Tax Management India. Com
Law and Practice  :  Digital eBook
Research is most exciting & rewarding
  TMI - Tax Management India. Com
Follow us:
  Facebook   Twitter   Linkedin   Telegram

Home Case Index All Cases Income Tax Income Tax + AT Income Tax - 2018 (4) TMI AT This

  • Login
  • Cases Cited
  • Referred In
  • Summary

Forgot password       New User/ Regiser

⇒ Register to get Live Demo



 

2018 (4) TMI 503 - AT - Income Tax


Issues Involved:
1. Determination of Arm’s Length Price (ALP) for Management Support Services.
2. Determination of ALP for Advertisement and Marketing Promotion (AMP) Expenses.
3. Determination of ALP for Software Segment.
4. Disallowance of Lease Rentals.
5. Depreciation on Moulds.
6. Non-Grant of Deduction u/s 80G.
7. Short Credit of Tax Deducted at Source.
8. Levy of Interest u/s 234B and 234D.
9. Initiation of Penalty u/s 271(1)(c).

Issue-wise Detailed Analysis:

1. Determination of Arm’s Length Price (ALP) for Management Support Services:
The assessee, part of the Royal Philips Organisation, engaged in international transactions with its associated enterprises (AEs) and benchmarked these transactions using the Transactional Net Margin Method (TNMM). The Transfer Pricing Officer (TPO) applied the Comparable Uncontrolled Price (CUP) Method and determined the ALP for Management Support Services (MSSA) to be NIL, leading to an upward adjustment of ?300,40,09,360/-. The Dispute Resolution Panel (DRP) upheld the TPO's adjustment, stating that the services did not meet the benefit test. However, the Tribunal, following its earlier decisions in the assessee's own case for previous assessment years, held that the determination of ALP for MSSA at NIL was unwarranted and deleted the adjustment.

2. Determination of ALP for Advertisement and Marketing Promotion (AMP) Expenses:
The TPO treated the AMP expenses as an international transaction and applied the Bright Line Test (BLT) to determine an upward adjustment of ?1,55,30,056/-. The DRP upheld the TPO's view but directed the TPO to exclude government-owned entities from the comparables. The Tribunal, following its earlier decisions and the Delhi High Court's ruling in Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, held that AMP expenses could not be construed as an international transaction and deleted the adjustment.

3. Determination of ALP for Software Segment:
The TPO selected comparables and determined an upward adjustment of ?44,18,68,242/-. The DRP directed the TPO to exclude certain comparables if segmental data was unavailable. The Tribunal, after excluding E-Infochips Bangalore Ltd and Thirdware Solutions Ltd from the comparables and directing the TPO to provide working capital adjustments for the remaining comparables, remanded the matter back to the TPO for fresh adjudication.

4. Disallowance of Lease Rentals:
The AO disallowed lease rentals paid for motor cars taken on finance lease, treating them as capital expenditure. The DRP upheld the AO's view. The Tribunal, following the Supreme Court's decision in ICDS Ltd vs CIT, allowed the deduction of lease rentals.

5. Depreciation on Moulds:
The AO disallowed excess depreciation claimed at 30% on moulds, allowing only 15%. The DRP upheld the AO's decision. The Tribunal, following its earlier decision in the assessee's own case, restored the matter to the AO for fresh adjudication, allowing the assessee to produce necessary documents.

6. Non-Grant of Deduction u/s 80G:
The AO granted the deduction u/s 80G in the final order, and hence, this ground was dismissed by the Tribunal as the assessee could not be aggrieved.

7. Short Credit of Tax Deducted at Source:
The AO granted TDS credit of ?6,60,46,860/- against the claim of ?7,08,61,424/-. The Tribunal directed the AO to verify the necessary evidences and grant the eligible TDS credit.

8. Levy of Interest u/s 234B and 234D:
The Tribunal noted that the levy of interest u/s 234B and 234D is consequential in nature and does not require specific adjudication.

9. Initiation of Penalty u/s 271(1)(c):
The Tribunal stated that the initiation of penalty u/s 271(1)(c) would be decided afresh by the AO while giving effect to this order.

Conclusion:
The Tribunal partly allowed the appeal for statistical purposes, providing relief on several grounds, including the deletion of adjustments for MSSA and AMP expenses, allowing lease rentals, and directing fresh adjudication on depreciation for moulds and TDS credit.

 

 

 

 

Quick Updates:Latest Updates