TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2026 (3) TMI 1736
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....tions as her business transactions, therefore, without disproving the contents of the Affidavit the learned Commissioner erred in sustaining the order of the Assessing Officer, wherein, the transactions of the firm (Petrolbunk) are treated as the turnover of the assessee to estimate the income at Rs.21,70,582/-. 2. The learned Commissioner ought to have appreciated that merely mentioning the assessee PAN in the Bank account of the firm will not become the turnover of the assessee as the income of the assessee, is to be determined considering the facts of the case, therefore, erred in sustaining the order of the Assessing Officer wherein, the transactions of the firm are treated as turnover of the assessee to estimate the income at Rs.21,70,582/-. 3. The learned Commissioner erred in confirming the order of the Assessing Officer, wherein, an amount of Rs.7,23,52,760/- is estimated in the hands of assessee as turnover and further 3% of the such turnover at Rs.21,70,582/- is determined as income. 4. The notice u/s 148 is issued on 07.04.2022, by the jurisdictional Officer Ward-1, Khammam, therefore, the same is an invalid notice for not having issued by the ....
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....ognizance of the fact that the assessee had failed to place on record any documentary evidence to support his claim that the cash deposits/transactions of Rs.7.23 crores (approx.) formed part of the duly accounted turnover of the partnership firm in which he was one of the partner, rejected the same. Thereafter, the AO held the entire amount of cash deposits of Rs.7.23 crores (supra) as the total turnover of the assessee and after applying the profit margin of 3%, determined his business income for the subject year at Rs.21,70,582/-. Thereafter, the AO vide his order passed under section 147 r.w.s 144 r.w.s 144B of the Act, dated 13/02/2024 determined the income of the assessee at Rs.21,70,582/-. 5. Aggrieved, the assessee carried the matter in appeal before the CIT(A) but without success. 6. The assessee being aggrieved with the order of the CIT(A) has carried the matter in appeal before us. 7. We have heard the Learned Authorized Representatives of both parties, perused the orders of the lower authorities and the material available on record. 8. Shri Mohd. Afzal, Advocate, Learned Authorized Representative (for short, "Ld. AR") for the assessee, at the threshold of he....
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....ns of sections 148 to 153, assess or reassess such income or recompute the loss or the depreciation allowance or any other allowance or deduction for such assessment year (hereafter in this section and in sections 148 to 153 referred to as the relevant assessment year). Explanation.-For the purposes of assessment or reassessment or recomputation under this section, the Assessing Officer may assess or reassess the income in respect of any issue, which has escaped assessment, and such issue comes to his notice subsequently in the course of the proceedings under this section, irrespective of the fact that the provisions of section 148A have not been complied with.". Issue of notice where income has escaped assessment 148. Before making the assessment, reassessment or recomputation under section 147, and subject to the provisions of section 148A, the Assessing Officer shall serve on the assessee a notice, along with a copy of the order passed, if required, under clause (d) of section 148A, requiring him to furnish within such period, as may be specified in such notice, a return of his income or the income of any other person in respect of which he is assessable under ....
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....e of any other person on or after the 1st day of April, 2021, pertains or pertain to, or any information contained therein, relate to, the assessee, the Assessing Officer shall be deemed to have information which suggests that the income chargeable to tax has escaped assessment in the case of the assessee for the three assessment years immediately preceding the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which the search is initiated or books of account, other documents or any assets are requisitioned or survey is conducted in the case of the assessee or money, bullion, jewellery or other valuable article or thing or books of account or documents are seized or requisitioned in case of any other person. Explanation 3.-For the purposes of this section, specified authority means the specified authority referred to in section 151." Conducting inquiry, providing opportunity before issue of notice under section 148- "148A. The Assessing Officer shall, before issuing any notice under section 148,- (a) conduct any enquiry, if required, with the prior approval of specified authority, with respect to the information which suggests that the income chargeable to....
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....For the purposes of this section, specified authority means the specified authority referred to in section 151." Time limit for notice- "149. (1) No notice under section 148 shall be issued for the relevant assessment year,- (a) if three years have elapsed from the end of the relevant assessment year, unless the case falls under clause (b); (b) if three years, but not more than ten years, have elapsed from the end of the relevant assessment year unless the Assessing Officer has in his possession books of account or other documents or evidence which reveal that the income chargeable to tax, represented in the form of asset, which has escaped assessment amounts to or is likely to amount to fifty lakh rupees or more for that year: Provided that no notice under section 148 shall be issued at any time in a case for the relevant assessment year beginning on or before 1st day of April, 2021, if such notice could not have been issued at that time on account of being beyond the time limit specified under the provisions of clause (b) of subsection (1) of this section, as they stood immediately before the commencement of the Finance Act, 2021: ....
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....i C.A. Sundaram and Shri S. Ganesh, learned Senior Advocates and other learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respective assessee. 6. It cannot be disputed that by substitution of sections 147 to 151 of the Income Tax Act (IT Act) by the Finance Act, 2021, radical and reformative changes are made governing the procedure for reassessment proceedings. Amended sections 147 to 149 and section 151 of the IT Act prescribe the procedure governing initiation of reassessment proceedings. However, for several reasons, the same gave rise to numerous litigations and the reopening were challenged inter alia, on the grounds such as (1) no valid "reason to believe" (2) no tangible/reliable material /information in possession of the assessing officer leading to formation of belief that income has escaped assessment, (3) no enquiry being conducted by the assessing officer prior to the issuance of notice; and reopening is based on change of opinion of the assessing officer and (4) lastly the mandatory procedure laid down by this Court in the case of GKN Driveshafts (India) Ltd. Vs. Income Tax Officer and ors; (2003) 1 SCC 72, has not been followed. 6.1 Further pre Finance Act, ....
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.... At every stage, the prior approval of the specified authority is required, even for conducting the enquiry as per section 148A(a). Only in a case where, the assessing officer is of the opinion that before any notice is issued under section 148A(b) and an opportunity is to be given to the assessee, there is a requirement of conducting any enquiry, the assessing officer may do so and conduct any enquiry. Thus if the assessing officer is of the opinion that any enquiry is required, the assessing officer can do so, however, with the prior approval of the specified authority, with respect to the information which suggests that the income chargeable to tax has escaped assessment. 6.6 Substituted section 149 is the provision governing the time limit for issuance of notice under section 148 of the IT Act. The substituted section 149 of the IT Act has reduced the permissible time limit for issuance of such a notice to three years and only in exceptional cases ten years. It also provides further additional safeguards which were absent under the earlier regime preFinance Act, 2021. 7. Thus, the new provisions substituted by the Finance Act, 2021 being remedial and benevolen....
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....der the Finance Act, 2021 and in law. Therefore, we propose to modify the judgments and orders passed by the respective High Courts as under: (i) The respective impugned section 148 notices issued to the respective assessee shall be deemed to have been issued under section 148A of the IT Act as substituted by the Finance Act, 2021 and treated to be showcause notices in terms of section 148A(b). The respective assessing officers shall within thirty days from today provide to the assessee the information and material relied upon by the Revenue so that the assessee can reply to the notices within two weeks thereafter; (ii) The requirement of conducting any enquiry with the prior approval of the specified authority under section 148A(a) be dispensed with as a onetime measure vis-a-vis those notices which have been issued under Section 148 of the unamended Act from 01.04.2021 till date, including those which have been quashed by the High Courts; (iii) The assessing officers shall thereafter pass an order in terms of section 148A(d) after following the due procedure as required under section 148A(b) in respect of each of the concerned assessee; (iv) Al....
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....ubject matter of writ petitions before the various respective High Courts shall be deemed to have been issued under section 148A of the IT Act as substituted by the Finance Act, 2021 and construed or treated to be showcause notices in terms of section 148A(b). The assessing officer shall, within thirty days from today provide to the respective assessees information and material relied upon by the Revenue, so that the assessees can reply to the showcause notices within two weeks thereafter; (ii) The requirement of conducting any enquiry, if required, with the prior approval of specified authority under section 148A(a) is hereby dispensed with as a onetime measure visàvis those notices which have been issued under section 148 of the unamended Act from 01.04.2021 till date, including those which have been quashed by the High Courts. Even otherwise as observed hereinabove holding any enquiry with the prior approval of specified authority is not mandatory but it is for the concerned Assessing Officers to hold any enquiry, if required; (iii) The assessing officers shall thereafter pass orders in terms of section 148A(d) in respect of each of the concerned assesse....
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....w. 13. Apropos, the Learned DR's contention that for the purpose of computing the period of three years from the end of the relevant Assessment Year as provided in section 151 of the Act, the period allowed to the assessee, as per show cause notice issued under clause (b) of section 148A of the Act, shall be excluded, we are unable to concur with the same. We say so, for the reason that as the "proviso" to section 151 of the Act (as was then available on the statute) inter alia, contemplating the exclusion of the time period allowed to the assessee, as per show cause notice issued under clause (b) of section 148A, as mentioned in the "fifth proviso" to section 149 of the Act, had been made available on the statute vide Finance Act, 2023, w.e.f. 01/04/2023, therefore, the same cannot be applied to the subject year before us. 14. At this stage, we may herein observe that our aforesaid view that in a case where a period of more than three years have elapsed from the end of the relevant assessment year, then, approval for issuing the notice under section 148 of the Act has to be taken from the Principal Chief Commissioner or Principal Director General or Chief Commissioner or Dir....
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....r Section 148A(d) or before issuance of the notice under Section 148 of the Act. 50. Learned counsel for the respondent has relied upon the proviso to Section 151 of the Act inserted by the Finance Act, 2023 with effect from 01.04.2023 quoted above to contend that the period of seven days furnished to the assessee to submit reply to the notice under Section 148A(b) issued on 23.03.2022 has to be excluded for counting the period of three years. It is submitted that the proviso is clarificatory in nature and as such, it would operate from the date when the amended Section 151 was brought into force i.e., 01.04.2021. However, such a contention is fit to be rejected since the proviso to Section 151 has been inserted by the Finance Act, 2023 only with effect from 01.04.2023. It, therefore, cannot be applied retrospectively to exclude the period of seven days in furnishing the reply to the notice under Section 148A(b) of the Act by the assessee. The Assessing Officer could not have assumed exclusion of such a period while passing the order under Section 148A(d) of the Act or issuing notice under Section 148 of the Act on 07.04.2022 that such a proviso excluding the peri....