation on goodwill.
4. Disallowance under Section 14A read with Rule 8D to the tune of ?2,74,658.

Issue-wise Detailed Analysis:

1. Disallowance under Section 35D for ?5,02,818:
During the assessment, the Assessing Officer (AO) disallowed the preliminary expenses of ?5,02,818 claimed under Section 35D of the Income Tax Act, 1961, treating them as capital in nature and not deductible under Section 37. The assessee appealed against this disallowance, but the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) [CIT(A)] upheld the AO’s decision. The assessee then referred to a Co-ordinate Bench of the ITAT decision, which had previously ruled in favor of the assessee on a similar issue. Respecting the precedent, the Tribunal allowed the assessee’s appeal and directed the modification of the assessment order to allow the claim under Section 35D.

2. Disallowance of ?2,129 being employees’ contribution to ESI:
The assessee did not press this ground of appeal. Consequently, the Tribunal dismissed this ground.

3. Disallowance of ?1,81,33,969 on account of depreciation on goodwill:
The AO noticed that the assessee claimed depreciation on goodwill arising from the demerger of Adani Energy Ltd., effective from the appointed date of 01.01.2007, as per the Gujarat High Court’s order. The AO disallowed the depreciation claimed from Assessment Year (AY) 2010-11, asserting it should have been claimed from AY 2007-08. The CIT(A) upheld the AO’s decision. During the appellate proceedings, the assessee referred to a Co-ordinate Bench decision which had ruled in favor of the assessee on an identical issue. The Tribunal, following the Co-ordinate Bench’s decision, allowed the assessee’s appeal, recognizing that the depreciation on goodwill should be allowed from AY 2010-11, the year in which the asset was created.

4. Disallowance under Section 14A read with Rule 8D to the tune of ?2,74,658:
The AO made a disallowance under Section 14A read with Rule 8D, primarily for administrative expenses incurred to earn exempt income. The CIT(A) restricted this disallowance to ?2,74,658. The Tribunal reviewed the material on record and found the CIT(A)’s decision reasonable, acknowledging that earning a substantial volume of exempt income without incurring administrative expenses is improbable. Therefore, the Tribunal dismissed the assessee’s appeal on this issue.

Conclusion:
The Tribunal's order resulted in a partial allowance of the assessee's appeal. Specifically, the appeal was allowed concerning the disallowance under Section 35D and the depreciation on goodwill, while the disallowance of employees’ contribution to ESI and the disallowance under Section 14A read with Rule 8D were upheld. This order was pronounced in open court on 12/07/2019.

 

 

 

 

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