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TMI Blog1972 (8) TMI 1X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... tion of law, it is sufficient if we take up the facts of any one of these cases. For the sake of convenience, we shall set out the facts in Civil Appeal No. 2348 of 1968. The assessee in that case is Vadilal Lallubhai. He is assessed as an individual. The relevant assessment year is 1958-59, the accounting year being the year ending on March 31, 1958. The assessee belongs to the well-known family of Vadilal Lallubhai Mehta of Ahmedabad. The members of this family (who for the sake of convenience will hereinafter be referred to as the "Mehta group") owned shares in and controlled several companies including certain managing agency companies. Those managing agency companies were private limited companies. The managed companies were also companies in which the members of the "Mehta group" had controlling interest. This group had also selling agency rights in the companies which they were managing. On the coming into force of the Companies Act, 1956, the managing agency companies gave up their managing agency rights in order to safeguard their selling agency rights. Thereafter, the assessee sold his shareholdings to the employees of some "Mehta group" companies or the relations of su ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ncome" within the meaning of section 44F. It was urged that section 44F concerns itself with the income from securities or shares which are of a periodical nature but which an assessee may seek to convert into a capital receipt by adopting certain devices. The provisions therein do not deal with the compensation received for the very destruction of the income-yielding assets, viz., the securities or shares. We shall now consider which one of these two contentions is acceptable. But before doing so, it will be convenient to make reference to the relevant provisions in the Act. Section 2, the definitions section, starts by saying that the definitions given therein apply "unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context". Hence, if the definition of "dividend" found in section 2(6A)(c) is either repugnant to the subject or context with which we are dealing, that definition will not be applicable. Section 2(6A) gives an inclusive definition of "dividend". In this case we are concerned with section 2(6A)(c) which reads: "any distribution made to the shareholders of a company on its liquidation, to the extent to which the distribution is attributable to the accumulated pr ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... tion shall not apply if such person proves to the satisfaction of the Income-tax Officer that the avoidance of income-tax or super-tax was exceptional and not systematic and that there was not in his case in any of the three preceding years any such avoidance of income-tax or super-tax, or that the provisions of section 44E have been applied in his case in respect of such income. . (6) For the purpose of this section the expression 'securities' includes stocks and shares." From a reading of sub-sections (1) to (3) of section 44F, it is clear that the income referred to therein should arise from shares or securities. Further, it must be a periodical income which is capable of being apportioned on the basis that it is deemed to have accrued from day to day. Section 44F(1) empowers the Income-tax Officer to serve a notice on any person "requiring him to furnish a statement of particulars relating to any securities in which at any time during the period specified in the notice he has had any beneficial interest and in respect of which, within such period either no income was received by him or the income received by him was less than the sum to which the income would have amounted ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ey are limited to the purpose for which they are created and should not be extended beyond their legitimate field. It is established on high authorities that the subject is not to be taxed unless the charging provision clearly imposes the obligation- see Commissioner of Income-tax v. Ajax Products Ltd. As is often said that in interpreting a taxing provision one has merely to look to the words of the provision. The language employed in section 44F cannot be said to be plain enough to bring to tax the receipts of the character with which we are concerned in these appeals. To accept the contention of the revenue, we have to adopt threefold assumptions. Firstly, the fictional dividend contemplated by section 2(6A)(c) is an "income" within the meaning of section 44F. Secondly, we must assume that the dividend is capable of being deemed to accrue day to day and, lastly, we must assume that the day to day distribution contemplated in section 44-F commences from the commencement of the relevant accounting year and ends with the distribution of the assets as contended on behalf of the department. To do so we have to read into the section many more words than it contains at present whic ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ection 44F of the Act, immaterial changes apart, is a reproduction of section 33 of the English Finance Act, 1927, which was subsequently replaced by section 237 of the English Income-tax Act, 1952. Dealing with that section this is what is observed in the Law of Income Tax, Surtax and Profits Tax by Wheatcroft at page 1669 (paragraph 1-1358): " We now come to the more difficult problem which arises when a taxpayer sells, for a capital sum, securities which are about to pay interest and the purchaser acquires the right both to the securities and the interest. It is the custom on British stock exchanges to notify in advance the dates in respect of each security before which a buyer of that security will be entitled to the next income payment. Up to that date the security is sold 'cum-dividend'; after that date the security is sold 'ex-dividend' and the next income payment when received after the sale, will remain the property of the seller. Apart from the general market fluctuations, the price will gradually rise up to the day when the security goes 'ex-div.' It will then normally fall sharply by a sum approximately equal to the anticipated income payment less tax at standard ra ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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