2:54 pm - Thursday March 28, 2024

Taxation

Income from Profits & gains of business or profession

Income from Profits & gains of business or profession

Under the Income Tax Act, 'Profits and Gains of Business or Profession' are also subjected to taxation. The term "business" includes any (a) trade, (b)commerce, (c)manufacture, or (d) any adventure or concern in the nature of trade, commerce or manufacture. The term "profession" implies professed attainments in special knowledge as distinguished from mere skill; "special knowledge" which is "to be acquired only after patient study and application". The words 'profits and gains' are defined as the surplus by which the receipts from the business or profession exceeds the expenditure necessary for the purpose of earning those receipts. These words should be understood to include losses also, so that in one sense 'profit and gains' represent plus income while 'losses' represent minus income.

The following types of income are chargeable to tax under the heads profits and gains of business or profession :

  • Profits and gains of any business or profession

  • Any compensation or other payments due to or received by any person specified in section 28 of the Act

  • Income derived by a trade, profession or similar association from specific services performed for its members

  • Profit on sale of import entitlement licences, incentives by way of cash compensatory support and drawback of duty

  • The value of any benefit or perquisite, whether converted into money or not, arising from business

  • Any interest, salary, bonus, commission, or remuneration received by a partner of a firm, from such a firm

  • Any sum whether received or receivable in cash or kind, under an agreement for not carrying out any activity in relation to any business or not to share any know-how, patent, copyright, franchise, or any other business or commercial right of similar nature or technique likely to assist in the manufacture or processing of good

  • Any sum received under a keyman insurance policy

  • Income from speculative transactions.

In the following cases, income from trading or business is not taxable under the head "profits and gains of business or profession" :

  • Rent of house property is taxable under the head "Income from house property". Even if the property constitutes stock in trade of recipient of rent or the recipient of rent is engaged in the business of letting properties on rent.

  • Deemed dividends on shares are taxable under the head "Income from other sources".

  • Winnings from lotteries, races etc. are taxable under the head "Income from other sources".

Profits and gains of any other business are taxable, unless such profits are subjected to exemption.

General principals governing the computation of taxable income under the head "profits and gains of business or profession" :

  • Business or profession should be carried on by the assessee. It is not the ownership of business which is important, but it is the person carrying on a business or profession, who is chargeable to tax.

  • Income from business or profession is chargeable to tax under this head only if the business or profession is carried on by the assessee at any time during the previous year. This income is taxable during the following assessment year.

  • Profits and gains of different business or profession carried on by the assessee are not separately chargeable to tax i.e. tax incidence arises on aggregate income from all businesses or professions carried on by the assessee. But, profits and loss of a speculative business are kept separately.

  • It is not only the legal ownership but also the beneficial ownership that has to be considered.

  • Profits made by an assessee in winding up of a business or profession are not taxable, as no business is carried on in that case. However, such profits may be taxable as capital gains or as business income, if the process of winding up is such as to involve the carrying on of a trade.

  • Taxable profit is the profit accrued or arising in the accounting year. Anticipated or potential profits or losses, which may occur in future, are not considered for arriving at taxable income. Also, the profits, which are taxable, are the real profits and not notional profits. Real profits from the commercial point of view, mean a gain to the person carrying on the business and not profits from narrow, technical or legalistic point of view.

  • The yield of income by a commercial asset is the profit of the business irrespective of the manner in which that asset is exploited by the owner of the business.

  • Any sum recovered by the assessee during the previous year, in respect of an amount or expenditure which was earlier allowed as deduction, is taxable as business income of the year in which it is recovered.

  • Modes of book entries are generally not determinative of the question whether the assessee has earned any profit or loss.

  • The Income tax act is not concerned with the legality or illegality of business or profession. Hence, income of illegal business or profession is not exempt from tax.

TOP

 

Other Categories

Taxation
Taxation of Individuals
Who is liable to pay income tax
Sources of Income
Income from Salaries
Income from Capital Gains
Income from House property
Income from Profits & gains of business or profession
Income from other sources
Taxation of Partnerships
Customs Duties (Import Duty and Export Tax)
Wealth Tax
Taxation of Corporates
Taxation of Agents
Excise Duty
Permanent Account Number (PAN)
Taxation of other forms of business entities
Taxation of Trusts
Taxation of Small Scale Industries
Joint Venture Companies
Cooperative Societies
Taxation of Representative offices
Service Tax
TDS,TCS,TAN
Value Added Tax (VAT)


Introduction

India has a well developed tax structure. The power to levy taxes and duties is distributed among the three
tiers of Government, in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Constitution. The main taxes/duties that
the Union Government is empowered to levy are:- Income Tax (except tax on agricultural income,
which the State Governments can levy), Customs duties, Central Excise and Sales Tax and Service Tax. The principal taxes levied by the State Governments are:- Sales Tax (tax on intra-State sale of goods), Stamp Duty (duty on transfer of property), State Excise (duty on manufacture of alcohol), Land Revenue (levy on land used for agricultural/non-agricultural purposes), Duty on Entertainment and Tax on Professions & Callings. The Local Bodies are empowered to levy tax on properties (buildings, etc.), Octroi (tax on entry of goods for use/consumption within areas of the Local Bodies), Tax on Markets and Tax/User Charges for utilities like water supply, drainage, etc.

In the wake of economic reforms, the tax system in India has under gone a radical change, in line with the
liberal policy. Some of the changes include:- rationalization of tax structure; progressive reduction in peak
rates of customs duty; reduction in corporate tax rate; customs duties to be aligned with ASEAN levels;
introduction of value added tax; widening of the tax base; tax laws have been simplified to ensure better compliance. Tax policy in India provides tax holidays in the form of concessions for various types of investments. These include incentives to priority sectors and to industries located in special area/ regions. Tax incentives are available also for those engaged in development of infrastructure.