Prohibited use or application of income or property of Charitable trust

When any part of the income or any property of the trust whenever created, is, during the previous year, used or applied directly, for the benefit of any person referred to in section 13(3), the denial of exemption operates.

Section 13(2) specifies a few particular instances where the income or the property is to be deemed to have been used for the benefit of a person referred to in section 13(3). It should be noted that those particular instances do not in any way restrict the general meaning of the expression "used or applied for the benefit of a person”. The provisions of section 13(2) are as follows:

The income or the property of the trust or institution or any part of such income or property is to be deemed to have been used or applied for the benefit of a person referred to in section 13(3) in the following cases:

• Loan without adequate interest or adequate security - If any part of the income or the property of the trust or institution is or continues to be lent to any person referred to in section 13(3) for any period during the previous year without either adequate security or adequate interest or both.
• Allowing use of property without adequate rent - If any land, building or other property of the trust or institution is or continues to be, made available, for the use of any person referred to in section 13(3) for any period during the previous year without charging adequate rent or other compensation.
• Excess payment for services - If any amount is paid out of the resources of the trust or institution to any of the persons referred to in section 13(3) for services rendered to the trust or institution but such amount is in excess of a reasonable sum payable for such services.
• Inadequate remuneration for services rendered - If the services of the trust or institution are made available to any person referred to section 13(3) without ade- quate remuneration or other compensation.
• Excess payment for purchase of property - If any share, security or other property is purchased by or on behalf of the trust or institution from any person referred to in section 13(3) during the previous year for a consideration which is more than adequate.
• Inadequate consideration for property sold - If any share, security or other property is sold by or on behalf of the trust or institution to any person referred to in section 13(3) during the previous year for a consideration which is less than adequate.
• Diversion of income or property exceeding ` 1,000 - If any income or property of the trust or institution is diverted during the previous year in favour of any person referred to in section 13(3) provided the aggregate value of such income and property diverted exceeds ` 1,000.
• Investment in substantial interest concerns - If any funds of the trust or institution are, or continue to remain, invested for any period during the previous year in any concern in which any person referred to in section 13(3) has a substantial interest.

Section 13(4) provides some respite where the aggregate of the funds invested in the said concern does not exceed five per cent of the capital of that concern. In such a case, the exemption under section 11 will be denied only in relation to such income as arises out of the said investment.

The author can be reached at sandeeprawatca@gmail.com