November 2022
Business expenditure — Compensation — Capital or revenue expenditure — Assessee owner of hotel managed by third party under agreement — Compensation paid towards termination of agreement to receive back possession of building and furniture and fixtures — Expenditure arising out of business — No acquisition of new capital asset — Allowable revenue expenditure
By K. B. Bhujle, Advocate
Reading Time 2 mins
Principal CIT vs. Elel Hotels and Investments Ltd. [2022] 447 ITR 92 (Del.)
Date of order: 31st May, 2022 Section: 37 of ITA, 1961
50. Business expenditure — Compensation — Capital or revenue expenditure — Assessee owner of hotel managed by third party under agreement — Compensation paid towards termination of agreement to receive back possession of building and furniture and fixtures — Expenditure arising out of business — No acquisition of new capital asset — Allowable revenue expenditureThe assessee was the owner of a hotel in Mumbai which was initially being managed by ITC Ltd. under a hotel operator agreement effective from 1986. In 1993, the hotel was severely damaged as a result of bomb blasts during the riots in Mumbai. Thereafter, disputes and differences arose between the assessee and ITC Ltd. with respect to responsibility to repair and restore the damaged portion and other consequential issues. The assessee went into litigation with ITC Ltd. Ultimately, the assessee terminated the operator-cum-management agreement with ITC Ltd. and paid a sum of Rs. 43.10 crores during A.Y. 2006-07 to ITC Ltd. which in turn handed over vacant and peaceful possession of the hotel property. On the question whether the amount of Rs. 30.86 crores paid by the assessee out of the total amount of Rs. 43.10 crores was capital or revenue expenditure u/s 37 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 the Delhi High Court held as under:
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