Mrityunjay Kumar Singh, Kolkata V. I.T.O., Ward - 23(1), Hooghly

ITA 734/KOL/2022

AI Insights

Mrityunjay Kumar Singh appealed against the order of the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), which confirmed the disallowance of Rs.4,78,711 by the Assessing Officer. The disallowance was initially made on the grounds that the Provident Fund contributions were not paid within the due date. However, the appellant argued that the payments were made within the stipulated time under the Coal Mines Provident Fund Scheme. The Tribunal examined the relevant rules and the actual payment dates, concluding that the disallowance was incorrect and allowed the appeal.

• Counselvise Citation: [2023] 140 COUNSELVISE.COM (IT) 129143 (ITAT-KOLKATA)
• Duration Of Justice: 1 month(s) 16 day(s)
• Appeal Type: Income Tax Appeal
• Pronouncement Date: 31-01-2023
• Appeal Filed By: Assessee
• Order Result: Allowed
• Bench Allotted: A
• Next Hearing Date: 29-01-2023
• Assessment Year: 2018-2019
• Appeal Filed On: 15-12-2022
• Other Referred Cases: Checkmate Services Pvt. Limited \\vs.\\ CIT (Civil Appeal No. 2833 of 2016)
• Laws Referred To: Income Tax Act
• Result in Favour of: Assessee
• Court: TRIBUNAL

Judgement Text

ITA No. 734/KOL/2022 Assessment Year: 2018-2019 Mrityunjay Kumar Singh 1 IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL, ‘A’ BENCH, KOLKATA Before Shri Rajpal Yadav, Vice-President (KZ) & Dr. Manish Borad, Accountant Member I.T.A. No. 734/KOL/2022 Assessment Year: 2018-2019 Mrityunjay Kumar Singh,.......................Appellant 1, R.N. Mukherjee Road, 3 rd Floor, Room No. 324, Kolkata-700001 [PAN: AMBPS7595M] -Vs.- Income Tax Officer,..............................Respondent Ward-23(1), Hooghly, Chinsurah, Hooghly-712101 Appearances by: Shri Raj Kumar Agarwal, CA, appeared on behalf of the assessee Smt. Ranu Biswas, Addl. CIT (DR), appeared on behalf of the Revenue Date of concluding the hearing : January 30, 2023 Date of pronouncing the order : 1 st February, 2023 ITA No. 734/KOL/2022 Assessment Year: 2018-2019 Mrityunjay Kumar Singh 2 O R D E R Per Rajpal Yadav, Vice-President (KZ):- The assessee is in appeal before the Tribunal against the order of ld. Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), National Faceless Appeal Centre (NFAC), Delhi dated 12.12.2022 passed for A.Y. 2018-19. 2. Though the assessee has taken three grounds of appeal, but his grievances revolve around a single issue, namely ld. CIT(Appeals) has erred in confirming the disallowance of Rs.4,78,711/-, which was disallowed by the ld. Assessing Officer with the aid of section 36(1)(va) of the Income Tax Act. 3. With the assistance of ld. Representatives, we have gone through the record carefully. In the return of income, the auditor of the assessee has committed an error by mentioning the due date for making the payment of employees’ and employer’s contribution towards the Provident Fund Account and accordingly ld. Assessing Officer has disallowed the Provident Fund payments, which according to him, were paid after the expiry of due date. 4. Dissatisfied with this disallowance, the assessee carried the matter in appeal before the ld. CIT(Appeals). It contended that the assessee’s case is to be examined under the Coal Mines Provident Fund Scheme, Government of India, Ministry of ITA No. 734/KOL/2022 Assessment Year: 2018-2019 Mrityunjay Kumar Singh 3 Labour, Notification dated 11 th December, 1948 and in this Rules under Rule 33A, Sub-Rule (2), the due date is last date of the next month in which the payment was received. The assessee has brought it to the notice of ld. CIT(Appeals) that there is no lapse for making the payments. These payments have been made within the due date. A written submission to that effect was filed before the ld. CIT(Appeals), which is available at pages no. 2 to 3 and such submission reads as under:- ITA No. 734/KOL/2022 Assessment Year: 2018-2019 Mrityunjay Kumar Singh 4 5. Ld. Counsel for the assessee drew our attention towards Coal Mines Provident Fund Scheme and took us through Sub- Rule (2) of Rules 33A. Such rules read as under:- “33A. Mode of payment of contribution for any period of currency commencing on or after the 1 st April, 1953- Payment in cash- (1) Every contribution payable under this Scheme during a period of currency commencing at any time on or after the 1 st April, 1953 shall be paid monthly in respect of each colliery separately on or before the date specified the sub-paragraph (2). The contributions shall be ITA No. 734/KOL/2022 Assessment Year: 2018-2019 Mrityunjay Kumar Singh 5 calculated – [as provided in this Scheme) for all wage periods ending in a month. (2) The employer shall pay to the Fund both the employer’s contribution as well as the member’s contribution together with an amount [calculated at the rates mentioned in paragraph 33B of this Scheme] to defray the cost of administration of the Fund on or before the last day of every month following the month to which the contributions relate”. On the strength of the above, he submitted that there is no lapse on the part of the assessee. Payments were made within the due date and, therefore, even after the Hon’ble Supreme Court decision dated 12.10.2022 in the case of Checkmate Services Pvt. Limited –vs.- CIT (Civil Appeal No. 2833 of 2016), no disallowance is to be made with regard to Rs.4,78,711/- (details are extracted above). 6. Ld. Sr. D.R., on the other hand, contended that the assessee should have corrected its audit report and should have submitted the requisite details. 7. We have duly considered the rival contentions and gone through the record carefully. We find that the ld. 1 st Appellate Authority has blindly concurred with the ld. Assessing Officer without examining the details of actual payment. He just harped upon the audit report in which the factual error crept at the end of the auditor. ITA No. 734/KOL/2022 Assessment Year: 2018-2019 Mrityunjay Kumar Singh 6 Once a point is being raised by the assessee in an appeal with the help of relevant material demonstrating the factual error, the ld. CIT(Appeals) is bound to cross verify such facts and adjudicate the issue on merit. After going through the order of ld. CIT(Appeal), we are satisfied that ld. CIT(Appeals) failed to appreciate the controversy in true perspective inspite of bringing all relevant material facts. Taking into consideration the Rules of Coal Mines Provident Fund Scheme extracted supra and the actual payments made by the assessee within the due date, we are of the view that there is no lapse at the end of the assessee for claiming the deduction of this amount. Accordingly we allow the appeal of the assessee and delete the disallowance. 8. In the result, the appeal of the assessee is allowed. Order pronounced in the open Court on 1 st February, 2023. Sd/- Sd/- (Manish Borad) (Rajpal Yadav) Accountant Member Vice-President (KZ) Kolkata, the 1 st day of February, 2023 Copies to : (1) Mrityunjay Kumar Singh, 1, R.N. Mukherjee Road, 3 rd Floor, Room No. 324, Kolkata-700001 (2) Income Tax Officer, Ward-23(1), Hooghly, ITA No. 734/KOL/2022 Assessment Year: 2018-2019 Mrityunjay Kumar Singh 7 Chinsurah, Hooghly-712101 (3) Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), National Faceless Appeal Centre (NFAC), Delhi; (4) Commissioner of Income Tax- ; (5) The Departmental Representative (6) Guard File TRUE COPY By order Assistant Registrar, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Kolkata Benches, Kolkata Laha/Sr. P.S.