Home Case Index All Cases Income Tax Income Tax + HC Income Tax - 2016 (2) TMI HC This
Forgot password New User/ Regiser ⇒ Register to get Live Demo
2016 (2) TMI 1061 - HC - Income TaxReopening of assessment - loss as a result of fluctuation in foreign exchange derivatives - Held that:- The escapement of income by itself is not sufficient for reopening the assessment in a case covered by the first proviso to Section 147 of the said Act and unless and until there was failure on the part of the assessee to disclose fully and truly all the material facts necessary for assessment, the power to reopen the assessment should not be invoked. It was insisted that the reasons for reopening of the assessment should specifically indicate which material fact was not disclosed by the Assessee in the course of the original assessment under Section 143(3) of the Act failing which there should not be any reopening of the assessment. The submission of Mr. Manchanda that relevant and material facts have to be specifically discussed in the returns of income of the tax audit report appears to overlook the fact that the Assessee cannot be expected to guide the AO on how he should scrutinize the accounts. In the letter dated 28th November 2011 of the Assessee in reply to the query of the AO in the original assessment proceedings, there was a whole note on exchange fluctuation enclosed in the form of Annexure-B. Despite this it cannot be said that the AO was ignorant of what the Assessee was doing in respect of foreign exchange loss while accounting for derivatives contracts. The change in the method of accounting and the consequential change in the loss figure have been adequately explained by the Assessee. Under Note J in the “Statement of significant accounting policy” in Schedule 22 to the audited annual accounts, the Assessee had made a distinction between foreign exchange contracts not intended for trading and speculative purposes and those for trading and speculative purposes. It is, therefore not possible to accept the plea of the Revenue that there was any deliberate failure on the part of the Assessee to make full and true disclosure of the change in the accounting policy that led to computation of loss as a result of fluctuation in foreign exchange derivatives. This has to be also appreciated in the context of the Assessee following the mercantile system of accounting and Section 145 of the Act. The income of the Assessee is to be computed consistent with the regular method of accounting followed by the Assessee. The Assessee has been following AS-11 and AS-30 issued by the ICAI, in terms of which the loss/gains on outstanding derivatives contracts are to be recognized on mark to market basis. The Assessee is right in contending that CBDT Instruction No. 3 of 2010 cannot possibly override the existing decisions of the Supreme Court/ High Court on similar issues. - Decided in favour of assessee.
|