Income Tax Officer Ward-4(1)(1), Bangalore V. M/s J P Distilleries Pvt Ltd , Bangalore

ITA 1455/BANG/2017

• Counselvise Citation: [2018] 126 COUNSELVISE.COM (IT) 5416 (ITAT-BANGALORE)
• Duration Of Justice: 9 month(s) 1 day(s)
• Appeal Type: Income Tax Appeal
• Pronouncement Date: 23-03-2018
• Appeal Filed By: Department
• Order Result: Dismissed
• Bench Allotted: C
• Assessment Year: 2013-2014
• Appeal Filed On: 21-06-2017
• Result in Favour of: Assessee
• Court: TRIBUNAL
• Department Lawyers: DR P V PRADEEP KUMAR ACIT
• Assessee Lawyers: C RAMESH
• Keywords: Tax effect
• Section: 14A

Judgement Text

IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL C BENCH : BANGALORE BEFORE SHRI SUNIL KUMAR YADAV, JUDICIAL MEMBER AND SHRI INTURI RAMA RAO , ACCOUNTANT MEMBER ITA NO.1455/BANG/2017 ASSESSMENT YEAR : 2013-14 THE INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD - 4(1)(1), ROOM NO. 213, BMTC BUILDING, 80 FT. ROAD, 4 TH BLOCK, KORAMANGALA, BENGALURU 560 095. VS. M/S. J. P. DISTILLERIES PVT. LTD., NO.219/11, J. P. CORP, BELLARY ROAD, SADASHIVANAGAR, BENGALURU 560 080. PAN : AAACJ 3609 H APPELLANT RESPONDENT REVENUE BY : DR. P. V. PRADEEP KUMAR, ACIT ASSESSEE BY : SHRI. C. RAMESH, CA DATE OF HEARING : 13 . 03 .201 8 DATE OF PRONOUNCEMENT : 23.03.2018 O R D E R PER SUNIL KUMAR YADAV, JUDICIAL MEMBER THIS APPEAL IS PREFERRED BY THE REVENUE AGAINST THE ORDER OF CIT(APPEALS)-4, BENGALURU, FOR THE ASSESSMENT YEAR 2013-14, INTER ALIA, ON FOLLOWING GROUNDS: 1. THE ORDER OF THE LD. CIT (A), IN SO FAR AS IT IS PREJUDICIAL TO THE INTEREST OF THE REVENUE, IS OPPOSED TO LAW AND THE FACT AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE. 2. ON FACTS OF THE CASE, WHETHER THE DECISION OF THE LD CIT (A) IS CORRECT AS THE SAME CONTRAVENES THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 14A AND ALSO THE LD CIT (A) HAS NOT FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS LAID DOWN IN THE BOARD'S CIRCULAR NO 5/2014 DATED 11.02.2014 & 14 OF 2001. 3. IN VIEW OF BOARD'S CIRCULAR NO 21/2015 DATED 10.12.2015 ON MONETARY LIMIT FOR FILING APPEAL, PARA 8(B) OF THE CIRCULAR SQUARELY APPLIES TO THE FACTS OF THE ITA NO. 1455/BANG/2017 PAGE 2 OF 4 CASE. 4. FOR THESE AND OTHER GROUNDS THAT MAY BE URGED AT THE TIME OF HEARING, IT IS PRAYED THAT THE ORDER OF THE CIT(A) IN SO FAR AS IT RELATES TO THE ABOVE GROUNDS MAY BE REVERSED AND THAT OF THE ASSESSING OFFICER MAY BE RESTORED. 5. THE APPELLANT CRAVES LEAVE TO ADD, ALTER, AMEND AND / OR DELETE ANY OF THE GROUNDS THAT MAY BE URGED. 2. AT THE OUTSET, IT IS OBSERVED THAT THE TAX EFFECT INVOLVED IN THIS APPEAL IS BELOW RS.10 LAKHS. THE CBDT, WITH A VIEW TO REDUCE UNNECESSARY LITIGATION ON THEIR PART, HAS ISSUED A CIRCULAR NO. 21/2015 DATED 10 TH DECEMBER, 2015, WHEREIN THEY HAVE REVISED THE MONETARY LIMITS FOR FILING OF APPEALS BY THE DEPARTMENT BEFORE THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL, HIGH COURTS AND SUPREME COURT. INSOFAR AS THE TRIBUNAL IS CONCERNED, THE MONETARY LIMIT SPECIFIED THEREIN, THE CONCERNED AUTHORITY HAS TO WITHDRAW ITS APPEAL OR IT NEED NOT PRESS THE SAME. IT IS FURTHER SPECIFIED THAT THE TAX EFFECT INDICATED THEREIN IS APPLICABLE TO ALL PENDING APPEALS, THROUGH THEY ARE FILED BY THE REVENUE PRIOR TO THE ISSUANCE OF THE SAID CIRCULAR. IT WAS ALSO CLARIFIED THAT THE ASSESSING OFFICER HAS TO CALCULATE THE TAX EFFECT SEPARATELY FOR EVERY ASSESSMENT YEAR IN RESPECT OF THE DISPUTED ISSUE/S IN THE CASE OF EVERY ASSESSEE. IF, IN THE CASE OF AN ASSESSEE, THE DISPUTED ISSUE ARISES IN MORE THAN ONE YEAR(S), APPEAL(S) CAN BE FILED IN RESPECT OF SUCH ASSESSMENT YEAR(S) IN WHICH TAX EFFECT IN RESPECT OF THE DISPUTED ISSUE EXCEEDS THE MONETARY LIMIT SPECIFIED. IN OTHER WORDS, IF THERE ARE A NUMBER OF YEARS, IF THE TAX EFFECT IS LESS THAN THE SPECIFIED LIMIT IN ONE YEAR, APPEAL CANNOT BE FILED OR THE SAME HAS TO BE WITHDRAWN FOR THAT YEAR, FOR WANT OF TAX EFFECT. HOWEVER, AN EXCEPTION IS MADE TO THIS DIRECTION WITH REGARD TO A COMBINED ORDER PASSED BY THE FIRST APPELLATE AUTHORITY. THAT IS, IF IN ONE OF THE YEARS THE TAX EFFECT IS MORE THAN RS.10 LAKHS AND THE REVENUE DECIDES TO FILE AN APPEAL, IN RESPECT OF OTHER YEARS COVERED BY THE SAID ORDER ALSO, REVENUE IS ELIGIBLE TO FILE APPEAL, EVEN THOUGH THE TAX EFFECT IN EACH OF THOSE YEARS IS LESS THAN RS.10 LAKHS. IT WAS ALSO CLARIFIED THAT MERELY BECAUSE THE APPEAL IS DISMISSED FOR WANT OF TAX EFFECT, IT DOES NOT COME IN THE WAY OF THE DEPARTMENT IN FILING APPEAL FOR OTHER YEARS(S), AND IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS ACQUIESCED THE ISSUE. ITA NO. 1455/BANG/2017 PAGE 3 OF 4 3. THE ABOVE CIRCULAR WAS SPECIFICALLY MADE APPLICABLE TO ALL PENDING APPEALS. IN THE PRESENT CASE, THE TAX EFFECT ON THE ADDITION IN DISPUTE, WHICH WAS DELETED BY THE CIT(A) BY THE IMPUGNED ORDER IS INDISPUTABLY BELOW 10 LAKHS. 4. THE LEGISLATURE IN ITS WISDOM HAS INTRODUCED SECTION 268A OF THE INCOME TAX ACT, 1961, WHEREBY THE BOARD IS EMPOWERED TO ISSUE ORDERS/INSTRUCTIONS/DIRECTIONS TO THE INCOME-TAX AUTHORITIES, FIXING THE MONETARY LIMITS FOR THE PURPOSE OF REGULATING THE FILING OF APPEALS. IN THE LIGHT OF THE CIRCULAR DATED 10.12.2015, ISSUED BY THE CBDT IN EXERCISE OF THE POWERS CONFERRED IN IT BY SUBSECTION (1) OF SECTION 268A, WE ARE OF THE VIEW THAT THE APPEAL FILED HEREIN SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PRESSED BY THE REVENUE. THE LEARNED DEPARTMENTAL REPRESENTATIVE FAIRLY ADMITTED THAT THE REVENUE EFFECT IN THIS APPEAL IS LESS THAN THE PRESCRIBED LIMIT IN PARA-3 OF THE ABOVE CIRCULAR ISSUED BY THE CBDT. HAVING REGARD TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE, WE DISMISS THE APPEALS OF THE REVENUE AS WITHDRAWN/NOT PRESSED, AS PRONOUNCED IN THE OPEN COURT. 5. HOWEVER, THE REVENUE IS AT LIBERTY TO MOVE APPROPRIATE APPLICATION/PETITION IN CASE IT IS FOUND THAT THE CASE IS COVERED BY ONE OF THE EXCEPTION(S) CARVED OUT IN THE SAID CIRCULAR. 6. IN THE RESULT, THE APPEAL FILED BY THE REVENUE IS DISMISSED. PRONOUNCED IN THE OPEN COURT ON THIS 23 RD DAY OF MARCH, 2018. SD/- SD/- ( INTURI RAMA RAO ) (SUNIL KUMAR YADAV) ACCOUNTANT MEMBER JUDICIAL MEMBER PLACE : BANGALORE DATED : 23/03/2018 /NS/* ITA NO. 1455/BANG/2017 PAGE 4 OF 4 COPY TO : 1 APPELLANT 2 RESPONDENT 3 CIT(A)-II BANGALORE 4 CIT 5 DR, ITAT, BANGALORE. 6 GUARD FILE BY ORDER SR. PRIVATE SECRETARY, ITAT, BANGALORE.