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2020 (11) TMI 39 - HC - Income TaxDisallowance u/s.36(1)(iii) - allegation that assessee had advanced interest bearing funds without charging any interest - whether matching principle in terms of income and expenditure is not applicable when cash method of accounting is followed as the sine qua non for allowability of expenditure is the nexus between the income and expenditure reported for the year in question as applicable in terms of Section 36 and 37 - HELD THAT:- As decided in M/S. SHRIRAM INVESTMENTS [2019 (4) TMI 570 - MADRAS HIGH COURT] no substantial question of law arises in the present case, because, it is essentially a finding of fact as to whether the lower interest paid on the borrowings made by the assessee company from the sister concerns or the group companies is for the purpose of its business or not. Whether it is commercially expedient or not for the Assessee cannot be decided by the Revenue authorities and unless a decision taken in the usual course of business by the Assessee can be held to be arbitrary or motivated, deliberately taken to defeat the purpose of the Revenue, it cannot be held that the lower interest rate paid to the borrowers on the borrowings made by the assessee company is disallowable u/s 36 (1) (iii). Tribunal, in our opinion, rightly held that when the cash system of accounting was adopted by the Assessee, an Investment Company, whose business is only to borrow and lend or invest, the same cannot be said to be not in the business interest or commercially expedient for the purpose of business and the concept of 'Matching Principles', which has been applied by the Assessing Authority and the CIT (A) in the present case, was not really applicable. Revenue authorities to substitute their own wisdom or notion about the rate of interest agreed to between the parties, including the group companies and, as such, the finding of fact about commercial expediency or absence thereof is a finding of fact, out of which, no substantial question of law can be said to be arising, requiring our consideration u/s 260A. - Decided against revenue.
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