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TMI Blog2015 (4) TMI 151X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ll as holding period, the AO concluded that assessee was engaged in trading of shares. Accordingly, both long term and short term capital gains offered by the assessee was treated as business income. 4. By the impugned order, CIT(A) allowed assessee's claim of long term capital gains and partly allowed the claim of assessee regarding short term capital gains and confirmed the balance of short term capital gains as business income, against which both assessee as well as Revenue are in appeals before us. 5. We have considered rival considered rival contentions, carefully gone through the orders of the authorities below and also deliberated on the judicial pronouncements cited at bar. From the record we found that assessee was consistently holding shares as investment. By observing that assessee has traded in shares, the AO did not accept assessee's contention regarding long term and short term capital gains, and held the same as business income. From the record we found that in theassessment year 2004-05, the AO has treated the short term capital gains as business income. In an appeal filed before the CIT(A), the matter was decided in favour of assessee and in all the subsequent ass ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... for holding as investment or for doing business therein. The treatment given by the assessee in its books of account is also one of the decisive factors to find out whether the shares were held as investment or stock in trade. If the shares are bought with the intention of earning capital gains thereon and also dividend income by keeping the same as investment, the gain arising there from is required to be treated as capital gains. On the other hand, if the shares are purchased with the intention to earn profit thereon and the same is treated as stock in trade in the books of account, the profit arising out of sale of such shares are liable to be treated as business income. Volume and frequency of transaction is also one of the guiding factors to find out whether the assessee is engaged in the business of purchase and sale of shares or making investment to have capital gains thereon. In the instant cases before us, we found that the assessee has invested in shares of Indian Companies since last 5 - 6 years, which is clear from the statement of shareholding of the assessee. Thus, the fact of the assessee investing in shares for the last several years is not in dispute. There is also ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ale of shares and levying 10 % tax on short term capital gain and earned on sale of shares. It is noted that under the old provisions of the Income-tax Act, profits or gains arising to an investor from the transfer of securities were charged to tax either as long term capital gains or short term capital gains depending on the period of holding of the said securities; Short-term capital gains arising from transfer of securities were taxed at the applicable rates (normal rate) and Long-term capital gains were taxed @ 20%, after adjusting for inflation by indexing the cost of acquisition. For listed securities, the taxpayer had an option to pay tax on long-term capital gains @ 10% but without indexation. For Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), the long-term capital gains and short-term capital gains were taxed at the rate of 10% (without indexation) and 30% respectively. In case of a trader in securities, however, the gains were taxed as any other normal business income. Thus tax liability on the income from purchase & sale of shares as regards to the STCG & business income was at par. However, the issue of treatment of income from share transaction as capital gain or business inc ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... was filed by the Department against the decision of Bombay High Court and the same was dismissed by Hon'ble Apex Court vide order dated 15.11.2010. In the speech by Hon'ble Finance Minister regarding Direct Tax Cases (Union Budget - 2004-05), especially clause 111, the intention of Government for introducing the security transaction tax and exempting the long term capital gain or from sale of share and levying 10% tax on short term capital gain or from sale of shares also supports the case of assessee. The idea behind introduction of security transaction tax is to end the litigation on the issue, whether the profit earned from delivery based sale of shares is capital gains for business profit. 11. Even the Hon'ble Apex Court in the case of K.P. Verghese vs TO, 131 ITR 597 (SC) observed as under:- „‟The task of interpretation of a statutory enactment is not mechanical task. It is more than a mere reading of mathematical formulae because few word possesses the precision of mathematical symbols. It is an attempt to discover the intent of the legislature from the language used by it and it must always be remembered that language is at best an imperfect instru ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... nd sale of shares as business income on the grounds as narrated in the assessment order as well as at pages 3 and 4 of the appellate order. Broadly, the learned AO was of the view that the intention of the assessee since beginning was sale of shares as trading activities, as evident from audited profit and loss account by not showing the same as short term capital gain and also in Form 3CD the assessee has mentioned the nature of business as trading/dealing in shares/securities and mutual funds. The frequency of transactions was also considered, consequently he treated the amount of Rs. 49,81,915/- as business income from share trading. However, before the learned Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) the basis of additions was explained as evident from para 3.1.1 onwards. The crux of claim of the assessee is that in the audited accounts, the sale of shares amounting to Rs. 9.43 crores in which delivery had been taken, STT was paid and the shares were sold after holding for a few days/few weeks. The mutual funds of Rs. 2.91 lacs were sold and were treated as income from short term capital gains. Before the learned Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) the assessee also filed a detail ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... t term capital gain was held to be business profit. Since in earlier assessment years the claim of the assessee was consistently accepted as short term capital gain, it was held that the rule of consistency as propounded by Hon'ble Bombay High Court in the case of Gopal Purohit (supra), it is fairly applicable and the income has to be treated as short term capital gain. Identically in the case of Nagindas P Seth (ITA No.961/Mum/2010) it was held that despite large number of transactions in shares, the profit can be assessed as capital gains under the facts of the case. The case of the assessee is further fortified by these decisions more specifically when the assessee was hold the shares in his books as investor, as well as tock-in-trade separately. The decision in the case of Janak S Ranawala, 11 SOT 627 (Mum.) further supports the case of the assessee. Likewise, the decision from Hon'ble Madras High Court in CIT vs N.S.S. Investment Pvt Ltd. 227 ITR 149 (Mad), CIT vs. Associated Industrial Development Company, 82 ITR 526 (SC) supports the case of the assessee. In the present appeal, we note that the assessee made investment in shares with intention to earn dividend income ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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