TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2019 (7) TMI 1729
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....of the Act and which disallowance ought to be deleted; (ii) not appreciating that all Co-operative Banks wherein the Appellant has invested its funds are primarily Co-operative Societies registered under the Co-operative Societies Act with license to undertake banking activities and the Appellant therefore was fully entitled to the full deduction of interest earned from such banks u/s 80P(2)(d) of the Income Tax Act, 1961; (iii) applying the decisions in the case of Shri Saidatta Cooperative Credit Society Ltd. Vs. ITO, Totgars Co-operative Sale Society Ltd. Vs. ITO (2010) and Vaibhav Co-operative Credit Society vs. ITO when the facts of the case are distinguished from the Appellant's case and the CIT(A) has therefore further erred in wrongly confirming the order of the Learned Income Tax Officer; (iv) not considering the recent IT AT decisions in the case of Merwanjee Cama Park Co-op Housing Society Ltd. Vs. Income Tax Officer - Range 20(2)(2) [ITA No. 6139/Mum/2014 dated 27/09/2017] and Lands End Co-op Housing Society Ltd. Mumbai Vs. ITO Ward 16(1)(3) [ITA No. 3566/Mum/2014 dated 15/01/2016] wherein the facts of the case are identical with that of t....
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....r A.Ys. 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively on the interest income earned by the assessee from cooperative banks and in coming to such conclusion the Ld.CIT(A) referred to the decision of the Coordinate Bench and also the decision of the Hon'ble Apex court in the case of The Totgar Cooperative Sales Society Limited v. ITO [322 ITR 283]. He also relied on the Coordinate Bench decision in the case of Vaibhav Cooperative Credit Society v. ITO in ITA.No. 5819/Mum/2014 dated 17.03.2017. 4. Ld. DR vehemently supported the orders of the authorities below. 5. Heard rival submissions, perused the orders of the authorities below. The issue in the case of The Totgar Cooperative Sales Society Limited v. ITO (supra) is as to whether the interest on surplus funds is eligible for deduction u/s. 80P(2)(a)(i) of the Act or is it assessable to tax under the head other sources. It was not the question as to whether the assessee a cooperative society engaged in the business of providing credit facilities to its members is entitled for deduction u/s. 80P(2)(d) of the Act on the interest income from cooperative Banks or cooperative societies. The facts in the case before the Hon'b....
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....by the cooperative society from the cooperative bank is eligible for deduction u/s. 80P(2)(d) of the Act. While holding so, the Hon'ble High Court also considered the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of the very same assessee reported in 322 ITR 283 as The Totgar Cooperative Sales Society Limited v. ITO. The Hon'ble High Court held as under: - "5. The learned counsel for the Revenue has pleaded that two substantial questions of law are raised in the present appeal, namely, 1. Whether the learned Tribunal was justified in deleting the additions made by the Assessing Authority being the disallowed deduction claimed u/S 80P(2)(d) of the Income Tax Act and in the light of the decision of the Supreme Court with regard to the same exact assessee as the present one, namely, The Totgars Co-operative Sale Society Ltd., Vs. Income Tax Officer in Civil Appeal Nos.1622 to 1629/2010 decided by the Apex Court on 08.02.2010 or not? 2. Whether, in the facts and circumstances of the case, the Tribunal is justified in not following the decision rendered by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Civil Appeal No. 1622 of 2010, wherein the Apex Court has to....
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....ts total income. Therefore, the Assessing Officer was not justified in denying the said deduction to the assessee respondent. 11. The learned counsel has relied on the case of The Totgars Co-operative Sale Society Ltd. Vs. Income Tax Officer, (supra). However, the said case dealt with the interpretation, and the deduction, which would be applicable under Section 80P(2)(a)(i) of the I.T. Act. For, in the present case the interpretation that is required is of Section 80P(2)(d) of the I.T. Act and not Section 80P(2)(a)(i) of the I.T. Act. Therefore, the said judgment is inapplicable to the present case. Thus, neither of the two substantial questions of law canvassed by the learned counsel for the Revenue even arise in the present case." 10. Following the above said decision, similar view has been taken by the Coordinate Bench in the cases of ITO v. Abhylaxhmi Co-op Credit Society Ltd in ITA.No. 1525/Mum/2017 dated 31.07.2017 and Kalindas Udyog Bhavan Premises Co-op Society Ltd., v. ITO in ITA.No. 6547/Mum/2017 dated 25.04.2018." 6. In the case of Kaliandas Udyog Bhavan Premises Co-op Hsg Society v. ITO in ITA.No. 6547/Mum/2017 dated 25.04.2018 the Coordinate Bench....
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....erative society under Sec. 80P(2)(d) in respect of the interest income on their investments parked with a co-operative bank. We have given a thoughtful consideration to the issue before us and are of the considered view that as long as it is proved that the interest income is being derived by a co-operative society from its investments made with any other co-operative society, the claim of deduction under the aforesaid statutory provision, viz. Sec. 80P(2)(d) would be duly available. We may herein observe that the term "co-operative society‟ had been defined under Sec. 2(19) of the Act, as under: - "(19) "Co-operative society" means a cooperative society registered under the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 (2 of 1912), or under any other law for the time being in force in any state for the registration of cooperative societies;" We are of the considered view, that though the co-operative bank pursuant to the insertion of Sub-section (4) of Sec. 80P would no more be entitled for claim of deduction under Sec. 80P of the Act, but however, as a co-operative bank continues to be a co-operative society registered under the Co-operative Societies Act, 1912 (2 of 1....
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....tion under Sec. 80P(2)(d) on the interest income on the investments parked with a co-operative bank. We further find that the reliance place by the ld. D.R on the order of the ITAT "F" bench, Mumbai in the case of M/s Vaibhav Cooperative Credit Society Vs. ITO-15(3)(4) (ITA No. 5819/Mum/2014, dated 17.03.2017 is also distinguishable on facts. We find that the said order was passed by the Tribunal in context of adjudication of the entitlement of the assessee co-operative bank towards claim of deduction under Sec.80P(2)(a)(i) of the Act. We find that it was in the backdrop of the aforesaid facts that the Tribunal after carrying out a conjoint reading of Sec. 80P(2)(a)(i) r.w. Sec. 80P(4) had adjudicated the issue before them. We are afraid that the reliance placed by the ld. D.R on the aforesaid order of the Tribunal being distinguishable on facts, thus, would be of no assistance for adjudication of the issue before us. Still further, the reliance placed by the Ld. D.R on the order of the ITAT "SMC‟ Bench, Mumbai in the case of Shri Sai Datta Co-operative Credit Society Ltd. Vs. ITO (ITA No. 2379/Mum/2015, dated 15.01.2016, would also not be of any assistance, for the reason th....