2013 (8) TMI 629 - AT - Income Tax

Whether discount on issue of Employee Stock Options is allowable as deduction in computing the income under the head profits and gains of business? - Vesting period and quantum of entitlement of shares – Held that:- The period from grant of option to the vesting of option is the `vesting period' - It is during such period that an employee is supposed to render service to the company so as to earn an entitlement to the shares at a discounted premium. The vesting period may vary from a case to case. If the vesting period is, say, four years with equal vesting at the end of each year, then it is at the end of the vesting period or during the exercise period, which in turn immediately succeeds the vesting period, that the employee becomes entitled to exercise 100 options or qualify for receipt of 100 shares at discount - Though the shares are allotted at the end of the vesting period, but it is during such vesting period that the entitlement is earned. It means that 25 options vest with the employee at the end of each year on his rendering service for the respective year. If during the interregnum, he leaves the service, say after one year, he will still remain entitled to exercise option for 25 shares at the discounted premium at the time of exercise of option. In that case, the benefit which would have accrued to him at the end of the second, third and fourth years would stand forfeited. Thus it becomes abundantly clear that an employee becomes entitled to the shares at a discounted premium over the vesting period depending upon the length of service provided by him to the company. In all such schemes, it is at the end of the vesting period that option is exercisable albeit the proportionate right to option is acquired by rendering service at the end of each year.

Quantification of ESOP discount – Subsequent adjustment at the time of exercise of options – Held that:- Company incurs a definite liability during the vesting period, but its proper quantification is not possible at that stage as the actual amount of employees cost to the company, can be finally determined at the time of the exercise of option or when the options remain unvested or lapse at the end of the exercise period. It is at this later stage that the provisional amount of discount on ESOP, initially quantified on the basis of market price at the time of grant of options, needs to be suitably adjusted with the actual amount of discount.

ESOP discount – Held that:- Discount under ESOP is in the nature of employees cost and is hence deductible during the vesting period w.r.t. the market price of shares at the time of grant of options to the employees - The amount of discount claimed as deduction during the vesting period is required to be reversed in relation to the unvesting/lapsing options at the appropriate time. However, an adjustment to the income is called for at the time of exercise of option by the amount of difference in the amount of discount calculated with reference the market price at the time of grant of option and the market price at the time of exercise of option. No accounting principle can be determinative in the matter of computation of total income under the Act. The question before the special bench is thus answered in affirmative by holding that discount on issue of Employee Stock Options is allowable as deduction in computing the income under the head `Profits and gains of business or profession'.

Deduction for discount – Discount amounting to ₹ 3.38 crore for the A.Y. 2003-04 - On being called upon to furnish bifurcation of such claim, the assessee filed a chart showing its detail comprising of four amounts. First amount of ₹ 1.62 crore has been shown as the first tranche of 25% option. Second amount of ₹ 81.25 lakh as the second tranche of 25% option; third amount of ₹ 54.16 lakh as the third tranche of 25% option and the last amount of ₹ 40.62 lakh as the fourth tranche of 25% option – Held that:- Last three amounts can’t qualify for deduction at the end of the first year itself - Assessee claimed deduction for the proportionate part of discount for the second, third and fourth year at the end of the first year itself because 25% of options vested in the employees at the end of the first to fourth year each. This defies all logics and rationalities - When the options vest equally over a period of four years, it is but natural that the company would incur equal liability for the discounted premium @ 25% of total discount on receipt of services of the employees at the end of each year. The way in which the assessee has claimed deduction runs contrary even to the SEBI Guidelines, which also provide for deduction on straight line basis. The manner of the assessee's claiming deduction has resulted in needlessly increasing the amount of deduction for the first year at the cost of deduction for the subsequent three years. It needs to be set right by apportioning the total amount of the discounted premium evenly over the vesting period of four years.