TMI Blog2015 (11) TMI 1295X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... s not of any relevance, if the expenditure incurred was for religious or charitable purposes, and the expenditure adjusted against the income of the trust in a subsequent year, would not amount to an incidence of loss of an earlier year being set off against the profit of a subsequent year. The object of the religious and charitable trust can only be achieved by incurring expenditure and in order to incur that expenditure, the trust should have an income. So long as the expenditure incurred is on religious or charitable purposes, it is the expenditure properly incurred by the trust, and the income from out of which that expenditure is incurred, would not be liable to tax. The expenditure, if incurred in an earlier year is adjusted against the income of a later year, it has to be held that the trust had incurred expenditure on religious and charitable purposes from the income of the subsequent year, even though the actual expenditure was in the earlier years, if in the books of account of the trust such earlier expenditure had been set off against the income of the subsequent year. The expenditure that can be so adjusted can only be expenditure on religious and charitable purposes a ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... quisition of depreciable asset is considered as application of income for charitable purpose, allowing depreciation on the very same capital asset would not amount to double allowance. The assessee also pointed out that the decision of Escorts Ltd. (supra) will not be applicable as it was rendered on a different set of facts. 4. The AO however, held that allowance of depreciation when the cost has already been recovered by way of exemption as application of income amounts to double deduction and double benefit on the same asset. The AO referred to the decision of the of Hon'ble High Court of Kerala in the case of DDIT(E) v. Lissie Medical Institutions, 348 ITR 344 (Ker) wherein it was held that allowing depreciation of a depreciable asset when the cost of acquisition of depreciable asset was allowed as application of income for charitable purpose amounts to double depreciation and therefore depreciation cannot be allowed. The AO also distinguished the cases cited by the Assessee. 5. On appeal by the Assessee, the CIT(A), confirmed the order of the AO. 6. Aggrieved by the order of the CIT(A), the Assessee has preferred the present appeal before the Tribunal. The relevan ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... on ble Punjab Haryana High Court after considering several decisions on that issue and also the decision of the Hon ble Supreme Court in the case of Escorts Ltd. (supra), came to the conclusion that depreciation is allowable on capital assets on the income of the charitable trust for determining the quantum of funds which have to be applied for the purpose of trusts in terms of section 11 of the Act. The Hon ble Punjab Haryana High Court made a reference to the decision of the Hon ble Supreme Court in the case of Escorts Ltd. (supra) and observed that the Hon ble Supreme Court was dealing with a case of two deductions under different provisions of the Act, one u/s. 32 for depreciation and the other on account of expenditure of a capital nature incurred on scientific research u/s. 35(1)(iv) of the Act. The Hon ble Court thereafter held that a trust claiming depreciation cannot be equated with a claim for double deduction. The Hon ble Punjab Haryana High Court has also made a reference to the decision of the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court in the case of CIT v. Society of Sisters of Anne, 146 ITR 28 (Kar), wherein it was held that u/s. 11(1) of the Act, income has to be comput ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... Act to allow carry forward of excess application of income for set off as application of income in subsequent years. The ld. counsel for the Assessee relied on the order of the ITAT in Assessee s own case for AY 2010-11 in ITA No.522/Bang/2014 order dated 11.6.2015 wherein the Tribunal accepted the claim of the Assessee on identical issue on identical facts. 13. We have considered his submission. Section 11(1)(a) does not contain any words of limitation to the effect that the income should have been applied for charitable or religious purpose only in the year in which the income has arisen. The application for charitable purposes as contemplated in section 11(1)(a) takes place in the year in which the income is adjusted to meet the expenses incurred for charitable or religious purposes. Hence, even if the expenses for such purposes have been incurred in the earlier years and the said expenses are adjusted against the income of a subsequent year, the income of such subsequent year can be said to be applied for charitable or religious purposes in the year in which such adjustment takes place. In other words, the set-off of excess of expenditure incurred over the income of earlier ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... re on religious and charitable purposes and no other. The High Court relied on the decision in the case of CIT Vs. Society of Sisters of ST. Anne 146 ITR 28 (Kar.). 14. We are therefore of the view that there is merit in ground No.3 raised by the Assessee. Accordingly, the same is allowed. 15. The third issue that arises for consideration in this appeal is as to whether 15% accumulation for application in future has to be calculated on gross receipts or net receipts after deduction of revenue expenditure. The Assessee claimed accumulation of income for application for charitable purpose at 15% of the gross receipts. The AO was of the view that accumulation will be allowed only to the extent of 15% of the income after revenue expenditure. In other words income to be set apart u/s.11(1)(a) of the Act has to be computed at 15% of the net income i.e., gross receipts minus revenue expenditure and not on the gross receipts as claimed by the Assessee. Since in the case of the Assessee, the gross receipts after revenue expenditure was nil, the AO denied the benefit of accumulation to the Assessee. 16. On appeal by the Assessee, the CIT(A) confirmed the order of the AO. Hence groun ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... is clear from the above that deduction of twenty-five per cent was held to be allowable not on total income as computed under the IT Act. Any amount or expenditure, which was application of income, is not to be considered for determining twenty five per cent to be accumulated. Their Lordships, as noted earlier, affirmed the decision of Kerala High Court in (1997) 141 CTR (Ker) 502 : (1997) 228 ITR 620 (Ker) (supra) wherein it is held as under : At the outset, the statutory language of s. 11(1)(a) of the IT Act, 1961, relates to the income derived by the trust from property. The trust is required to be wholly for charitable or religious purposes, and the income is expected to have relation to the extent to which such income is applied to such purposes in India. It is thereafter the statutory provision proceeds further that such income is not to be understood to be in excess of 25 per cent of the income from such properties. In other words, the very language of the statutory provision under consideration sets apart 25 per cent of the income from the source of property with reference to the extent to which such income is applied for such purposes, charitable or religious. In other ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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