No tax on Interest awarded on compensation for personal disability

By | July 5, 2016
(Last Updated On: July 5, 2016)

IN THE INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL,

AHMEDABAD A BENCH, AHMEDABAD

Urvi Chirag Sheth ………………….Appellant

Vs.

Income Tax Officer

Ward 5(2)(3), Ahmedabad ……………….Respondent

S. 56(2)(vii)/ 145A: Interest awarded on compensation for personal disability does not have the character of “income” and cannot be taxed. CBDT requested to issue instructions to mitigate hardship of accident victims

Clearly, unless a receipt is not an income, there is no occasion for the provisions of Section 56(1) or 56(2) coming into play. Section 56 does not decide what is an income. What it holds is that if there is an income, which is not taxable under any of the heads under Section 14, i.e item A to E, it is taxable under the head ‘income from other sources’. The receipt being in the nature of income is a condition precedent for Section 56 coming into play, and not vice versa. To suggest that since an item is listed under section 56(2), even without there being anything to show that it is of income nature, it can be brought to tax is like putting the cart before the horse. The very approach of the authorities below is devoid of legally sustainable merits. The authorities below were thus completely in error in bringing the interest awarded by Hon’ble Supreme Court to tax

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