TDS – Commission – Scope of section 194H – Transactions between banks for benefit of credit card holders – Transactions on principal-to-principal basis – Section 194H not applicable

The assessee is a nationalised bank. For the A.Y. 2011-12, the A.O. made disallowance u/s 40(a)(ia) of service charges paid to National Financial Switch (NFS) on the ground that tax was not deducted at source u/s 194H.

The Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals) and the Tribunal allowed the assessee’s claim.

On appeal by the Revenue, the following question was farmed:

‘Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Tribunal erred in holding that on the payment made towards the service charges rendered by M/s NFS is neither commission nor brokerage which does not attract tax deduction at source u/s 194H of the Income-tax Act?’

The Karnataka High Court upheld the decision of the Tribunal and held as under:

‘i) In case the credit card issued by the assessee was used on the swiping machine of another bank, the customer whose credit card was used to get access to the internet gateway of acquiring bank resulting in realisation of the payment. Subsequently, the acquiring banks realise and recover the payment from the bank which had issued the credit card. The relationship between the assessee and any other bank is not of an agency but that of two independents on principal-to-principal basis. Even assuming that the transaction was being routed to National Financial Switch and Cash Tree, even then it is pertinent to mention here that the same is a consortium of banks and no commission or brokerage is paid to it. It does not act as an agent for collecting charges. Therefore, we concur with the view taken by the High Court of Delhi in CIT vs. JDS Apparels (P) Ltd. [2015] 370 ITR 454 (Delhi) and hold that the provisions of section 194H of the Act are not attracted to the fact situation of the case.

ii) In the result, the substantial question of law is answered against the Revenue and in favour of the assessee.’