TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2011 (11) TMI 35
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....that the determination of income by the respondent on completion of its projects amounts to deferment of payment of taxes which is assessable annually under the existing tax law of the land. 3. Whether the addition of Rs.28,21,000/- made by the assessing officer to the income of the respondent for the relevant year based on percentage completion method was not correct as held by the ITAT. 4. Whether the undisclosed transfer charge/s received by the respondent from sale of space to its buyers was not liable to be added to its income @ 3.6% during the relevant year. 5. Whether the amount of Rs.3,82,94,536/- recoverable by the respondent for payment of stamp duty including the electrification charges for spaces sold out was not liable to be added back to its income being revenue in nature as held by the ITAT. 6. Whether the assessing officer incorrectly invoked the provision of Sec.68 of the Act, in the case of the respondent qua to the advances received by it for sum of Rs.1,61,67,000/- from its buyers in the relevant year though it failed to lead positive evidence to rebut the statutory presumption under the law. 7. Whether the ITAT right....
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....rse material brought on record, no addition could be made. He further noted that the transaction of Kailash Chand Khandewala was related to the case of M/s. K.K. Enterprises which was a separate assessee though belonging to the assessee's group and in that case 25% of the earnest money was forfeited for default in paying the instalments in spite of repeated demands. It was noted by the CIT (A) that it was a specific case of forfeiture and not cancellation of the booking. Thus on a factual analysis of the matter he came to the conclusion that the addition for cancellation charges was not justified. 4. On appeal by the Revenue to the Tribunal it was held in paragraph 17 of the order of the Tribunal that there was no infirmity in the order of the CIT (A) inasmuch as the addition was made by the assessing officer on the ground that the assessee ought to have charged cancellation charges from customers who cancelled their bookings and not on the basis of any material found during search. In this view of the matter, the decision of the CIT (A) was confirmed. 5. It will be seen from the above discussion that question No.1 sought to be raised by the Revenue as a substantial qu....
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....maining area was handed over to the buyers. The possession of the balance 5% of the developed area could not be handed over to the remaining buyers because they could not make full payment and take possession. On these findings the CIT (A) held that the allegation of the assessing officer that the assessee was adopting a method of accounting namely the project completion method, to suit its convenience to book income was baseless. A further finding recorded by the CIT (A) is that there was no manipulation in the books of accounts. So far as the method of accounting is concerned, the CIT (A) held that the project completion method is a well recognized and accepted method of accounting and was the only method suitable for any developer who has to deliver a completed product to the buyer. Ultimately the CIT (A) held as under:- "Thus on overall perusal of the assessment order it is seen that neither any defect has been pointed out by the assessing officer in the method of accounting followed by the appellant nor any finding has been given that true and fair profits cannot be deduced following the said method of accounting. No evidence was found during the course of search to s....
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....se of the contract. The profit and loss is established in the last accounting period and transferred to the profit and loss account. The said method determines results only when the contract is completed. This method leads to objective assessment of the results of the contract. On the other hand, the percentage of completion method tries to attain periodic recognition of income in order to reflect current performance. The amount of revenue recognized under this method is determined by reference to the stage of completion of the contract. The stage of completion can be looked at under this method by taking into consideration the proportion that costs incurred to date bears to the estimated total costs of contract. The above indicates the difference between the completed contract method and the percentage of completion method." (underlining ours) 9. After the above judgments of the Supreme Court it cannot be said that the project completion method followed by the assessee would result in deferment of the payment of the taxes which are to be assessed annually under the Income Tax Act. Accounting Standards 7 (AS7) issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of....
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....from the order of the Tribunal and we, therefore, decline to admit the same. 11. Question No.5 relates to the addition of Rs.3,82,94,536/- being stamp duty and electrification charges recoverable by the assessee. This issue is dealt with in paragraph 7 of the assessment order. The Assessing Officer stated that the seized documents revealed that the assessee was charging registration charges @ 7% and was showing the same as loans and advances recoverable from the customers. According to him this was a wrong method of accounting. A similar procedure was found to have been adopted by the assessee in respect of electrification charges which were charged @ 15% and shown to be recoverable as loans and advances. According to the assessing officer these were not items of revenue expenditure since they related to the flats/space and formed part of the cost thereof and therefore they were not adjustable against the revenue of the assessee. According to the assessing officer these items of expenditure could be capitalized and added as part of the work in progress. On these facts he called upon the assessee to explain why the registration and electrification charges collected from customers....
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....n charges as an expense on the debit side or to make an entry in such a manner that the amount is shown as recoverable from the buyers, credit the account with recoveries made from the buyers and if there is any surplus of the recoveries over and above the amount shown as recoverable, offer the same for income tax. The Tribunal held that the assessee has adopted the second of these two methods and both the methods were acceptable. It was also found by the Tribunal that when the assessee paid the registration and electrification charges they were not claimed as deduction in the profit and loss account. On these findings of fact the Tribunal agreed with the CIT(A) that the amount cannot be added. 15. The aforesaid discussion would show that the decision of the Tribunal is based on factual findings recorded by the CIT (A) with which it agreed. No material was brought before the Tribunal or before us to disturb the factual findings recorded by the aforesaid authorities. The decision of the Tribunal is not therefore open to the challenge as being perverse. Further since the Tribunal's decision is based on findings of fact recorded on the basis of the entries made in the books of acco....
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....ng those who advanced monies by cheque, was not attributable to the assessee as the Assessing Officer had never required the assessee to furnish them. On these facts it was pleaded that the addition should be deleted. 18. The CIT (A) disposed of the ground in the following manner:- "7.2 I have considered the assessment order and submissions including the evidences placed on record by the assessee. On perusal of the questionnaire dated 21/10/08 placed in the paper book, it is seen that the assessing officer asked details of advance received against sale of property otherwise than through account payee cheques and giving complete details and confirmations from such buyers/parties. The appellant submitted those and no addition has been made for the said advances received. Thus it is clear that the assessing officer never desired to submit any confirmation for the advances received against sale through account payee cheques and therefore correctly the same were not submitted by the appellant. However, the confirmations along with copies of ledger accounts of the said buyers in the books of the assessee were filed by the assessee during the course of appellate proceed....
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....view, assessee addresses and permanent account numbers of the customers with books of accounts before AO, which is not disputed. The basis of addition i.e. non furnishing of confirmation has not been (sic) specifically insisted by AO and addition was made ignoring addresses and PAN nos. Assessee filed a specific ground of appeal before CIT(A) challenging the AO's finding for asking such confirmations. In the circumstances, assessee produced before CIT(A) the relevant confirmations form the same customers and their ledger accounts in their books of account claiming that 19 customers have been already sold the flats by the time of first appeal. 22. In our view of these facts and circumstances it cannot be held that CIT(A) (sic) violated Rule 46A, he had acted in a judicious and proper manner and his order being based on proper appreciation of facts and record cannot be called violative of a procedural provision. CIT(A) is statutory first appellate authority and has independent power of calling for information and examination of evidences and poses conterminous power of assessment apart from appellate powers. In our view CIT(A)'s order is to be upheld. The matter should not b....
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....that he, while disposing of the appeal, had directed further enquiry and called for the confirmation letters from the assessee even in respect of receipt of monies from customers by way of cheques. Rule 46A is a provision in the Income Tax Rules, 1962 which is invoked, on the other hand, by the assessee who is in an appeal before the CIT (A). Once the assessee invokes Rule 46A and prays for admission of additional evidence before the CIT (A), then the procedure prescribed in the said rule has to be scrupulously followed. The fact that sub-Section (4) of Section 250 confers powers on the CIT (A) to conduct an enquiry as he thinks fit, while disposing of the appeal, cannot be relied upon to contend that the procedural requirements of Rule 46A need not be complied with. If such a plea of the assessee is accepted, it would reduce Rule 46A to a dead letter because it would then be open to every assessee to furnish additional evidence before the CIT (A) and thereafter contend that the evidence should be accepted and taken on record by the CIT (A) by virtue of his powers of enquiry under sub-Section (4) of Section 250. This would mean in turn that the requirement of recording reasons for ....
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....tted ; or (b) where the appellant was prevented by sufficient cause from producing the evidence which he was called upon to produce by the [Assessing Officer] ; or (c) where the appellant was prevented by sufficient cause from producing before the [Assessing Officer] any evidence which is relevant to any ground of appeal ; or (d) where the [Assessing Officer] has made the order appealed against without giving sufficient opportunity to the appellant to adduce evidence relevant to any ground of appeal. (2) No evidence shall be admitted under sub-rule (1) unless the [Deputy Commissioner (Appeals)] [or, as the case may be, the Commissioner (Appeals)] records in writing the reasons for its admission. (3) The [Deputy Commissioner (Appeals)] [or, as the case may be, the Commissioner (Appeals)] shall not take into account any evidence produced under sub-rule (1) unless the [Assessing Officer] has been allowed a reasonable opportunity (a) to examine the evidence or document or to cross-examine the witness produced by the appellant, or (b) to produce any evidence or document or any witness in rebuttal of the additional evi....
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....he order of the CIT (A) to show that the Assessing Officer was confronted with the confirmation letters received by the assessee from the customers who paid the amounts by cheques and asked for comments. Thus, the end result has been that additional evidence was admitted and accepted as genuine without the Assessing Officer furnishing his comments and without verification. Since this is an indispensable requirement, we are of the view that the Tribunal ought to have restored the matter to the CIT (A) with the direction to him to comply with sub-rule (3) of Rule 46A. In our opinion and with respect, the error committed by the Tribunal is that it proceeded to mix up the powers of the CIT (A) under section (4) of Section 250 with the powers vested in him under Rule 46A. The Tribunal seems to have overlooked sub-rule(4) of Rule 46A which itself takes note of the distinction between the powers conferred by the CIT (A) under the statute while disposing of the assessee's appeal and the powers conferred upon him under Rule 46A. The Tribunal erred in its interpretation of the provisions of Rule 46A vis-à-vis Section 250(4). Its view that since in any case the CIT (A), by virtue ....