EVP
33 Points
Joined June 2009
When a business entity pays a donation it can make the payment (a) as a secret contributor - the donor's name not shown anywhere or (b) as a donor whose name is shown somewhere.
In case the donor follows the alternative "a" - the only recourse is either get a deduction under 80G, if available or settle for disallowance.
If the donor entity follows alternative "b", its name is shown somewhere. The donor can evaluate whether the publicity gained by him is commensurate with the amount paid by him "as donation" and make a suitable claim u/s 37. There was a decision of a HC where the person receiving the money termed it as a donation while the paying entity showed it as publicity expenditure and the HC decided that the nomenclature used by the receiving entity is immaterial if the paying entity has received adequate publicity [I don't have the citation readily].
Take a case when a company donates a vehicle to be used as an ambulance by a charitable association providing transportation for sick persons. The donated vehicle displays on both sides the name of the donor "sponsored by XYZ Ltd". Compare the cost of that vehicle with the cost of putting up two a hoarding of a comparable size for say a couple of years. Don't you think that the cost of the donated vehicle would be less than maintaining two hoardings for a couple of years.
There are adequate number of judgements on this issue which can be found in any standard book of taxation or on the net.