Clarity for Indirect transfer provisions under Section 9 of Income Tax Act w.e.f 01.4.2016

By | December 2, 2015
(Last Updated On: December 2, 2015)

Income deemed to accrue or arise in India.

Following Explanations 6 and 7 shall be inserted after Explanation 5 in clause (i) of sub-section (1) of section 9 by the Finance Act, 2015, w.e.f. 1-4-2016 :

Explanation 6.—For the purposes of this clause, it is hereby declared that—

(a) the share or interest, referred to in Explanation 5, shall be deemed to derive its value substantially from the assets (whether tangible or intangible) located in India, if, on the specified date, the value of such assets—

 (i)  exceeds the amount of ten crore rupees; and

 (ii)  represents at least fifty per cent of the value of all the assets owned by the company or entity, as the case may be;

 (b) the value of an asset shall be the fair market value as on the specified date, of such asset without reduction of liabilities, if any, in respect of the asset, determined in such manner as may be prescribed;

 (c)  “accounting period” means each period of twelve months ending with the 31st day of March:

 (d)  “specified date” means the—

 (i)  date on which the accounting period of the company or, as the case may be, the entity ends preceding the date of transfer of a share or an interest; or

 (ii)  date of transfer, if the book value of the assets of the company or, as the case may be, the entity on the date of transfer exceeds the book value of the assets as on the date referred to in sub-clause (i), by fifteen per cent :

*Provided that where a company or an entity, referred to in Explanation 5, regularly adopts a period of twelve months ending on a day other than the 31st day of March for the purpose of—

 (i)  complying with the provisions of the tax laws of the territory, of which it is a resident, for tax purposes; or

 (ii)  reporting to persons holding the share or interest,

then, the period of twelve months ending with the other day shall be the accounting period of the company or, as the case may be, the entity:

Provided further that the first accounting period of the company or, as the case may be, the entity shall begin from the date of its registration or incorporation and end with the 31st day of March or such other day, as the case may be, following the date of such registration or incorporation, and the later accounting period shall be the successive periods of twelve months:

Provided also that if the company or the entity ceases to exist before the end of accounting period, as aforesaid, then, the accounting period shall end immediately before the company or, as the case may be, the entity, ceases to exist;

Explanation 7.— For the purposes of this clause,—

 (a)  no income shall be deemed to accrue or arise to a non-resident from transfer, outside India, of any share of, or interest in, a company or an entity, registered or incorporated outside India, referred to in the Explanation 5,—

(i)  if such company or entity directly owns the assets situated in India and the transferor (whether individually or along with its associated enterprises), at any time in the twelve months preceding the date of transfer, neither holds the right of management or control in relation to such company or entity, nor holds voting power or share capital or interest exceeding five per cent of the total voting power or total share capital or total interest, as the case may be, of such company or entity; or

(ii) if such company or entity indirectly owns the assets situated in India and the transferor (whether individually or along with its associated enterprises), at any time in the twelve months preceding the date of transfer, neither holds the right of management or control in relation to such company or entity, nor holds any right in, or in relation to, such company or entity which would entitle him to the right of management or control in the company or entity that directly owns the assets situated in India, nor holds such percentage of voting power or share capital or interest in such company or entity which results in holding of (either individually or along with associated enterprises) a voting power or share capital or interest exceeding five per cent of the total voting power or total share capital or total interest, as the case may be, of the company or entity that directly owns the assets situated in India;

 (b) in a case where all the assets owned, directly or indirectly, by a company or, as the case may be, an entity referred to in the Explanation 5, are not located in India, the income of the non-resident transferor, from transfer outside India of a share of, or interest in, such company or entity, deemed to accrue or arise in India under this clause, shall be only such part of the income as is reasonably attributable to assets located in India and determined in such manner as may be prescribed;

 (c) “associated enterprise” shall have the meaning assigned to it in section 92A

EXPLANATORY NOTES TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE FINANCE ACT, 2015 issued by CBDT on 27.11.2015 :-

The provisions of section 9 of the Income-tax Act deal with cases of income which are deemed to accrue or arise in India. Sub-section(1) of the said section creates a legal fiction that certain incomes shall be deemed to accrue or arise in India. Clause(i) of said sub-section (1) provides a set of circumstances in which income accruing or arising, directly or indirectly, is taxable in India. The said clause provides that all income accruing or arising, whether directly or indirectly, through or from any business connection in India, or through or from any property in India, or through or from any asset or source of income in India, or through the transfer of a capital asset situate in India shall be deemed to accrue or arise in India

The Finance Act, 2012 had inserted certain clarificatory amendments in the provisions of section 9. The amendments, inter alia, included insertion of Explanation 5 in section 9(1)(i) w.r.e.f. 1.04.1962 . The Explanation 5 clarified that an asset or capital asset, being any share or interest in a company or entity registered or incorporated outside India shall be deemed to be situated in India if the share or interest derives, directly or indirectly, its value substantially from the assets located in India.

Considering the concerns raised by various stakeholders regarding the scope and impact of these amendments, an Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Parthasarathi Shome was constituted by the Government to go into the various aspects relating to the amendments.

The recommendations of the Expert Committee were considered and a number of recommendations (either in full or with partial modifications) were accepted for implementation either by way of an amendment of the Act or by way of issuance of a clarificatory circular in due course. In order to give effect to the recommendations, the provisions of section 9 relating to indirect transfer have been amended by the Act to provide that:-

(i) the share or interest of a foreign company or entity shall be deemed to derive its value substantially from the assets (whether tangible or intangible) located in India, if on the specified date, the value of Indian assets,-

(a) exceeds the amount of ten crore rupees ; and

(b) represents at least fifty per cent. of the value of all the assets owned by the company or entity.

(ii) value of an asset shall mean the fair market value of such asset without reduction of liabilities, if any, in respect of the asset.

(iii) the specified date of valuation shall be the date on which the accounting period of the company or entity, as the case may be, ends preceding the date of transfer.

(iv) however, if the book value of the assets of the company on the date of transfer exceeds by at least 15% of the book value of the assets as on the last balance sheet date preceding the date of transfer, then instead of the date mentioned in (iii) above, the date of transfer shall be the specified date of valuation.

(v) the manner of determination of fair market value of the Indian assets vis-a vis global assets of the foreign company shall be prescribed in the rules.

(vi) the taxation of gains arising on transfer of a share or interest deriving, directly or indirectly, its value substantially from assets located in India will be on proportional basis. The method for determination of proportionality shall be prescribed in the rules.

(vii) the exemption shall be available to a non-resident from transfer, outside India, of a share of, or interest in, a foreign company or entity if such foreign company or entity directly owns the assets situated in India and the transferor along with its associated enterprises, at any time in twelve months preceding the date of transfer,

(a) neither holds the right of control or management in relation to such company or entity,

(b) nor holds voting power or share capital or interest exceeding five per cent. of the total voting power or total share capital or total interest, in the foreign company or entity .

(viii) in case the transfer is of shares or interest in a foreign company or entity which holds the Indian assets indirectly, then the exemption shall be available to the transferor if he along with its associated enterprises, at any time in 12 months preceding the date of transfer,-

(a) neither holds the right of management or control in relation to such company or the entity,

(b) nor holds any right in, or in relation to, such company or entity which would entitle him to the right of control or management of the direct holding company or entity, nor holds such percentage of voting power, or share capital or interest in such company or entity which entitles him to the voting power, or share capital or interest exceeding five percent. in the direct holding company or entity.

(ix) exemption shall be available in respect of any transfer, subject to certain conditions ,in a scheme of amalgamation, of a capital asset, being a share of a foreign company which derives, directly or indirectly, its value substantially from the share or shares of an Indian company, held by the amalgamating foreign company to the amalgamated foreign company.

(x) exemption shall be available in respect of any transfer, subject to certain conditions, in a demerger, of a capital asset, being a share of a foreign company which derives, directly or indirectly, its value substantially from the share or shares of an Indian company, held by the demerged foreign company to the resulting foreign company.

(xi) there shall be a reporting obligation on Indian concern through or in which the Indian assets are held by the foreign company or the entity. The Indian entity shall be obligated to furnish information relating to the off-shore transaction having the effect of directly or indirectly modifying the ownership structure or control of the Indian company or entity. In case of any failure on the part of Indian concern in this regard a penalty shall be leviable under section 271GA. The penalty shall be-

(a) a sum equal to two percent of the value of the transaction in respect of which such failure has taken place if such transaction had the effect of directly or indirectly transferring the right of management or control in relation to the Indian concern; and

(b) a sum of five lakh rupees in any other case.

Applicability: – These amendments take effect from 1st April, 2016 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2016-17 and subsequent assessment years.

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