TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2014 (3) TMI 1010
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....he findings of the assessing authority that the appellant was a co-op society carrying business of banking to rope-in the provisions of Sec.80P(4) of the Act to deny the exemption. 4. The learned Commissioner (A) ought to have appreciated the appellant is not a co-op bank, not governed by Banking Regulations Act or RBI Act and consequently the provisions of Sec.80P(4) of the Act are not applicable and accordingly the income of the society is fully exempted u/s.80P(2)(a)(i) of the Act. ITA No. 143/PNJ/2013:- 6. On the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the learned Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals) ought to have accepted the explanation and evidence furnished and held that the appellant was entitled to the deduction u/s.80P(2)(a)(i) of the Act. 7. The learned Commissioner (A) ought to have appreciated that the appellant was a co-op society providing credit facilities to its members and accordingly the appellant was entitled to the exemption u/s.80P(2)(a)(i) of the Act. 8. The learned Commissioner (A) erred in upholding the findings of the assessing authority that the appellant was a co-op society carrying business of banking to rope-in the provisions of Sec.80....
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....nd 863 of 2013. Attention was also drawn towards the decision of the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court in the case of Vyavasaya Seva Sahakara Sangha vs. State of Karnataka & Ors. for the proposition of law by referring to para 12 that merely because the co-operative society is required to advance loan to its members, it does not cease to be a co-operative society governed by the Co-operative Societies Act nor can they be treated as banking companies. The activities carried out by the society cannot be regarded to be banking activities as contemplated under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Reliance was also placed on the decision of the Bangalore Bench of this Tribunal in ITA No. 72/Bang/2013 in the case of ITO vs. Divyajyothi Credit Co-operative Society Ltd. for the A.Y 2009-10 in which it was held that the provisions of Sec. 80P(4) are applicable only to credit co-operative banks and not to credit co-operative society. Reliance was also placed on the decision of the Panaji Bench in the case of DCIT vs. Jayalakshmi Mahila Vividodeshagala Souharda Sahakari Ltd. in ITA No. 1 to 3/PNJ/2012 dt. 30.3.2012. 3.2 The ld. DR, on the other hand vehemently contended that the Assessee is a co....
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....ural development activities." From the plain reading of Sec. 80P(2)(a)(i) it is apparent that if the co-operative society is engaged in carrying of business of banking or providing credit facilities to its members, the co-operative society is entitled for deduction on whole of the income relating to any one or more of such business. From the reading of Sec. 80P(4) it is apparent that this section denies deduction to a co-operative bank other than a primary agricultural credit society or primary co-operative agricultural and rural development bank. The provisions of Sec. 80P(4) was introduced in the statute by the Finance Act, 2006 w.e.f. 1.4.2007. The explanation to the section defines the co-operative bank and primary agricultural credit society to have the same meaning as assigned to them in Part-V of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. It is not the case of either of the parties that the Assessee is a primary co-operative agricultural and rural development bank. It is also not the claim of the Assessee that Assessee is a primary agricultural credit society. If we read both the sections, Sec. 80P(2)(a)(i) and Sec. 80P(4) together, we find that the provisions of Sec. 80P(4) mandate....
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.... of such activities. This pre-supposes that eligible co-operative society can carry on either one of these two businesses or can carry both these businesses for the members. If the Assessee co-operative society carries on one or both of the activities, it will be eligible for deduction. These two activities are (a) co-operative society engaged in carrying on business of banking facilities to its members or (b) co-operative society engaged in providing credit facilities to its members. Both the activities must be carried on by the co-operative society for its members. If a co-operative society is engaged in carrying on these activities/facilities for the persons other than its members, the co-operative society, in our opinion, will not be eligible for deduction u/s 80P(2)(a)(i) on the income which it derives from carrying on the activities not relating to its members. Therefore, where a co-operative society is engaged in carrying on business of banking facilities to its members and to the public or providing credit facilities to its members or to the public, the income which relates to the business of banking facilities to its members or providing credit facilties to its members wil....
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....complies with all the three conditions. In case, it does not comply with all the three conditions, it cannot be regarded to be a co-operative bank and the provisions of Sec. 80P(4), in our opinion, will not be applicable in the case of the Assessee. Once, the Assessee will not fall within the provisions of Sec. 80P(4), the Assessee, in our opinion, will be eligible to get deduction u/s 80P(2)(a)(i) in respect of whole of the income which the Assessee derives from carrying on the business of banking or providing credit facilities to its members. 3.3.6 Whether condition no. 1 is applicable in the case of the Assessee, for this we have to look into the bye-laws of the Assessee. The objects of the Assessee in this case are enumerated as under : "i. The object of the society shall be to promote the economic interest of its members and to encourage thrift, savings, co-operation and self help among themselves. ii. To create funds by means of deposits and borrowings thereafter to lend to members of the society at moderate rate of interest. iii. To carry on the business of advancing money in general. iv. To lend money to small scale industries and traders. v. To advance loans t....
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....erefore, the Assessee satisfies the second condition. So far as the third condition is concerned, we noted that Sec. 16 of The Karnataka State Co-operative Societies Act, 1959 permits admission of any other co-operative society as a member. The provisions of Sec. 16 are laid down as under : "16. Persons who may become members - [(1) Subject to the provisions of Section 17, no person shall be admitted as a member of a co-operative society except the following, namely:-- [(a) an individual who needs the services of such co-operative society [and is residing in the area of the operation of the society] and is competent to enter into contract under the Contract Act, 1872 (Central Act IX of 1872);] [(a-1) a depositor;] (b) any other co-operative society; (c) the State Government or the Central Government; (d) the Life Insurance Corporation of India, State Warehousing Corporation and such other institutions as may be approved by the State Government; (e) a firm, a company or any other body corporate constituted under any law for the time being in force including a society registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960 (Karnataka Act 17 of 1960); (f) a Mark....
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.... this decision, under para 23 the Tribunal has given a finding that the Assessee is carrying on banking business and for all practical purposes it acts like a co-operative bank. The Society is governed by the Banking Regulations Act. Therefore, the society being a co-operative bank providing banking facilities to members is not eligible to claim deduction u/s 80P(2)(a)(i) after the introduction of sub-section (4) to section 80P. In view of this finding, the Assessee was denied deduction u/s 80P(2)(a)(i). We have also gone through the decision of the Bangalore Bench of the Tribunal in the case of ITO vs. Divyajyothi Credit Co-operative Society Ltd. (supra) in ITA No. 72/Bang/2013. In this case, we noted that the Hon'ble Tribunal confirmed the order of CIT(A) following the decision of the Tribunal in the case of ACIT, Circle 3(1), Bangalore vs. M/s. Bangalore Commercial Transport Credit Co-operative Society Ltd. in ITA No. 1069/Bang/2010 holding that Sec. 80P(2)(a)(i) is applicable only to a co-operative bank and not to credit co-operative society. With due regards to the Bench, we are unable to find any term „credit co-operative society‟ u/s 80P(2)(a)(i) or u/s 80P(4....