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Showing contexts for: Deferred consideration in The Assistant Commissioner Of Income ... vs M/S. Bhoruka Aluminium Limited, Mysuru on 16 August, 2022Matching Fragments
9. Learned Counsel for the assessee on the other hand placed reliance on the decision of the Hon'ble Bombay High Court in the case of CIT Vs. Mrs.Hemal Raju Shete ITA No.2348 of 2013 dated dated 29th March, 2016. In that case, under an agreement dated 25.1.2006, Shete family sold their business for a sale consideration of Rs.20 Crores. The AO considered the entire sale consideration of Rs.20 crores for the purpose of computation of capital gain. The CIT(A) observed that the agreement dated 25th January, 2006 also provided for deferred consideration which was capped at Rs.20 crores, which had to be paid in terms of formula prescribed in the agreement dated 25th January, 2006. The working out of the formula could lead and in fact had led to a situation where no amount on account of deferred consideration for the sale of shares was receivable by the assessee in the immediate succeeding assessment year i.e. assessment year 2007-08. On the analysis of agreement, the Commissioner of Income-Tax (Appeals) concluded that the amount of Rs.20 crores is the maximum amount that could be received by all co-owners under the agreement from M/s. RKHS. However, on working of the formula there was no guarantee that this amount or for that matter any amount would be received. He therefore held that the amount received/ accrued alone be considered for compuitating capital gain. The Tribunal held that what amount has to be brought to tax is the amount which has been received and/or accrued to the assessee and not any notional or hypothetical income as the revenue is seeking to tax the assessee in the subject assessment year 2006-07. On further appeal, the revenue contended that in terms of section 45(1) of the Act that transfer of capital asset would attract the capital gains tax and the amount to be taxed under section 45(1) is not dependent upon the receipt of the consideration. The Hon'ble High Court held that in the subject assessment year no right to claim any particular amount gets vested in the hands of the assessee. Therefore, entire amount of Rs.20 crores which is sought to be taxed by the Assessing Officer is not the amount which has accrued to the assessee. The test of accrual is whether there is a right to receive the amount though later and such right is legally enforceable. The amounts to be received as deferred consideration under the agreement could not therefore be subjected to tax in the assessment year 2006-07 as the same has not accrued during the year. The following were the relevant observations of the Court:
"8. In the present case, from the reading of the above clauses of the agreement the deferred consideration is payable over a period of four years i.e. 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10. Further the formula prescribed in the agreement itself makes it clear that the deferred consideration to be received by the respondent-assessee in the four years would be dependent upon the profits made by M/s. Unisol in each of the years. Thus in case M/s. Unisol does not make net profit in terms of the formula for the year under consideration for payment of deferred consideration then no amount would be payable to the respondent-assessee as deferred consideration. The consideration of Rs.20 crores is not an assured consideration to be received by the Shete family. It is only the maximum that could be received. Therefore it is not a case where any consideration out of Rs.20 crores or part thereof (after reducing Rs.2.70 crores) has been received or has accrued to the respondent assessee. As observed by the Apex Court in Morvi Industries Ltd. vs. CIT (1971) 82 ITR 835. "The income can be said to accrue when it becomes due.... The moment the income accrues, the assessee gets vested right to claim that amount, even though not immediately." In fact the application of formula in the agreement dated 25th January, 2006 itself makes the amount which is receivable as deferred consideration contingent upon the profits of M/s.Unisol and not an ascertained amount. Thus in the subject assessment year no right to claim any particular amount gets vested in the hands of the respondent-assessee. Therefore, entire amount of Rs.20 crores which is sought to be taxed by the Assessing Officer is not the amount which has accrued to the respondent- assessee. The test of accrual is whether there is a right to receive the amount though later and such right is legally enforceable. In fact as observed by the Supreme Court in E.D. Sassoon & Co. Ltd. Vs. CIT (1954) 26 ITR 27 "It is clear therefore that income may accrue to an assesee without the actual receipt of the same. If the assessee acquires a right to receive the income, the income can be said to have accrued to him though it may be received later on its being ascertained. The basic conception is that he must have acquired a right to receive the income. There must be a debt owed to him by somebody. There must be as is otherwise expressed debitum in presenti, solvendum in futuro .... .... ....". In this case all the co-owners of the shares of M/s.Unisol have no right in the subject assessment year to receive Rs.20 crores but that is the maximum which could be received by them. This amount which could be received as deferred consideration is dependent/contingent upon certain uncertain events, therefore, it cannot be said to have accrued to the respondent-assessee. The Tribunal in the impugned order has correctly held that what has to be taxed is the amount received or accrued and not any notional or hypothetical income. As observed by the Apex Court in Commissioner of Income-Tax vs. M/s. Shoorji Vallabdas and Co. (1962) 46 ITR 144 "Income-Tax is a levy on income. No doubt, the Income-Tax Act takes into account two points of time at which liability to tax is attracted, viz., the accrual of its income or its receipt; but the substance of the matter is income, if income does not result, there cannot be a tax, even though in book-keeping an entry is made about a hypothetical income, which does not materialize." In this case Rs.20 crores cap in the agreement is not income in the subject assessment year. It has been observed by the Apex Court in the case of K.P. Varghese vs. Income-
Tax Officer, Ernakulam & Anr. 181 ITR Page 597 that one has to read capital gain provision along with computation provision and the starting point of the computation is "the full value of the consideration received or accruing". In this case the amount of Rs.20 crores is neither received nor it has accrued to the respondent-assessee during the subject assessment year. We are informed that for the subsequent assessment year (save Assessment Year 2007-08 for which there is no deferred consideration on application of formula), the Assessee has offered to tax the amounts which have been received on the application of formula provided in the agreement dated 25th January, 2006 pertaining to the transfer of shares.
9. The contention of the Revenue that the impugned order is seeking to tax the amount on receipt basis by not having brought it to tax in the subject assessment year, is not correct. This for the reason, that the amounts to be received as deferred consideration under the agreement could not be subjected to tax in the assessment year 2006-07 as the same has not accrued during the year. As pointed out above, accrual would be a right to receive the amount and the respondent-assessee alongwith its co-owners have not under the agreement dated 25th January, 2006 obtained a right to receive Rs.20 crores or any specified part thereof in the subject assessment year.