The Bombay High Court has ruled that the Income Tax Department acted unlawfully by preventing taxpayers from claiming the Section 87A tax rebate on special rate incomes through the ITR utility software. The court has ordered the department to reverse these changes, allowing eligible taxpayers to claim the rebate. While the IT department argued that the rebate only applies to certain types of income, the High Court stated that such restrictions at the software level are unconstitutional and that any disputes should be resolved through proper assessment procedures.
In a significant ruling on January 24, 2025, the Bombay High Court held that the Income Tax Department (ITD) acted arbitrarily by modifying the ITR utility software to deny Section 87A tax rebate claims on special rate incomes post-July 5, 2024. The court directed the ITD to reverse these modificati
Daily Limit Reached
You have reached your daily limit of 2 Free News
Subscribe to
CCI PRO
for unlimited access
Why Upgrade to
CCI PRO?
-
No Ads
-
WhatsApp Broadcasts
-
Daily E-Newsletter
-
Unlimited News Access
BEST VALUE
2 YEAR PLAN
3,499
(Inclusive of GST)
1 YEAR PLAN
1,999
(Inclusive of GST)
View all CCI PRO benfits
Already a PRO member?
Login here
for an ad-free experience.
FAQ :
The Bombay High Court ruled that the Income Tax Department acted arbitrarily by modifying the ITR utility to deny Section 87A tax rebate claims on special rate incomes and ordered the department to restore these claims.
Eligible taxpayers with an income up to ₹5 lakh under the old tax regime or ₹7 lakh under the new tax regime can claim a rebate under Section 87A.
The tax department must process rebate claims through assessment procedures like Section 143(1) or 143(3), rather than outright rejection via software restrictions.
The Income Tax Department argued that the Section 87A rebate applied only to income under Section 115BAC (1A) and not to special rate incomes taxed under Chapter 12, such as capital gains or lottery winnings.
Taxpayers can now claim the Section 87A tax rebate, including on special rate incomes, though these claims will be subject to scrutiny rather than outright denial by software.
Experts suggest the tax department might challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court or issue new clarifications, but for now, taxpayers should claim the rebate and stay informed.