Need Tally
for Clients?

Contact Us! Here

  Tally Auditor

License (Renewal)
  Tally Gold

License Renewal

  Tally Silver

License Renewal
  Tally Silver

New Licence
  Tally Gold

New Licence
 
Open DEMAT Account with in 24 Hrs and start investing now!
« ITAT-Constitution of Benches »
Open DEMAT Account in 24 hrs
 Mere Securing a House on Rent in USA is not conclusive fact that Assessee is US Resident to Allow DTAA Benefit: ITAT
 20 LPA Opening Hiring Qualified CA For Assurance Manager Profile
 Non-Filing of Income Tax Return amounts to Escapement of Income: ITAT upholds Reassessment u/s 147
 Non Appreciation of facts in true perspective: ITAT sets aside Revision Order
 No Evidence of Tax Evasion by showing Fictitious or False Transactions: ITAT deletes Addition of Expenditure u/s 40A(3)
 Earning Interest Income from Inter-Corporate Deposit is Business Income: ITAT
 Income Tax Penalty u/s 271E cannot be levied in the absence of Regular Assessment: ITAT
 ITAT deletes Addition u/s 68 of Income Tax Act Firm not Taxable for Capital introduced by Partner
 Payment for Facebook Ads and Other Digital Advertising Companies not subject to TDS as per DTAA: ITAT
 No Service Tax Leviable on Goods component of Composite Works Contract as VAT has been paid: CESTAT
 ITAT deletes Addition on Account of Investment made from Undisclosed Sources as all Transactions were made through Banking Channels

ITAT: TAX is payable on import of all software
October, 29th 2010

TAX is payable on import of all software , even if the sale does not involve exercise of copyright, according to a Delhi tax tribunal order in a case relating to Microsoft.

While the order, passed on October 28, is significant in terms of the liability to withold tax from payments made while importing software, the Delhi Income-Tax Appellate Order (ITAT) attracted the attention of tax professionals on account of its observation that questioned the sanctity of tax treaties.

In the order, which may spark multiple litigations , the division bench of ITAT observed that it is not necessary that provisions of tax treaties always override the provisions of domestic tax laws. In a situation, where a provision in the domestic tax law is incorporated after the signing of a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), it is the domestic law that will override DTAA. According to the existing position, if there is a conflict
between domestic tax laws and treaty provisions, the latter is supreme.

This is the first time that a judicial body or quasi judicial body has observed that domestic law can override treaty provisions. This observation was made while holding that royalty is payable by Microsoft. The ITAT has for the first time challenged the superiority of DTAAs India has signed with many countries.

The order says, Assuming there was a conflict between the Act and the DTAA, the proposition that DTAA will prevail over the Act is not infallible. Later domestic tax legislation can override treaty provisions if there is an irreconcilable conflict (Gramophone India case).

While the judgement assumes importance because of its offbeat approach on the sanctity of tax treaties, the order has a direct bearing on the software industry in India which now has to pay tax on all imports of software, irrespective of whether the purchase is a copyright or not. Currently, there are some judgements in favour of the assessee, if the software is a single user licence for use by oneself. In such cases, the licence was tantamount to a copyrighted product and, hence, should not suffer withholding tax because there is no exploitation of copyright in the licence. The Delhi ITAT order changes this.

Vispi Patel of Vispi T Patel & Associates said, The Delhi bench has quoted Supreme Court order in the case of Gramophone India. The context in both the cases are different and, therefore, it is not right in applying the same yardstick in the case of Microsoft.

The order is a significant departure from how payments for purchase of off-the-shelf software have been viewed by the appellate authorities earlier. It holds that such payments would be for use of a copyright (and not for use of copyrighted article) and would be taxable on a gross basis. The far reaching implications of this proposition apart, the judgement speaks of a treaty override by a subsequent domestic legislation if there is an irreconcilable conflict .

Home | About Us | Terms and Conditions | Contact Us
Copyright 2024 CAinINDIA All Right Reserved.
Designed and Developed by Ritz Consulting