2021 (4) TMI 448 - AT - Income Tax

Tribunal dismisses Department's appeal, invalidating assessment order without new material. Assessing Officer to estimate income based on past profits.

The Department's appeal was dismissed as infructuous by the Tribunal. The Tribunal found the assessment order under Section 153A to be invalid due to the ... Estimation of income on the basis of assessee's past income - case was selected for scrutiny and notices u/s. 143(2) and 142(1) - estimating the profit @ 4% on the unrecorded sales without any basis when the assessee had relied on Section 44AD - HELD THAT:- Admittedly, in these cases, the assessee himself offered the income at 10% in his return of income. See MR. M.A. SIDDIQUE, MR. MOHAMMED SAFWAN VERSUS DCIT, CENTRAL CIRCLE – 1, MANGALURU AND VICE-VERSA. [2020 (8) TMI 835 - ITAT BANGALORE] In our opinion, there was no admission by that assessee like in the present case. Being so, it is appropriate to estimate the income of the assessee on the basis of assessee's past income. The assessee furnished before us the past history of income - Accordingly, we direct the AO to consider the average net profit declared by the assessee in the last 3 immediate Assessment Years i.e., 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and apply the same rate and recompute the income of the assessee. Separate addition with regard to undisclosed investment in unaccounted purchases against receivables - Since there was no corroborative evidence to substantiate the co-relation of transactions, in our opinion, once the income of the assessee is estimated, there cannot be any further additions. This view of ours is fortified by the judgment in the case of Indwell Construction Vs. CIT [1998 (3) TMI 121 - ANDHRA PRADESH HIGH COURT]. Accordingly, we are inclined to dismiss the other grounds of appeal raised by the Revenue. Issues Involved:1. Estimation of profit on unrecorded sales.2. Assessment of vacant property under Section 23.3. Consideration of intimation under Section 143(1) as an assessment order.4. Deletion of addition on account of unexplained cash credits.5. Application of the decision in CIT Vs. Balbir Singh Maini.6. Retrospective application of Section 45(5A).7. Applicability of Section 153A.8. Separate addition for undisclosed investment in unaccounted purchases against receivables.Issue-wise Detailed Analysis:1. Estimation of Profit on Unrecorded Sales:The Revenue contested the CIT(A)'s decision to estimate profit at 4% on unrecorded sales, arguing it lacked basis, especially since the assessee relied on Section 44AD. The Tribunal referenced a prior decision where it was held that the case fell outside the purview of Section 153A due to the absence of new material found during the search. Consequently, the Tribunal found the assessment order under Section 153A to be invalid, rendering other grounds academic. The appeal by the Department was dismissed as infructuous.2. Assessment of Vacant Property Under Section 23:The Revenue argued that the CIT(A) erred by not considering the provisions of Section 23 to assess vacant property held during the Financial Year. However, this issue was not separately adjudicated as the Tribunal dismissed the appeal on broader grounds.3. Consideration of Intimation Under Section 143(1) as an Assessment Order:The Revenue claimed that the CIT(A) wrongly considered the intimation under Section 143(1) as an assessment order. This issue was also not separately adjudicated due to the dismissal of the appeal on broader grounds.4. Deletion of Addition on Account of Unexplained Cash Credits:The CIT(A) deleted the addition on unexplained cash credits, despite no evidence being produced by the appellant. The Tribunal did not separately address this issue as it dismissed the Department's appeal on broader grounds.5. Application of Decision in CIT Vs. Balbir Singh Maini:The CIT(A) applied the decision in CIT Vs. Balbir Singh Maini, despite the Joint Development Agreement being registered with the Sub Registrar. This issue was not separately addressed due to the dismissal of the appeal on broader grounds.6. Retrospective Application of Section 45(5A):The CIT(A) held that Section 45(5A) was curative and applied retrospectively. This issue was not separately addressed due to the broader dismissal of the appeal.7. Applicability of Section 153A:The Tribunal found that the assessment fell outside the purview of Section 153A as no new material was found during the search. This finding was crucial and led to the dismissal of the Department's appeal as the assessment order was deemed invalid.8. Separate Addition for Undisclosed Investment in Unaccounted Purchases Against Receivables:The Tribunal addressed the Revenue's contention that there should be separate additions for undisclosed investment in unaccounted purchases against receivables. It held that once the income is estimated, no further additions should be made, citing the Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment in Indwell Construction Vs. CIT. The Tribunal directed the AO to consider the average net profit declared by the assessee in the last three assessment years and recompute the income accordingly.Conclusion:The appeal by the Department was dismissed as infructuous, and the cross appeals were partly allowed for statistical purposes. The Tribunal's decision emphasized the invalidity of the assessment order under Section 153A and provided specific directions on estimating the assessee's income based on past profits.