Tribunal holds ESOP and IT support payments to overseas group company are allowable business expenses; directs assessee to challenge sales return disallowance separately
Meetu Kumari | Mar 12, 2026 |
ITAT Allows ESOP Expenses and Promotional Testers Allowed As Business Deduction
The assessee, ELCA Cosmetics Pvt. Ltd., filed its return for AY 2015–16 declaring a loss of Rs. 3.60 crore. During scrutiny assessment under Sections 143(3) and 154 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, the Assessing Officer made several additions, including disallowance of ESOP expenses of Rs. 24.67 lakh, IT support charges of Rs. 35.41 lakh paid to an associated enterprise, testers and promotional expenses of Rs. 4 crore, and provision for sales returns of Rs. 6 crore, thereby converting the returned loss into taxable income.
The assessee challenged the additions before the CIT(A), who granted partial relief but upheld major disallowances. The assessee then appealed before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.
Central Issue: Whether ESOP expenses, IT support service charges paid to the overseas group company, and testers/promotional expenses are allowable business deductions under Section 37(1) of the Act.
Tribunal’s Decision: The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal partly allowed the appeal. It held that ESOP expenses relating to Restricted Stock Units granted to employees were genuine employee compensation costs and therefore allowable under Section 37(1). The Tribunal also allowed deduction of IT support charges, noting that the assessee had produced agreements, invoices, and supporting documents proving that the services were actually received for business operations.
The Tribunal observed that providing testers and samples is a common practice in the cosmetics industry and had already been allowed in the assessee’s earlier years; accordingly, the disallowance was deleted. However, the addition relating to provision for sales returns made through a rectification order under Section 154 was not examined, as it had not been separately challenged. The issue was left open for the assessee to contest in appropriate proceedings, and the ground relating to penalty under Section 271(1)(c) was dismissed as premature.
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