2015 (10) TMI 1741 - HC - Income Tax

High Court affirms interest income as business income, allows loss adjustment.

The High Court affirmed the appellant's treatment of interest income as business income and allowed the adjustment of brought forward losses against it. ... Treatment to interest income - business income or income from other sources - adjust B/F losses related to the assessment year 2001-02 against interest Income denied by AO - ITAT allowed assessee claim - Held that:- CIT(A) allowed the appeal on the issue of interest income by treating the same as business income. The CIT(A) also allowed the issue of set off of brought forward business losses with profit from money lending business of the assessee considering that the income from interest under the head 'Income from business or profession' confirmed by ITAT as relying on Commissioner of Income Tax I, Ludhiana vs. Late Smt.Reeta Gupta C/o M/s R.K.Cloth Mills, Ghass Mandi, Ludhiana [2015 (10) TMI 1740 - PUNJAB & HARYANA HIGH COURT] - Decided in favour of assessee. Issues:Identification of interest income as business income and the treatment of brought forward losses in the assessment year.Issue 1: Identification of interest income as business incomeThe judgment dealt with the question of whether the interest income should be classified as business income or income from other sources. The appellant, a taxpayer, treated the interest income as business income and sought to adjust brought forward losses against it. The Assessing Officer, however, considered the interest income as income from other sources and disallowed the set off of losses from a previous assessment year. The Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) supported the appellant's treatment, allowing the set off of losses against the interest income. The Tribunal also upheld this decision, leading to the revenue's appeal before the High Court. The High Court noted that the Tribunal's decision was based on a previous case and, in line with that decision, dismissed the revenue's appeal, affirming the treatment of interest income as business income.Issue 2: Treatment of brought forward lossesThe judgment also addressed the issue of adjusting brought forward losses against the interest income for the assessment year. The appellant had adjusted losses from the assessment year 2001-02 against the interest income for the year in question. The Assessing Officer did not allow this adjustment, resulting in a dispute. The Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) allowed the set off of losses, considering the interest income under the head 'Income from business or profession.' The Tribunal upheld this decision, leading to the revenue's appeal. The High Court, in its judgment, referred to a related case and dismissed the revenue's appeal, thereby affirming the adjustment of brought forward losses against the interest income.In conclusion, the High Court's judgment in this case revolved around the identification of interest income as business income and the treatment of brought forward losses. The decision upheld the appellant's treatment of interest income as business income and allowed the adjustment of brought forward losses against it, in line with the decisions of the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) and the Tribunal. The High Court's dismissal of the revenue's appeal confirmed the treatment of interest income and the adjustment of losses, providing clarity on these aspects of the tax assessment for the appellant.