TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2020 (10) TMI 715
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....primary Agricultural Credit Co-operative Society and whole of the income of the assessee is exempt u/s 80P(2)(a)(i). 3. That the order of the ld. CIT (A) is bad in law and deserves to be quashed. 4. That the appellant reserves the right to add, amend, withdraw or alter any grounds of appeal before the finalization of said appeal." The hearing of the appeal is concluded through Video Conference due to prevailing condition of COVID 19 pandemic. 2. The ld. A/R of the assessee has submitted that the ld. CIT (A) has confirmed the disallowance of deduction under section 80P(2)(a)(i) on the ground that the interest received by the assessee from Jaipur Central Cooperative Bank is not covered under section 80P(2)(d) of the IT Act as the assessee has not produced any document to prove that Jaipur Central Cooperative Bank is a Cooperative Society. He has produced a Certificate issued by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies in respect of Jaipur Central Cooperative Bank and submitted that the said Cooperative Bank is a Cooperative Society registered under the Cooperative Societies Act. Thus the ld. A/R has contended that the interest received by the assessee from Ja....
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....he assessee has not produced any document to prove that Jaipur Central Cooperative Bank is a Cooperative Society. Now the assessee has produced the Certificate issued by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies whereby Jaipur Central Cooperative Bank was registered as a Cooperative Society. As regards the objection of the ld. D/R regarding production of this Certificate at this stage as an additional evidence, it is to be noted that the Certificate produced by the assessee is not the assessee's own document but it is a document otherwise available in public domain and issued by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies. Therefore, this fact cannot be disputed or the Certificate issued by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies cannot be doubted. Accordingly, I do not find any substance in the objection made by the ld. D/R against the production of the Certificate issued by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies. Once Jaipur Central Cooperative Bank is found to be a Cooperative Society, the interest received from the said Cooperative Bank/Society is eligible for deduction under section 80P(2)(d). The Coordinate Bench of this Tribunal in case of ITO vs. Shree Keshorai Patan Sahakari Sug....
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....ide deduction in respect of income by way of interest or dividend on investments made with other Cooperative society. For the purposes of better proper understanding of these two provisions the relevant extract of the section are reproduced below: 80P: Deduction in respect of income of co-operative Societies. 1. Where, in the case of an assesssee being a co-operative society, the gross total income, includes any income referred to in sub-section (2), there shall be deducted, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of this section, the sums specified in sub-section (2), in computing the total income of the assessee. 2. The sums referred to in sub-section (1) shall be the following, namely:- (a) In the case of a co-operative society engaged in- (i) Carrying on the business of banking or providing credit facilities to its members. The whole of the amount of profits and gains of business attributable to any one or more of much attributes. (d) In respect of any income by way of interest or dividends derived by the cooperative society from its investments with any other co-operative society, the whole of such income.....
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....nd therefore the appeal of the assessee is allowed by reversing the order of the CIT(A). The AO is directly accordingly." 6.2 We further note that the Hon'ble Jurisdictional High Court in the case of CIT vs. Rajasthan Rajya Sahakari Kray Vikray Sangh Ltd. (Supra) by following the decision of Hon'ble Gujarat High Court in the case of Surat Vankar Sahakari Sangh Ltd. vs. ACIT, 72 taxmann.com 169 has held in as under: "8. We have considered the decisions cited by learned advocate for the assessee as well as the revenue. We feel that the decisions cited by the learned advocate for the assessee shall be applicable on the facts of the present case. In the case of K. Nandakumar v. ITO [1993] 204 ITR 856/[1994] 72 Taxman 223 (Ker.), the Kerala High Court has held as under: '4. The effect of Section 80AB is that, for the purpose of computing the deduction under Section 80L, the amount of income of that nature as computed in accordance with the provisions of the Act shall alone be deemed to be the amount of income of that nature. What the section means is that the net income by way of interest computed in the manner provided by the provisions of the Ac....
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.... allowed. To appreciate this argument, we have to look to the provisions of Section 80P(2)(d) of the Act, For facility of reference, it is reproduced as under : "80P. (2)(d) in respect of any income by way of interest or dividends derived by the co-operative society from its investments with any other co- operative society, the whole of such income." 6. So far as the principle of interpretation applicable to a taxing statute is concerned, we can do no better than to quote the by-now classic words of Rowlatt J., in Cape Brandy Syndicate v. IRC [1921] 1 KB 64, 71 : "...In a taxing Act, one has to look merely at what is clearly said. There is no room for any intendment. There is no equity about a tax. There is no presumption as to a tax. Nothing is to be read in, nothing is to be implied. One can only look fairly at the language used," 7. The principle laid down by Rowlatt J., has also been time and again approved and applied by the Supreme Court in different cases including the one, Hansraj Gordhandas v. H. H. Dave, Assistant Collector of Central Excise and Customs, AIR 1970 SC 755, 759. 8. Section 80P(2)(d) of the Act al....
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....ess purpose more particularly purchase of yarn and not for fixed deposits. 9. In view of the above, the questions raised in the present appeals are answered in favour of the assessee and against the revenue. The order passed by the Tribunal is accordingly quashed and set aside." 6.3. Further the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court in case of PCIT and Another vs. Totagars Co-operative Sale Society 392 ITR 0074 as relied upon by the Ld. AR of the assessee as held in para 7 to 11 as under:- "7. However, the contention being taken by the learned counsel is untenable. For the issue that was before the ITAT, was a limited one, namely whether for the purpose of Section 80P(2)(d) of the Act, a Co-operative Bank should be considered as a Co-operative Society or not? For, if a Co operative Bank is considered to be a Cooperative Society, then any interest earned by the Cooperative Society from a Co-operative Bank would necessarily be deductable under Section 80P(1) of the Act. 8. The issue whether a Co-operative Bank is considered to be a Cooperative Society is no longer res integra. For the said issue has been decided by the ITAT itself in different cases. Moreov....