Amended and updated notes on section 94B of Income Tax Act 1961 as amended by the Finance Act 2022 and Income-tax Rules, 1962. Detail discussion on provisions and rules related to limitation on interest deduction in certain cases.
Chapter X (Sections 92 to 94B) of the Income Tax Act 1961 deals with the provisions related to special provisions relating to avoidance of tax. Section 91 of IT Act 1961-2020 provides for limitation on interest deduction in certain cases.
Recently, we have discussed in detail section 94A (Special measures in respect of transactions with persons located in notified jurisdictional area) of IT Act 1961. Today, we learn the provisions of section 94B of Income-tax Act 1961. The amended provision of section 94B is effective for financial year 2022-23 relevant to the assessment year 2023-24.
In this article, you will learn detail of the provisions of section 94B of the Income Tax Act, 1961 Bare Act read with the Income-tax Rules, 1962, regulations, notifications, circulars, orders and Press Release by CBDT, Income Tax Department and the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India.
Section-94B: Limitation on interest deduction in certain cases
Section 94B(1) of Income Tax Act
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, where an Indian company, or a permanent establishment of a foreign company in India, being the borrower, incurs any expenditure by way of interest or of similar nature exceeding one crore rupees which is deductible in computing income chargeable under the head “Profits and gains of business or profession” in respect of any debt issued by a non-resident, being an associated enterprise of such borrower, the interest shall not be deductible in computation of income under the said head to the extent that it arises from excess interest, as specified in sub-section (2) :
Provided that where the debt is issued by a lender which is not associated but an associated enterprise either provides an implicit or explicit guarantee to such lender or deposits a corresponding and matching amount of funds with the lender, such debt shall be deemed to have been issued by an associated enterprise.
Section 94B(1A) of Income Tax Act
Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall apply to interest paid in respect of a debt issued by a lender which is a permanent establishment in India of a non-resident, being a person engaged in the business of banking.
[Sub-section (1A) of section 94B w.e.f. 01.04.2021 by the Finance Act, 2020]
Section 94B(2) of Income Tax Act
For the purposes of sub-section (1), the excess interest shall mean an amount of total interest paid or payable in excess of thirty per cent of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of the borrower in the previous year or interest paid or payable to associated enterprises for that previous year, whichever is less.
Section 94B(3) of Income Tax Act
Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall apply to an Indian company or a permanent establishment of a foreign company which is engaged in the business of banking or insurance.
Section 94B(4) of Income Tax Act
Where for any assessment year, the interest expenditure is not wholly deducted against income under the head “Profits and gains of business or profession”, so much of the interest expenditure as has not been so deducted, shall be carried forward to the following assessment year or assessment years, and it shall be allowed as a deduction against the profits and gains, if any, of any business or profession carried on by it and assessable for that assessment year to the extent of maximum allowable interest expenditure in accordance with sub-section (2):
Provided that no interest expenditure shall be carried forward under this sub-section for more than eight assessment years immediately succeeding the assessment year for which the excess interest expenditure was first computed.
Section 94B(5) of Income Tax Act
For the purposes of this section, the expressions—
(i) “associated enterprise” shall have the meaning assigned to it in sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) of section 92A;
(ii) “debt” means any loan, financial instrument, finance lease, financial derivative, or any arrangement that gives rise to interest, discounts or other finance charges that are deductible in the computation of income chargeable under the head “Profits and gains of business or profession”;
(iii) “permanent establishment” includes a fixed place of business through which the business of the enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.