Section 115VT-Transfer of profits to Tonnage Tax Reserve Account

Section 115VT of the Income Tax Act: Transfer of profits to Tonnage Tax Reserve Account

(1) A tonnage tax company shall, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of this section, be required to credit to a reserve account (hereafter in this section referred to as the Tonnage Tax Reserve Account) an amount not less than twenty per cent of the book profit derived from the activities referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) of sub-section (1) of section 115V-I in each previous year to be utilised in the manner laid down in sub-section (3):

Provided that a tonnage tax company may transfer a sum in excess of twenty per cent of the book profit and such excess sum transferred shall also be utilised in the manner laid down in sub-section (3).

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, “book profit” shall have the same meaning as in the Explanation to sub-section (2) of section 115JB so far as it relates to the income derived from the activities referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) of sub-section (1) of section 115V-I.

(2) Where the company has book profit from the business of operating qualifying ships and book loss from any other sources, and consequently, the company is not in a position to create the full or any part of the reserves under sub-section (1), the company shall create the reserves to the extent possible in that previous year and the shortfall, if any, shall be added to the amount of the reserves required to be created for the following previous year and such shortfall shall be deemed to be part of the reserve requirement of that following previous year :

Provided that to the extent the shortfall in creation of reserves during a particular previous year is carried forward to the following previous year under this sub-section, the company shall be considered as having created sufficient reserves for the first mentioned previous year:

Provided further that nothing contained in the first proviso shall apply in respect of the second year in case the shortfall in creation of reserves continues for two consecutive previous years.

(3) The amount credited to the Tonnage Tax Reserve Account under sub-section (1) shall be utilised by the company before the expiry of a period of eight years next following the previous year in which the amount was credited—

(a) for acquiring a new ship for the purposes of the business of the company; and

(b) until the acquisition of a new ship, for the purposes of the business of operating qualifying ships other than for distribution by way of dividends or profits or for remittance outside India as profits or for the creation of any asset outside India.

(4) Where any amount credited to the Tonnage Tax Reserve Account under sub-section (1),—

(a) has been utilised for any purpose other than that referred to in clause (a) or clause (b) of sub-section (3); or

(b) has not been utilised for the purpose specified in clause (a) of sub-section (3); or

(c) has been utilised for the purpose of acquiring a new ship as specified in clause (a) of sub-section (3), but such ship is sold or otherwise transferred, other than in any scheme of demerger by the company to any person at any time before the expiry of three years from the end of the previous year in which it was acquired,

an amount which bears the same proportion to the total relevant shipping income of the year in which such reserve was created, as the amount out of such reserve so utilised or not utilised bears to the total reserve created during that year under sub-section (1) shall be taxable under the other provisions of this Act—

(i) in a case referred to in clause (a), in the year in which the amount was so utilised; or

(ii) in a case referred to in clause (b), in the year immediately following the period of eight years specified in sub-section (3); or

(iii) in a case referred to in clause (c), in the year in which the sale or transfer took place:

Provided that the income so taxable under the other provisions of this Act shall be reduced by the proportionate tonnage income charged to tax in the year of creation of such reserves.

(5) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other provision of this Chapter, where the amount credited to the Tonnage Tax Reserve Account in accordance with sub-section (1) is less than the minimum amount required to be credited under sub-section (1), an amount which bears the same proportion to the total relevant shipping income, as the shortfall in credit to the reserves bears to the minimum reserve required to be credited under sub-section (1) shall not be taxable under the tonnage tax scheme and shall be taxable under the other provisions of this Act.

(6) If the reserve required to be created under sub-section (1) is not created for any two consecutive previous years, the option of the company for tonnage tax scheme shall cease to have effect from the beginning of the previous year following the second consecutive previous year in which the failure to create the reserve under sub-section (1) had occurred.

Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, “new ship” includes a qualifying ship which, before the date of acquisition by the qualifying company was used by any other person, if it was not at any time previous to the date of such acquisition owned by any person resident in India.