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2018 (1) TMI 1671 - AT - Income TaxAddition u/s 37(1) - gifts/freebies to Doctors and Medical Practitioners - expenses claimed by the assessee under the head ‘Sales Promotion Expenses’ and under the head ‘Other Selling Expenses’ - disallowance on the ground that the same were with regard to providing gifts/freebies to Doctors and Medical Practitioners and the same was against the Medical Council Act, 1956 in view of the amendment made to the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 - whether the Medical Council Act, 1956 apply to the assessee? - scope of amendment - HELD THAT:- The receiving of the gifts/freebies by Professionals is against public policy as also against the law in so far as the amendment by the Medical Council Act, 1956 to the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, once receiving of such gifts have been held to be unethical obviously the corollary to this would also be unethical, being giving of such gifts or doing such acts to induce such Doctors and Medical Professionals to violate the Medical Council Act, 1956. Consequently, we are of the view that the expenditure incurred by the assessee which has resulted in the violation of the amendment to the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 under the Medical Council Act, 1956, is not an allowable expenditure and hit by the explanation to Sec.37(1) of the Act. Coming to the issue as to whether the same is operative prospectively or retrospectively or as to whether the said amendment is clarificatory in nature. A perusal of the said amendment notification dated 10.12.2009 under Clause-1(ii) specifies that it shall come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. The said amendment came to be published in the Official Gazette on 14.12.2009. Consequently, the said amendment cannot be treated as operating retrospectively nor can it be treated as clarificatory in nature, clearly the said amendment is prospective in nature and operative from 14.12.2009. CIT(A) has granted the assessee the benefit of the expenditure till 14.12.2009 and has restricted the disallowance by invoking the explanation to Sec.37(1) of the Act for the period from 14.12.2009. This being so, we find no error in the findings of the Ld.CIT(A) which calls for any interference.
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