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2016 (12) TMI 1813 - AT - Income TaxTP Adjustment - rejection of CUP as the most appropriate method - Comparable selection - selection of Petronet LNG Limited and Gas Authority of India Ltd. as comparables for RPM - HELD THAT:- In consideration of the criteria prescribed by the Rules, nature, class of the services rendered and the availability, coverage and reliability of data necessary, and guidelines issued by the OECD in this regard, inter alia, RPM is considered was being the “most appropriate method” to determine the arm’s length value of the transaction pertaining to purchase of LNG. The assessee and Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, ONGC and GAIL, or, for that purpose, any other public sector undertaking, cannot be said to be associated enterprises. In the cases of public sector companies, even as all or majority of shareholdings may be by the Union or State Governments, these companies, for that reason alone, cannot be said to be associated enterprises for the purposes of Section 92A. In view of this finding, the issue regarding related party transactions ceases to hold good in law. Nothing on record to substantiate the claim of the learned Departmental Representative that the PLL was charging separate fees for regasification. In our considered view, regasification is an integral part of assessee’s trading activity as unpacking of a consignment to put the same in a saleable state and fit for transportation by the available mode. The process of regasification cannot be seen in isolation with the main activity carried on by the assessee. What has been sold by the assessee is regasified LNG (R-LNG) as is evident from the financial statements of the assessee. The business models of HLPL and PLL are similar in the sense that the entire cost, whether it is a long term or a short term contract, is passed on to the customer in India as no trader will keep the cost to itself including the foreign exchange fluctuation. To that extent, leaned Departmental Representative indeed seems to have erred in observing that in the case of PLL, the entire fuel cost including the exchange rate fluctuation is passed on to the customers, whereas the same is not the case of HLPL as it is a full risk distributor. In any case, as a plain look at the financial statements of PLL would show the PLL has booked, in its profit and loss account, foreign loss exchange loss separately to the tune of ₹ 33 crores approximately, and thus it cannot be said that the PLL had passed on entire foreign exchange fluctuation risk to its customers. It has also been noted that sale to customers in India by both PLL as also the assesse is foreign currency (USD) denominated and, therefore, the foreign currency risk is a pass through costs for both HLPL and PLL to that extent. We agree that the mere fact that PLL also has long term arrangements for purchases of LNG, it does not cease to be a valid comparable for this reason alone. As regards GAIL as a comparable As for the point that the GAIL is selling natural gas on administered prices, this objection is found to be incorrect inasmuch asin response to the RTI application dated June 24, 2013, it has been clarified that Government that it does not regulate / fix / control the prices of imported LNG. In any event, even if GAIL is to be excluded from comparables, it does not make any difference to the conclusion that the margin earned by the assessee are well within the comparable margin earned by PLL. As for the point that the GAIL is selling natural gas on administered prices, this objection is found to be incorrect inasmuch asin response to the RTI application dated June 24, 2013, it has been clarified that Government that it does not regulate / fix / control the prices of imported LNG. In any event, even if GAIL is to be excluded from comparables, it does not make any difference to the conclusion that the margin earned by the assessee are well within the comparable margin earned by PLL. We hold that the comparables adopted by the assessee are appropriate. There is a specific finding in the order of the Dispute Resolution Panel that in the light of this Tribunal’s decision in the case of Liberty Agri Products [2011 (8) TMI 737 - ITAT, CHENNAI] even for the purposes of CUP, the prices prevailing on the day of transaction can only be compared with the comparable uncontrolled prices prevailing on that day only and not on some other dates, and that in none of the cases the TPO has used the prices prevailing on that particular day. This finding remains unchallenged and this principle has not been called into question by the appellant. Therefore, even if CUP method is to be applied, the impugned adjustment will have to be deleted anyway. Viewed thus, the grievances raised in this appeal may be viewed as somewhat academic and of no practical consequence. However, without any offence or prejudice to this line of reasoning, we have dealt with the issue on merits and given our categorical findings on the same.
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