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2016 (8) TMI 417 - AT - Income TaxRevision u/s 263 - Expenditure incurred for raising the debenture - revenue or capital - Held that:- It is settled law that while making assessment on assessee, the ITO acts in a quasi-judicial capacity. An assessment order is amenable to appeal by the assessee and to revision by the Commissioner under Sections 263 and 264. Therefore, a reasoned order on a substantial issue is legally necessary. If the Assessing Officers are allowed to make assessments in an arbitrary manner, as has been done in the case before us, the administration of revenue is bound to suffer. If without discussing the nature of the transaction and materials on record, the Assessing Officer had made certain addition to the income of the assessee, the same would have been considered erroneous by any appellate authority as being violative of the principles of natural justice which require that the authority must indicate the reasons for an adverse order. We find no reason why the same view should not be taken when an order is against the interests of the revenue. As a matter of fact such orders are prejudicial to the interests of both the parties, because even the assessee is deprived of the benefit of a positive finding in his favour, though he may have sufficiently established his case. In view of the foregoing, it can safely be said that an order passed by the Assessing Officer becomes erroneous and prejudicial to the interests of the Revenue under Section 263. In view of this, exercising jurisdiction u/s.263 of the Act by CIT is justified. However, on merit, the issue in dispute with regard to the expenditure incurred for issue of debenture was come before the Madras High Court in the case of CI Vs. FIRST LEASING CO. OF INDIA LTD. reported in [2006 (2) TMI 151 - MADRAS High Court] wherein held that there is no distinction between discount and premium, the discount on debentures as well as the premium payable on actual redemption on debentures in future years and the expenditure incurred for issue of such debentures are all held to be revenue expenditure, entitled to be spread over the period of debentures and consequently, allowable as deduction in a particular assessment year.
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