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Clarifications on Rollback Provisions of Advance Pricing Agreement Scheme

Last updated: 12 June 2015


Circular No. 10/2015
F.No. 500/7/2015-APA-II
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Direct Taxes
Foreign Tax and Tax Research Division-I
APA-II Section

New Delhi, dated 10th June, 2015

Subject: Clarifications on Rollback Provisions of Advance Pricing Agreement Scheme

The Advance Pricing Agreement provisions were introduced in 2012 through insertion of sections 92CC and 92CD in the Income-tax Act, 1961 by the Finance Act, 2012. Subsequently, the Advance Pricing Agreement Scheme was notified vide S.O. 2005 (E), dated 30/8/2012, thereby inserting Rules 10F to 10T and Rule 44GA in the Income-tax Rules, 1962.

2. Rollback provisions in the APA Scheme were introduced through subsection (9A) inserted in section 92CC by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2014 and the relevant rules, namely, Rules 10MA and 10RA, have been notified recently vide S.O. 758(E) dated 14th March, 2015 and S.O. 915(E) dated 1st April, 2015. Subsequent to the notification of the rules, requests for clarification regarding certain issues have been received in the Central Board of Direct Taxes. In order to clarify such issues, the Board has decided to adopt a Question and Answer format and the clarifications are hereby provided as below:

Q.1 Under rule 10 MA(2)(ii) there is a condition that the return of income for the relevant roll back year has been or is furnished by the applicant before the due date specified in Explanation 2 to sub-section (1) of section 139 of the Incometax Act (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Act’). It is not clear as to whether applicants who have filed returns under section 139(4) or 139(5) of the Act would be eligible for roll back.

Answer:

The return of income under section 139(5) of the Act can be filed only when a return under section 139(1) has already been filed. Therefore, the return of income filed under section 139(5) of the Act, replaces the original return of income filed under section 139(1) of the Act. Hence, if there is a return which is filed under section 139(5) of the Act to revise the original return filed before the due date specified in Explanation 2 to sub-section (1) of section 139, the applicant would be entitled for rollback on this revised return of income. However, rollback provisions will not be available in case of a return of income filed under section 139(4) because it is a return which is not filed before the due date.

Q.2 Rule 10MA (2)(i) mandates that the rollback provision shall apply in respect of an international transaction that is same as the international transaction to which the agreement (other than the rollback provision) applies. It is not clear what is the meaning of the word “same”. Further, it is not clear whether this restriction also applies to the Functions, Assets, Risks (FAR) analysis.

Answer:

The international transaction for which a rollback provision is to be allowed should be the same as the one proposed to be undertaken in the future years and in respect of which the agreement has been reached. There cannot be a situation where rollback is finalised for a transaction which is not covered in the agreement for future years. The term same international transaction implies that the transaction in the rollback year has to be of same nature and undertaken with the same associated enterprise(s), as proposed to be undertaken in the future years and in respect of which agreement has been reached. In the context of FAR analysis, the restriction would operate to ensure that rollback provisions would apply only if the FAR analysis of the rollback year does not differ materially from the FAR validated for the purpose of reaching an agreement in respect of international transactions to be undertaken in the future years for which the agreement applies.

The word “materially” is generally being defined in the Advance Pricing Agreements being entered into by CBDT. According to this definition, the word “materially” will be interpreted consistently with its ordinary definition and in a manner that a material change of facts and circumstances would be understood as a change which could reasonably have resulted in an agreement with significantly different terms and conditions.
 
Please refer to the attached file for more details


Category Income Tax   Report

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