Turnover calculation in intraday trading

Para 5 of “Guidance Note on Tax Audit under Section 44AB of the Income Tax Act,1961" issued by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), which provides the guidelines regarding "Turnover or Gross Receipts in respect of transactions in shares.. .... as follows:

a) In a speculative transaction, the contract for sale or purchase which is entered into is not completed by giving or receiving delivery so as to result in the sale as per value of contract note.

b) The contract is settled otherwise and squared up by paying out the difference which may be positive or negative. As such, in such transaction the difference amount is 'turnover'.

c) In the case of an assessee undertaking speculative transactions there can be both positive and negative differences arising by settlement of various such contracts during the year. Each transaction resulting into whether a positive or negative difference is an independent transaction.

d) Further, amount paid on account of negative difference paid is not related to the amount received on account of positive difference. In such transactions though the contract notes are issued for full value of the purchased or sold asset the entries in the books of account are made only for the differences.

e) Accordingly, the aggregate of both positive and negative differences is to be considered as the turnover of such transactions for determining the liability to audit vide section 44AB, whether the differences are positive or negative.