The Gujarat High Court bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Nisha M. Thakore has held that the interest awarded by the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) under section 171 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 is not taxable under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
The writ applicant, Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd., is an insurance company. One person filed a petition in the Motor Accident Claim Petition in the City Civil Court of Ahmedabad. The claim petition was allowed by the MACT.
The bench comprising Mr. Justice J.B.Pardiwala and Ms. Justice Nisha M. Thakore observed that the interest awarded in the motor accident claim cases from the date of the Claim Petition till the passing of the award, or in the case of Appeal, till the judgment of the High Court in such appeal, would not be exigible to tax, not being an income.
“This position would not change on account of clause (b) of Section 145A of the Act as it stood at the relevant time amended by Finance Act, 2009, which provision now finds place in sub-section (1) of Section 145B of the Act. Neither clause (b) of Section 145A, as it stood at the relevant time, nor clause (viii) of sub-section (2) of Section 56 of the Act make the interest chargeable to tax, whether such interest is income of the recipient or not. Section 194A of the Act is only a provision for deduction of tax at source. Any provision for deduction of tax at source in the said section would not govern the taxability of the receipt. The question of deduction of tax at source would arise only if the payment is in the nature of income of the payee,” the Court said.
“The Insurance Companies or the owners of the motor vehicles depositing the requisite amount in due compliance with the awards of the Motor Accident Claims Tribunals shall deposit the full amount with the Tribunal and shall not deduct tax u/s 194A of the Income Tax Act on the interest awarded by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal,” the Court added.
Subscribe Taxscan Premium to view the JudgmentSupport our journalism by subscribing to Taxscan AdFree. Follow us on Telegram for quick updates.
