Government of India
                                     Ministry of Finance
                                  Department of Revenue
                                Central Board of Direct Taxes

                                                              New Delhi, 24th January, 2017.

                                        Press Release

  CBDT issues Guiding Principles for determination of Place of Effective Management
                                     (POEM) of a Company

       The concept of POEM for deciding the residential status of a company was introduced
by the Finance Act, 2015. It is effective from 01.04.2016 and accordingly shall apply from
assessment year 2017-18 onwards. The guidelines for determining the POEM has been
uploaded on website of the Income-tax Department (www.incometaxindia.gov.in). These
guidelines of POEM have been finalised, after placing draft guidelines in public domain for
seeking comments from stakeholders and general public, and with extensive consultations
thereafter.






        The final guidelines on POEM contain some unique features. Active Business Outside
India (ABOI) test has been provided, so as not to cover companies outside India which are
engaged in active business. The intent is not to target Indian Multi Nationals which are engaged
in business activity outside India. The intent is to target shell companies and companies which
are created for retaining income outside India although real control and management of affairs
is located in India. It is emphasised that these guidelines are not intended to cover foreign
companies or to tax their global income, merely on the ground of presence of Permanent
Establishment or Business connection in India.

      Adequate administrative safeguards have been incorporated in the guidelines by
mandating that the Assessing officer (AO), before initiating inquiry for POEM in a case of a
taxpayer, will seek approval from Principal Commissioner of Income Tax/ Commissioner of
Income-tax. The AO shall also obtain approval from Collegium of Principal Commissioners of
Income-tax before holding that POEM of a non-resident company is in India.






       It has been further decided that the POEM guidelines shall not apply to companies
having turnover or gross receipts of Rs. Fifty crore or less in a financial year.

       The guidelines also contain illustrations to clarify the situations whether POEM shall or
shall not apply.

                                                         (Meenakshi J. Goswami)
                                                      Commissioner of Income Tax
                                                      (Media and Technical Policy)
                                                      Official Spokesperson, CBDT.