The assessee had paid interest without deduction of tax at source to Punjab Infrastructure Development Board whose income was exempt u/s. 10(23C)(iv) of the Income-tax Act, 1961. The Assessing Officer held that the assessee should have deducted tax at source and since tax was not deducted the assessee was treated as an assessee in default and raised demand u/ss. 201(1) and (1A) of the Act. The Commissioner(Appeals) deleted the demand and the same was upheld by the Tribunal.
On appeal by the Revenue, the Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld the decision of the Tribunal and held as under:
“i) The Commissioner(Appeals) and the Tribunal, on appreciation of material on record had concurrently recorded that if an organization was exempted from payment of tax there was no need for deduction of tax at source by the assessee.
ii) The Department was not able to demonstrate that the approach of the Commissioner(Appeals) and the Tribunal was erroneous or perverse or that the findings of fact recorded were based on misreading or misappreciation of evidence on record. No question of law arose.”