CourtMesh

Section 96: Impermissible avoidance arrangement

The Income-tax Act, 1961Central Act · Act 43 of 1961

Repealed. This text is published for reference. It is not in force, and it should not be relied on as current law without checking what replaced it. Repealed by the Income-tax Act, 2025, with effect from 1 April 2026

Impermissible avoidance arrangement.

(1) An impermissible avoidance arrangement means an arrangement, the main purpose of which is to obtain a tax benefit, and it—

(a) creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length;

(b) results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of this Act;

(c) lacks commercial substance or is deemed to lack commercial substance under section 97, in whole or in part; or

(d) is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes.

(2) An arrangement shall be presumed, unless it is proved to the contrary by the assessee, to have been entered into, or carried out, for the main purpose of obtaining a tax benefit, if the main purpose of a step in, or a part of, the arrangement is to obtain a tax benefit, notwithstanding the fact that the main purpose of the whole arrangement is not to obtain a tax benefit.

Where this provision sits

ActThe Income-tax Act, 1961
Section96
Marginal noteImpermissible avoidance arrangement
JurisdictionCentral
StatusRepealed

Find the provision, not just read it

The full text above is free, and it stays free. What a free CourtMesh account adds is everything you cannot do by reading one page at a time:

  • Search 49,000+ Central and State enactments by what a provision says, not by its number
  • Jump from any section to every judgment that has applied it
  • Search 300 million+ Indian court records alongside the statute
  • Ask a research agent to find and read the case law on a provision for you

Free account. No card. About a minute to create.

Create a free account

Need this as data, not as a page? The Income-tax Act, 1961 is one of 49,000+ enactments on CourtMesh. The Indian court cases API serves the case law that cites these provisions over JSON, with API documentation and plans and pricing. See also the judgment library.