1969 (2) TMI 53 - HC - Income Tax

For payment of amount by the Bombay firm the assessee drew hundies from time to time directing the firm of Bombay to pay the sum specified in Hundies - claim for the benefit of the provisions of the Part B States (Taxation Concessions) Order, 1950, contending that the amount of Rs. 1,58,537 accrued to him in the former State of Gwalior and not in the then taxable

Summary

Issues:
1. Interpretation of whether the sum received from hundies in Gwalior State was actually received in Gwalior State.
2. Application of the provisions of the Part B States (Taxation Concessions) Order, 1950 in the assessment of the income.

Detailed Analysis:
The judgment delivered by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh involved a reference under section 66(1) of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922, regarding the receipt of a sum of Rs. 1,58,537 through hundies in Gwalior State. The assessee, a commission agent, had entered into forward delivery contracts with a firm in Bombay, becoming entitled to the said amount. The hundies drawn by the assessee directed the Bombay firm to pay the specified sum to a businessman in Gwalior. However, the hundies were negotiated through the Imperial Bank in Bombay. The Income-tax Officer and the Appellate Assistant Commissioner denied the assessee's claim that the amount accrued in Gwalior and not taxable territories, as per the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922.

The court, in its judgment, analyzed the facts and found that the hundies were not purchased by the businessman in Gwalior to become the absolute holder for value. The Tribunal confirmed that the businessman did not accept a prior acceptance of the hundies before discounting them. The court highlighted that a bill of exchange does not create an obligation between the drawee and the holder until accepted, making the drawee liable upon acceptance. Since the businessman in Gwalior took the hundies for collection on behalf of the assessee and not as a transferee becoming an absolute holder for value, the amount paid by the Bombay firm was deemed received in Bombay, not Gwalior. Consequently, the assessee was not entitled to the tax concessions under the Part B States (Taxation Concessions) Order, 1950.

In conclusion, the court answered the question posed by the Tribunal in the negative, stating that the sum of Rs. 1,58,537 was not received by the assessee in Gwalior State. The assessee was directed to pay the costs of the reference, with the counsel's fee fixed at Rs. 150.