Income Tax Act, 1961
Section 72A- PROVISIONS RELATING TO CARRY FORWARD AND SET OFF OF ACCUMULATED LOSS AND UNABSORBED DEPRECIATION ALLOWANCE IN AMALGAMATION OR DEMERGER, ETC. –
(1) Where there has been an amalgamation of a company owning an industrial undertaking or a ship with another company and the Central Government, on the recommendation of the specified authority, is satisfied that the following conditions are fulfilled, namely :- (a) The amalgamating company was not immediately before such amalgamation, financially viable by reason of its liabilities, losses and other relevant factors;
(b) The amalgamation was in the public interest; and
(c) Such other conditions as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, to ensure that the benefit under this section is restricted to amalgamations which would facilitate the rehabilitation or revival of the business of the amalgamating company, then, the Central Government may make a declaration to that effect, and thereupon, notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Act, the accumulated loss and the unabsorbed depreciation of the amalgamating company shall be deemed to be the loss or, as the case may be, allowance for depreciation of the amalgamated company for the previous year in which the amalgamation was effected, and the other provisions of this Act relating to set off and carry forward of loss and allowance for depreciation shall apply accordingly.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the accumulated loss shall not be set off or carried forward and the unabsorbed depreciation shall not be allowed in the assessment of the amalgamated company unless the following conditions are fulfilled, namely :- (i) During the previous year relevant to the assessment year for which such set off or allowance is claimed, the business of the amalgamating company is carried on by the amalgamated company without any modification or reorganisation or with such modification or reorganisation as may be approved by the Central Government to enable the amalgamated company to carry on such business more economically or more efficiently;
(ii) The amalgamated company furnishes, along with its return of income for the said assessment year, a certificate from the specified authority to the effect that adequate steps have been taken by that company for the rehabilitation or revival of the business of the amalgamating company.
(3) Where a company owning an industrial undertaking or a ship proposes to amalgamate with any other company and such other company submits the proposed scheme of amalgamation to the specified authority and that authority is satisfied, after examining the scheme and taking into account all relevant facts, that the conditions referred to in sub-section (1) would be fulfilled if such amalgamation is effected in accordance with such scheme or, as the case may be, in accordance with such scheme as modified in such manner as that authority may specify, it shall intimate such other company that, after the amalgamation is effected in accordance with such scheme or, as the case may be, such scheme as so modified, it would make (unless there is any material change in the relevant facts) a recommendation to the Central Government under sub-section (1).
(4) Where there has been reorganisation of business, whereby, a firm is succeeded by a company fulfilling the conditions laid down in clause (xiii) of section 47 or a proprietary concern is succeeded by a company fulfilling the conditions laid down in clause (xiv) of section 47, then, notwithstanding anything contained in any other provisions of this Act, the accumulated loss and the unabsorbed depreciation of the predecessor firm or the proprietary concern, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be the loss or allowance for depreciation of the successor company for the previous year in which business reorganisation was effected and other provisions of this act relating to set off and carry forward of loss and allowance for depreciation shall apply accordingly :-
Provided that if any of the conditions laid down in the proviso to clause (xiii) or the proviso to clause (xiv) to section 47 are not complied with, the set off of loss or allowance of depreciation made in any previous year in the hands of the successor company, shall be deemed to be the income of the company chargeable to tax in the year in which such conditions are not complied with.
(5) For the purposes of sub-section (4),- (a) “Accumulated loss” means so much of the loss of the predecessor firm or the proprietary concern, as the case may be, under the head Profits and gains of business or profession’ (not being a loss sustained in a speculation business) which such predecessor firm or the proprietary concern would have been entitled to carry forward and set off under the provisions of section 72 if the reorganisation of business had not taken place,
(b) “Unabsorbed depreciation” means so much of the allowance for depreciation of the predecessor firm or the proprietary concern, as the case may be, which remains to be allowed and which would have been allowed to the predecessor firm or the proprietary concern, as the case may be, under the provisions of this Act, if the reorganisation of business had not taken place.
