Shipping business of non-residents.

Applicable section – Section 172 Shipping business of non-residents. 172.     (1) The provisions of this section shall, notwithstanding anything contained in the other provisions of this Act, apply for the purpose of the levy and recovery of tax in the case of any ship, belonging to or chartered by a non-resident, which carries passengers, livestock, mail or goods shipped at a port in India . (2) Where such a ship carries passengers, livestock, mail or goods shipped at a port in India, seven and a half per cent of the amount paid or payable on account of such carriage to the owner or the charterer or to any person on his behalf, whether that amount is paid or payable in or out of India, shall be deemed to be income accruing in India to the owner or charterer on account of such carriage. (3) Before the departure from any port in India of any such ship, the master of the ship shall prepare and furnish to the Assessing Officer a return of the full amount paid or payable to the owner or charterer or any person on his behalf, on account of the carriage of all passengers, livestock, mail or goods shipped at that port since the last arrival of the ship thereat: Provided that where the Assessing Officer is satisfied that it is not possible for the master of the ship to furnish the return required by this sub-section before the departure of the ship from the port and provided the master of the ship has made satisfactory arrangements for the filing of the return and payment of the tax by any other person on his behalf, the Assessing Officer may, if the return is filed within thirty days of the departure of the ship, deem the filing of the return by the person so authorised by the master as sufficient compliance with this sub-section. (4) On receipt of the return, the Assessing Officer shall assess the income referred to in sub-section (2) and determine the sum payable as tax thereon at the rate or rates in force applicable to the total income of a company which has not made the arrangements referred to in section 194 and such sum shall be payable by the master of the ship. (4A) No order assessing the income and determining the sum of tax payable thereon shall be made under sub-section (4) after the expiry of nine months from the end of the financial year in which the return under sub-section (3) is furnished: Provided that where the return under sub-section (3) has been furnished before the 1st day of April, 2007, such order shall be made on or before the 31st day of December, 2008. (5) For the purpose of determining the tax payable under sub-section (4), the Assessing Officer may call for such accounts or documents as he may require. (6) A port clearance shall not be granted to the ship until the Collector of Customs, or other officer duly authorised to grant the same, is satisfied that the tax assessable under this section has been duly paid or that satisfactory arrangements have been made for the payment thereof. (7) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prevent the owner or charterer of a ship from claiming before the expiry of the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which the date of departure of the ship from the Indian port falls, that an assessment be made of his total income of the previous year and the tax payable on the basis thereof be determined in accordance with the other provisions of this Act, and if he so claims, any payment made under this section in respect of the passengers, livestock, mail or goods shipped at Indian ports during that previous year shall be treated as a payment in advance of the tax leviable for that assessment year, and the difference between the sum so paid and the amount of tax found payable by him on such assessment shall be paid by him or refunded to him, as the case may be. (8) For the purposes of this section, the amount referred to in sub-section (2) shall include the amount paid or payable by way of demurrage charge or handling charge or any other amount of similar nature. Explanation TDS is not required to be deduct for payment made to Non residents shipping company and their agents in India The provisions of section 172 are to apply, notwithstanding anything contained in other provisions of the Act. Therefore, in such cases, the provisions of sections 194C and 195 relating to tax deduction at source are not applicable. The recovery of tax is to be regulated, for a voyage undertaken from any port in India by a ship under the provisions of section 172. (Circular number 723 dated 19-9-1995) There would, however, be cases where payments are made to shipping agents of non-resident ship-owners or charterers for carriage of passengers etc., shipped at a port in India. Since, the agent acts on behalf of the non-resident ship-owner or charterer, he steps into the shoes of the principal. Accordingly, provisions of section 172 shall apply and those of sections 194C and 195 will not apply. (Circular no. 723 dated 19-9-1995) Tax Liability of non resident shipping company or their agents In cases where such ships are owned by an enterprise belonging to a country with which India has entered into an agreement on avoidance of double taxation, which provides for taxation of shipping profits only in the country of which the enterprise is a resident, no tax is payable by such ships at the Indian ports. Under such circumstances, a ‘No Objection Certificate’ is to be obtained by the master of the ship from the concerned income-tax authority. The Assessing Officer shall be competent to issue an annual NOC, valid for a year, in respect of taxation of shipping profits under section 172 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 after carefully verifying the applicability of the relevant provisions concerning taxation of shipping profits in the DTAA with the country of which the owner or the charterer is a resident. (Circular no. 732, dated 20-12-1995) In case where no such DTA agreement with other country, non resident shipping company shall be taxable according to the provision of Section 172 of Income Tax Act, 1961. i.e. 7.5% of total amount paid or payable on account of carriage shall be deemed to be the taxable income of non resident shipping company.