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2020 (3) TMI 215 - AT - Income TaxPenalty u/s 271AAB - undisclosed income of the specified previous year - disclosure of additional income offered in the return filed u/s 153A - Surrender statement where the stock has been valued at market price prevailing as on the date of search - HELD THAT:- As per sub-section (3) of Section 271AAB, the provisions of section 274 and section 275 as far as may be applied in relation to penalty under this section which means that before levying the penalty, the Assessing officer has to issue a show-cause granting an opportunity to the assessee. Order levying the penalty is an appellable order and therefore, the fact that the statue has provided for an appellate remedy against the levy of penalty, the levy of penalty cannot be held as mandatory but the same will depend upon facts and circumstances of each case. Thus, we agree with the contentions of the ld AR that the levy of penalty is not mandatory in all cases but the Assessing officer has to decide based on facts and circumstances of the case. In fact, it is a consistent view of this Tribunal across various Benches that levy of penalty u/s 271AAB is not automatic in nature but the AO has the discretion and has to take a decision after arriving at the conclusion that the income disclosed by the assessee in the statement recorded U/s 132(4) of the Act is an “undisclosed income” in terms of Section 271AAB(1) r/w. explanation defining the undisclosed income. Where the discretion so applied by the Assessing officer has been rightly exercised or not in a particular case can be reviewed and subject to appellate remedy as so provided in the Act. As far as present penalty proceedings u/s 271AAB are concerned which is solely based on the search proceedings and anyways independent of the assessment proceedings, the Assessing officer is required to give a specific finding that there is an undisclosed income found during the course of search in terms of undisclosed stock and which has not been recorded in the books of account. The undisclosed stock could be in terms of physically identifiable stock not found recorded in the books of accounts or the stock not found recorded at the appropriate value so determined by the Assessing officer. In the instant case, we find that the Assessing officer has merely gone by the surrender statement where the stock has been valued at market price prevailing as on the date of search and has not examined the matter from the perspective of determining any excess stock and the cost of such stock which is not recorded in the books of accounts. There is no finding that there is any excess stock which has been physically found and which has not been recorded in the books of accounts as on the date of search. In light of above discussions, it is thus clear that difference in stock of goods as per books and as found at the time of search is on account of valuation of such stock at the market value instead of cost and the same cannot be a basis to hold that it represent undisclosed income so defined in explanation to section 271AAB - penalty levied u/s 271AAB is not sustainable and the orders of the lower authorities are set-aside and the appeal of the assessee is allowed.
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