Supreme Court of India
GOODYEAR INDIA LTD. ETC. ETC.versusSTATE OF HARYANA & ANR. ETC. ETC.
- Citation
- 1989 INSC 315
- Decided
- 19 October 1989
- Disposal
- Disposed off
- Bench
- SABYASACHI MUKHERJI
Holding
Both the Haryana provision (section 9(1)(b) as amended) and the Bombay provision (section 13‑AA) levy a tax on the consignment/despatch of goods, which is beyond the competence of the State Legislature and therefore ultra vires and void.
Summary
The Supreme Court examined whether the Haryana General Sales Tax Act, 1973 (as amended) and the Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959 (section 13‑AA) could levy a tax on the despatch of manufactured goods to a dealer’s own branches outside the State. It held that the taxable event under both statutes is the consignment/despatch of goods, which is a "consignment tax" and falls within the exclusive legislative competence of Parliament under Entry 92B of the Union List, rendering the State provisions ultra vires and void. Consequently, the validation provision in the Haryana Amendment and Validation Act and the related penalty provisions were also declared invalid. The Court affirmed the earlier High Court rulings in Goodyear and Bata, set aside the later High Court decisions that upheld the statutes, and dismissed the State’s special leave petitions. The appeals challenging the Haryana and Bombay provisions were allowed, while other ancillary appeals were dismissed.
Issues considered
- The tax imposed by section 9(1)(b) of the Haryana General Sales Tax Act, as amended, is a tax on despatch/consignment of goods and whether it is within State legislative competence.
- Whether the validation provision in section 24(3) of the Haryana Act, which attempts to override judicial decisions, is constitutionally valid.
- Whether penalty proceedings under section 50 of the Haryana Act can stand when the underlying tax provision is void.
- Whether section 13‑AA of the Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959 constitutes a consignment tax and is ultra vires the State legislature.
- Whether the impugned provisions violate Article 14 (equality) or Article 301 (free trade) of the Constitution.
- The proper identification of the taxable event – purchase versus despatch – for the statutes in question.
Legislation cited
- Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959s. 13‑AA
- Central Sales Tax Act, 1956
- Constitution of Indias. 46th Amendment Act, 1982, s. Article 14, s. Article 24, s. Article 245, s. Article 246, s. Article 269(1)(h), s. Article 301
- Haryana General Sales Tax Act, 1973s. 24(3), s. 50, s. 9(1)(b)
- Haryana General Sales Tax (Amendment and Validation) Act, 1983
Subjects
purchase taxconsignment taxinter‑state tradelegislative competencepith and substanceArticle 14Article 30146th Amendmenttaxable eventvalidation actpenalty provision
Judgment
GOODYEAR INDIA LTD. ETC. ETC.
A v.
STATE OF HARYANA & ANR. ETC. ETC.
OCTOBER 19, 1989
B [SABYASACHI MUKHARJI AND S. RANGANATHAN, JJ.]
Haryana General Sales Tax Act, 1973: Section 9 (Prior to its
amendment by Act No. 11of1979)-Purchase Tax-Provision for levy
of purchase tax on 'Disposal' of manufactured goods-Notification-
(No. S.O J19/H.A. 20/73/Ss. 9 & 15/74 dated July 19, 1974)-Levy of
C tax on mere despatch of goods to the dealers themselves outside the
State-Validity of.
Section 9(1)(b) (As amended by Haryana General Sales Tax
(Amendment and Validation Act), 1983-Purchase Tax-Taxing of
purchase of raw material if goods manufactured therefrom despatched
D outside the State otherwise than by way of sale in the course of inter State
trade-Whether taxing of consignments in the course of inter State
trade-Whether beyond the legislative competence of State Legisla-
ture-Effect of Constitution (Forty-Sixth) Amendment Act, 1982.
Section 9( l)(c)-Purchase tax on Exports-Food Corporation of
E India-Purchase of foodgrains from farmers within the State-Des-
patch of food grains to its Branches outside the State-Levy of Tax at the
Point of Despatch-Validity of.
Section 24(3)-Validity of:
F Haryana General Sales Tax (Amendment and Validation) Act, 1983- Law
declared ultra vires State Legislature-Validating Act-No change made
in substantive law mere direction to ignore judgment-Whether void.
Section 5{}-Penalty-Charging provision held ultra vires-
Penalty proceedings based on charging provision whether invalid.
G
Bombay Sales Tax Act 1959: Section 13-AA (As inserted by
Maharashtra Act XXV/11 of 1982)-Scope, effect and validity of.
Purchase tax-Raw material purchased by paying tax used in the
manufacture of goods-Manufactured goods despatched to Agents in
other States-Levy of AdditiorfaJ-Tax-Whether tax on the consignment
H of manufactured goods outside the State-Whether beyond the legislat-
519
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA 511
tive competence of State Legislature-Whether violative of Articles 14 A
and 30 Iof the Constitution of India.
Constitution of India, 1950: Article 14-Section 13-AA of the
Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959 (As inserted by Maharashtra Act XXVIII
of 1982)-Vires of B
Articles 245 and 246-Doctrine of Pith and Substance-What is-
Test for determination-Legislative competence-Relevancy ofpith and
substance rule.
Article 269( l)(h)-Constitution (Forty-Sixth) Amendment Act,
1982-0bject and1effect of c
Article 301-Freedom of Trade Commerce and Intercourse
Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959-Section 13-AA (As inserted ·by
Maharashtra Act XXVIII of 1982)-Vires.of-lmposlfion of Additional
purchase tax--Permissibility of
D
Schedule Vll-Entr:es in the Legislative Li.sts~Only demarcate
• legislative field-Do not confer legislative powers.
Statutory Interpretation: Rules of interpretation of statutes-
applicabiiity of to interpretation of Consiitution-Constitution-Not to
E
be interpreted in a narrow pedantic sense.
Fiscal statutes-Tax liability-Whether can be .determined by
reference to interpretation of a statute other than the statute creating
liability-Should be construed strictly-Assumptions and presumption
in interpretation of fiscal law--Jfhether permissible.
F
Determination of nature of a tax-Standard or measure on which
the tax is levied-Whether relevant and conclusive-Courts whether to
look into Pith and Substance Rule.
Taxable event-Charging event-What is-Test for determina- G
lion-What is-Stages of taxation explained.
Excise duty-Sales Tax-Distinction between-Tax on sale of
goods-Tax on use or consumption of goods-Distinction between-
Reasonable construction should be followed and literal construction to
be avoided if that defeats the manifest object and purpose of the Act. H
512 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989} Supp. 1 S.C.R.
Mischief Rule: Provisions of Constitutional changes-To be con-
A
scrCTed in the context of Mischief Rule.
Practice and Procedure: Precedenc-What is-A decision on a
question which has not been argued-Whether can be treated as
precedent.
B
Words and Phrases: 'Disposal'-Meaning of.
The appellant/petitioner company-Good Year India Limited-a
registered dealer both under the Haryana General Sales Tax Act, 1973
and Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, was manufacturing automobile tyres
and tubes at Ballabgarh in the State of Haryana. For the said
c manufacturing activity it was purchasing various kinds of raw mate-
rials both within the State and from outside the State of Haryana. The
Company was despatching these manufactured goods viz. tnes and
tubes to its own brancltes and sales depots outside the State of Haryana.
The assessing authority imposed upon the appellant company the
purchase tax under section 9 of the Haryana General Sales Tax Act,
1973 in view of the despatches made by it of the manufactured goods
to .its nrious depots.iutside-the-State.
E The petitioner company filed writ petition in the Punjab and
Haryana High Court challenging the validity of the Notification levying
the tax. A Division Bench of the High Court allowed the petition holding
that disposal of goods being separate and distinct from ~espatch thereo!',
a mere despatch of goods out of the State by a dealer to his own brancb
while retaining both 'the title·and possession thereof does not come
F within the ambit of the phrase "disposes of the manufactured goods in
any manner otherwise than by way of sale", as employed in Sectiol\
9{l)(a)(ii) of the Act. Accordingly the High Court s~t asid'e the assess-
n1<nt orders and quashed the impugnedJSJ>tification as.ultra vires of
s~ction 9 on tile ground that whereas Section 9 provided only for the
levy of purchase tax on the disposal of the manufactureo goods, the
G impugned Notification makes mere despatch of goods to the dealer
'th~mselves taxable. To override the effect of the said judgment the
Haryana Legislature enacted Haryana General Sales Tax (Amendment
and Validation) Act 1983 where by Section 9 of the Act was amended
with retrospective effect to include within its sweep the despatch of
manufactured goods to a place outside the State in any manner
H ntllffWlse than by way of sale. The ~pugned Notification and the con-
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA SB
sequential action taken thereunder were also validated.
A
The petitioner company filed writ petitions challenging the assess-
ments. The High Court allowed the petitions holding section 9(l)(b) of
the Haryana General Sales Tax Act 1973 as amended by the Haryana
General Sales Tax (Amendment and Validation) Act, 1983 in so far as it
levied a purchase tax on the consignment of goods outside the State in B
the course of inter-State trade or commerce was beyond the legislative
competence of the State of Haryana and was void and inoperative
because 11 intruded and trespossed into an arena exclusively meant ;'or
taxation by the Lnion of India under Entry 92-B of.List l orthe Seventh
Schedule. Accordingly the High Court set aside the amended provisions
of section 9 as also the retrospective validation of the Notification and
the consequential validation of all actions taken thereunder. Against c
this decision of the High Court, State of Haryana preferred Special
Leave Petitions in this Court.
During the pendency of these Special Leave Petitions, the asses-
sing authority issued Show-cause notices asking the petitioner company D
to show-canse why in addition to the purchase tax, it should not be
liable to penalty as well. The Petitioner company again filed writ peti-
tions in the Punjab & Haryana High Court challenging the valirlity of
these notices. In the_meantime a Full Bench of the High Court decid~d
the guestion 01gain and overruling the decision of the earlier Division Bench
held that the taxing event was the act of purchase and not the act of E
despatch of the consignment. The Full Bench of the High Court held
that section 9(l)(b) as amended was neither invalid nor ultra virllS.
Against the aforesaid judgment of the Foll Bench the Petitioner Com-
pany filed appeals in this Conrt. All these questions are the subject
matters of these appeals.
F
In the connected.appeals, the Food Corporation of India was pro-
curing food-grains from the farmers through commission agents in the
mandis of Haryana and despatching them to its own branches in the
deficit State of the country. The Corporation branches in the recipient
States were supplying these stocks to the State agencies/Fair Price
Shops and were also paying tax as per the provisions of the Sales Tax G
law of the respective States. Some of the stocks were distributed within
the State of Haryana for the public distribution system for which sales
tax was charged and deposited with the sales-tax depots as per the
Haryana General Sales Tax Act, 1973. In respect of the inter-State
despatch of wheat and. other food-grains by the Food Corporation of
India to its own branches tax was attracted at the time of despatch H
51-4 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [-19891 S11pp. l S.C.R.
under section 9(1 )( c) of the 'Haryana Act. The Food Corporation of
A India impugned the levy of tax.
In the other connected appeals the appellant companies-Hindus-
tan Lever Ltd. and Wipro Products-were manufacturing vanaspati,
soaps, chemicals and agro chemicals. For the said manufacturing
B activities, they were purchasing non-essential vegetable oil (VNE oil)
and other raw materials and were paying purchase tax @4% under
section 3 of the Bombay Sales Tax: Act, 1959. The VNE oil was subse-
quently used by the appellant companies in the manufacture of vanas-
pati and soaps. The finished products manufactured by the appellant
companies viz. vanas1>ati and soaps used to be despatched outside the
Staie of Maharashtra to their clearing and forwarding agents. The
assessing authority levied additional p_urchase tax @ 2% under section
13-AA of the Act on-the purchase of said goods-VNE oil.
The appellant companies filed writ petitions in the High Court
D challenging the orders of the assessing authority levying the additional
tax of 2% and also the vires of section 13~AA of the Bombay Sales Tax
Act, 1959 under which the additional tax was levied, contending that
the additional tax of 2% levied on raw materials, where the finished
goods manufactured therefrom were despatched outside the State was
in the nature of consignment tax which was not within the legislative
£ competence of the State Legislature.
The High Court dismissed the petitions holding (i) the additional
purchase tax levied under section 13-AA of the Act was on the purchase
value of VNE oil used in the manufacturing of goods transferred outside
the State and uot on the value of the manufactured goods so transfer-
F red; (ii) the State Legislature was competent to levy the tax under Entry
54 of the State List in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, and (iii)
Section 13-AA was not violative of either Article 14 or Article 301 of the
Constitution ol'lndia.
~gains! the decision of the High Court appellant companies filed
G appeal in this Court.
Disposing of the matters, this Court,
HELD: (Per Mukharji, l)
H I. Analysing section 9 of the Haryana General Sales Tax Act,
GOODYEAR (I) LID. v.-STATE OF HARYANA 515
1!!73. it is clear that the two conditions specified, before the event of A
despatch outside the State as mentioned in section 9(l)(b), namely, (i)
purchase of goods in the State and (ii) using them for the manufacture
of any other goods in the State, are only descriptive of the goods liable
to tax under Section 9(l)(b) in the event of despatch outside the State. If
the goods do not answer both the descriptions cumulatively, even
B
though these are despatched outside the State of Haryana, the purchase
of those goods would not be put to tax under Sectipn ' 9(l)(b). The
liability to pay tax under section 9(l)(b) does not accrue-on purchasing
·the goods simpliciter, but only when these are despatched or consigned
out of the State of Haryana. The section itself does not provide for
imposition of the purchase tax on the transaction of purhcase of the
taxable goods but when further the said taxable goods ar~ used up and c
turned into independent taxable goods, losing its original identity, and
thereafter when the manufactured goods are despatched .outside the
State· of Haryana and only then tax is levied and laibility to pay tax is
created. It is the cumulative effect of that event which occasions or
causes the tax to be imposed. {539F-H; 540A-B]
D
L l A taxable event is that which is closely related to imposition.
In the instant section viz. section 9(l)(b) there is such close relationship
only with despatch. The goods purchased are used in manufacture of
new independent commodity and thereafter the said manufactured
goods are despatched outside the State of Haryana. In this series of
E
transactions the original transaction is completely eclipsed or cease to
exist when the levy is imposed at the third stage or despatch of
manufac~ure. The levy has no direct connection with the transaction of
purchase of raw-materials, it has only a remote connection of lineage.
The mere consignment of goods by a manufacturer to his own branches
outside the State does not in any way amount to a sale or disposal of the
F
goods as such. The. consignment or despatch of goods is neither a sale
nor a pnrchase. ·rhe tax imposed under Section 9(l)(b) is a tax on
despatch. The tax on despatch of goods outside.the territory of the State
certainly is in the course of" inter-State tfade or commerce and amounts
to imposition of consignment tax, and hence the latter part of section
9(l)(b) is ultra vires and void. {540G-H; 5428; 543A; 544E; 545A]
G
Tata Iron & Steel Co. v. State of Bihar, {1958] SCR 1355, referred
to.
Good Year India Ltd. v. State of Haryana, 53 STC 163 and Bata
India Ltd. v. State of Haryana & Anr., 54 STC 226, approved.
H
516 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989} Supp. 1 S.C.R.
A Des Raj Pushap Kumar Gulati v. The State of Punjab, 58 STC
393, overruled.
Yusuf Shabeer & Ors. v. State of Kera/a & Ors., 32 STC 359;
Coffee Board v. Commissioner of Commercial Taxes & Ors., 60 STC
142 and Coffee Board, Karnataka v. Commissioner of Commercial
B Taxes, Karnataka, 70 STC 162, distinguished.
State of Tamil Nadu v. M.K. Kandaswami, 36 STC 191; Ganesh
Prasad Dixit v. Commissioner of Sales Tax, M.P., [1969] 24 STC 343
and Malabar Fruit & Company v. Sales Tax Officer, Pallai, 30 STC
537, distinguished.
c 1.2 The effect of the 'constitution (Forty-sixth Amendment) Act,
1982 is that the field of taxation on the consignment/despatch of goods
in the course of inter-State trade or commerce expressly comes within
the purview of the legislative competence of the Parliament. [543H]
D 2. If section 9(l)(h) is ultra vires, the penalty proceedings would
automatically go as they are in substance, based on the violation of
section 9( l)(b) of the Act and the consequent proceedings flowing
therefrom. [545B I
3. Section 24(3) of the Haryana General Sales Tax Act, 1973
E without making any change in the substantive provision purports to
give a direction to ignore the judgments in Goodyear and Bala India
Ltd. cases. This provision is void. l546B J
Shri Prithvi Cotton Mills Ltd. v. Broach Borough Municipality,
[1969] 2 SCC 283 and Dy. Commissioner of Sales Tax (Law) Board of
F Revenue (Taxes) v. M/s Thomas Stephen & Co. Ltd. Qui/on, [1988] 2
sec 264, followed.
4. In respect of inter-State despatch of wheat and other food
grains by Food Corporation of India to its own branches, tax is
attracted at the time of despatch under Section 9( l )(c) of the Haryana
G Act. Section 9 is the charging section for taxation in case where the
goods are purchased for export. There is no other .Provision for levy of
purchase or sales tax in such cases of export. [547B]
4.1 No tax is payable under the Haryana Act when exports out-
side the State take place either in the course of inter-State sale or export
H out of the territory of India. But the tax is payable for sale in the course
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA 517
of inter-State trade and commerce i.e. nuder the Central Sales Tax Act.
A
It is only when the goods are despatched/consigned to the depots of the
FCI in other States that tax is levied under section 9 of the Haryana Act.
This is in addition to the sales tax paid by the FCI on the sale of grains
in the recipient States. In view of sections 14 & 15 of the Central Sales
Tax Act, it becomes clear that wheat is one of the commodities specified
as 'declared goods' and in respect of which the intention is clear that.the B
tax is payable only once on the declared goods. In the case of inter-State
sale if any tax has been paid earlier on declared goods inside the State
· the same is to be refunded to the dealer who is paying tax on such
inter-State Sales. On these transactions no tax is liable in the recipient
State, while in cas_e of inter-State despatches, the tax is leviable twice.
Section 9(l)(c), wliich insofar as it purports to tax, exports, is beyond C
the legislative competence of the State of Haryana. [547E-G]
5. The incidence of the levy of additional tax of two paise in the
rupee under Section 13-AA of the Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959 is not on
the purchase of goods, but such a levy is attracted ouly when-(a) the
goods which so purchased on payment of purchase tax are used in the D
manufacture of taxable 2oods; and (b) the 2oods so manufactured are
despatched to his own place of business or to his agent's place of busi-
ness outside the State. Therefore, the incidence of tax is attracted not
merely on the purchase but only when the goods so purchased are used
in the manufacture of taxable goods and are despatched outside the
State. The incidence of additional tax has no nexus with the purchase of E
the raw-materials. [553A-B; Dl
5.1 Purchase tax under section 3 of the Act is attracted when the
taxable event i.e.Jhe purchase of goods occurs but the taxable event for
the imposition of additional tax of two paise in the rupee occurs only
when the goocIS, so purchased are used in the manufacture of taxable F
goods and such taxable goods are .·«1espatched outside. -the State by a
dealer manufacturer. The goods-whieh are despatched are different
products from the goods Ori the purchase of which purchase tax was
paid. It is therefore not possible to accept the argument that the charge-
able event was lying dormant and is activated only on the occurrence of
the event of despatch. [553E; 556F; 557C] G
5.2 The charging event is the event the occurrence of which
immediately attracts the charge. Taxable event cannot be postponed to
the occurrence of the subsequent condition. In that event, it would
be the subsequent condition the occurrence of which would attract
the charge which will be taxable event. Therefore the charge under H
518 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
A section 13-AA is a duty on despatch. Accordingly this charge cannot be
sustained. [557D]
The Bill to amends. 20ofthe Sea Customs Act, 1878 and S. 3 of the
Central Excises & Salt Act, [1944], (1964) 3 SCR 787; Mis Guruswamy
& Co. v. State of Mysore, [1967] 1 SCR 548; Mukunda Murari
B Chakravarti & Ors. v. Pabitramoy Ghosh & Ors., AIR 1945 FC l;
Kedar Nath Jute Mfg. Co. Ltd. v. C.I. T., 82 ITR SC 363; State of M.P.
v. Shyam Charan Shukla, 29 STC SC 2f5; R.C. Jail v. Union of India,.
[1962] Suppl. 3 SCR 436; Union of India v. Bombay Tyre International
Ltd., [1984] 1 SCR 347 and State of Karna/aka v. Shri Ranganatha
Reddy, [1978] l SCR 641, referred to.
c Wipro Products v. State of Maharashtra, [1989] 72 STC 69 Born.,
Reversed.
5.3 Imposition of a duty or tax in every case would not tant-
amount per se to any infringement of Article 301 of the Constitution.
D Only such restrictions or impediments which directly or immediately
impede free flow of trade, commerce and intercourse fall within the
prohibition imposed by Article 301. A tax in certain cases may directly
and immediately restrict or hamper the flow of trade, but every imposi-
tion of tax does not rlo so. Every case must be judged on its own
facts and its own setting of time and circumstances. Unless the court
E first comes to the finding on the available material whether or not
there is an infringement of the guarantee under Article 301 the further
question as to whether the Statute is saved under Article 304(b) does
not arise. [558B-CJ
5.4 In the instant case. the goods taxed do not leave the State in
F the shape of raw material, which change their form in the State itself
and there is no question of any direct, immediate or substantial hind-
rance to a free flow of trade. Therefore Section 13-AA of the Bombay
Sales Tax Act 1959 is not vfolative of Article 301. [558D-E]
Atiabari Tea Co. Ltd. v. The State of Assam & Ors., [1961) 1
G SCR 809; The Automobile Transport (Rajasthan) Ltd. v. The State· of
Rajasthan, [1963] 1 SCR 491; Andhra Sugars Ltd. v. State of Andhra
Pradesh, [1968] l SCR 705; State of Madras v. N.K. Nataraja Mudal-
iar, [1968] 3 SCR 829 and State of Kera/a v. A.B. Abdul Khadir &
Ors., [1970] I SCR 700, referred to. •
H Kalyani Stores v. The State ofOrissa & Ors., [1966) 1 S.C.R. 865,
relied on.
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA 519
6. The provisions of constitutional changes have to be construed A
not in a nau·ow isolationism but on a much wider spectrum and the
principles laid down in Heydon's case are instructive. l529H; 530A)
I Black Clawson International Ltd. v. Papierwerke Waldhof-Asc-
haffenburg, [1975] 1 All E.R. 810, referred.
B
Heydon's case, (1584)3 Co. Rep. 7a, relied on.
7. Iri construing the expressions of the Constitution to judge
whether the provisions of a statute are within the competence of the
State Legislature, one must hear in mind that the Constitution is to be
construed not in a narrow or pedantic sense. The Constitution is not to C
be construed as mere law but as the machinery by which laws are to be
made. [533F)
James v. Commonwealth of Australia, [1936] A.C. 578; The
Attorney General for the State of New South Wales v. The Brewery
. Employees Union etc., [1908] 6 C.L.R. i69; Re. Central Provinces & D
Berar Sales of Motor Spirit and Lubricants Taxation Act I938, A.I.R.
1939 F.C. I.and The Province of Madras v. Mis Boddu Paidanna &
Sons, A.I.R. 1942 F.C. 33, referred to.
8. The nomenclature of the Act is not conclusive and for
determining the true character and nature of a particular tax, with E
reference to the legislative competence of a particular Legislature, !he
Court will look into its pith and substance. [543H; 544A]
Governor General in Council v. Province of Madras, [1945] 72
I.A. 91 and Ra/la Ram v. The Province of East Punjab, A.I.R. 1949
F .C. 81, referred to. F
9. The doctrine of pith and substance means that if an enactment
substantially falls within the power expressly conferred by the Constitu-
tion upon the Legislature which enacted it, it cannot he held to be
invalid merely because it incidentally encroaches upon matters assigned
to another legislature. [555H; 556Af G
Kera/a State Electricity Board v. Indian Aluminium Co., [1976] l
S.C.R. 552 and Prafulla Kumar Mukherjee & Ors. v. Bank of Com-
merce, A.I.R. 1947 PC 60, referred to.
9 .1 The true test to find out what is pith and substance of the H
520 SUPREME COURT REPORTS 11989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
legislation is to ascertain the true intent of the Act which will determine
A
the validity ofthe Act. [577B]
10. There are three sta11es in the imposition of tax. There is the
declaration of liability, that is the _part of the Statute which determines
what persons in respect of what property are liable. Next, there is_ the
B assessment. Liability does not depend on assessment, that exhypothesi
has already been fixed. But assessment particularises the exact sum
which a person is liable to pay. Lastly comes the method of recovery if
the person taxed does not voluntarily pay. [539B-C]
Whitney v. Commissioner of Inland Revenue, [1926] A.C. 37 and·
Chatturam & Ors. v. C./. T., Bihar, IS I.T.R. F.C. 302, referred to.
c
11. While determining_ nature of a tax, though the standard or
the measure on which the tax is levied may be a relevant consideration,
it is not the conclusive consideration. [556C]
D Governor General in Council v. Province of Madras, [1945] 72
I.A. 91; R.R. Engineering Co. v. Zila I'arishad Bareilly & Anr., [1980]
3 S.C.R. l; In Re A reference under the Government of Ireland Act,
I920, [1936] A.C. 352 and Navnitlal C. Javeri v. K.K. Sen, Appellate
Asstt. Commissioner of Income Tax 'D' Range Bombay, [1965] I
S.C.R. 909, referred to.
E
12. The liability fo tax would be determined with reference to the
interpretation of the Statute which creates it. It cannot be determined
by referring to another Statute._ l555GJ
13. In fiscal legislations normally a charge is created. The_
F mischief Of taxation occurs on the happening of the taxable event. Diffe-
rent taxes have different taxable events. A taxing event is that event
the occurrence of which immediately attracts the levy or the charge of
tax. What is the taxable event or what necessitates taxation in an
appropriate Statute must be found by construing the provisions. ·The
main test for determining the taxable event is that on the happening of
G which the charge is atiixed. l552H: 553A: 552G: 533E; 539B I
14. Fiscal laws must be strictly construed: u is not permissible to
make assumptions and presumptions in a fiscal provision: t536H; 538G J
C.S. T., U.P. v. The Modi Sugar Mills Ltd., [1961] 2 S.C.R. 189
H and Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan (P) Ltd., Jhansi, v. Excise Commis-
GOODYEAR (!) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA 521
sioner, U.P. & Ors., (1971] 2 S.C.R. 590, referred to.
A
15. While interpreting a Statute a reasonable construction should·
be followed and literal construction may be avoided if that defeats the
manifest object and purpose of the Act. ·[555F J
Commissioner of Wealth-tax, Bihar & Orissa v. Kripashankar B
Dayashankar Worah, 81I.T.R.763 and Income Tax·Commisswnersjor
City of London v. Gibbs, 10.1.T.R. (Suppl.) 121 H.L., referred to.
16. The Entries in the Constitution only demarcate and legislative
fields o( the respective legislatures and do not confer legislative powers
as snch. [544H.; 545A]
c
17. A precedent is an authority only for what it actually decides
and not for what may remotely or even logically follows from it. [537E]
Quinn v. Leathern, (1901] A.C. 495 and The State of Orissa v.
Sudhansu Sekhar Misra & Ors., (1968]2 S.C:R. 154, followed. D
17 .1 A decision on a question which has not been argued cannot
be treated as a precedent. ]542B]
Rajput Rud~ Maha & Ors. v. State of Gujarat, [1980] 2 S.C.R.
353, followed. ,, e E
(Per Ranganathan, J.) (Concurring)
1. Section 9 of the Haryana General Sales Tax Act, 1973 as well
as section 13-AA of the Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959 purport only to
levy a purchase tax. The tax, however, becomes exigible not on the F
occasion or event of purchase but only later. It materialises only if the
purchaser (a) utlises the goods purchased in the manufacture of taxable
goods, and (b) despatches the goods so manufactured (otherwise then
by way of sale) to a place of business situated outside the State. The
legislation, however, is careful to impose the tax only on the price at
which the raw materials are purchased and not on the value ·of the G
manufactured goods consigned outside the State. [559G-H; 560A]
2. It is one thing to levy a purchase tax where the character and
class of goods in respect of which the tax is levied is described inc·a
particnlar manner and a case like the present where the tax, though
described as pnrchase tax, actually becomes effective with reference to H
522 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
A a totally different class of goods and, that too, only on the happening of
an event which is unrelated to the act of purchase. [560D-E] -
2.1 The "taxable event", if one might use the expression often
used in this context, is the consignment of the manufactured goods and
not the purchase. [S60E]
B
2.2 The background of the Constitutional (Forty-sixth Amend-
ment) indicates that there were efforts at sales tax avoidance by sending
goods manufactured in a State out of raw materials purchased inside to
other States by way of consignments rather than by way of sales attract-
ing tax. This situation lends force to the view that the State, unable to
C tax the exodus directly, attempted to do so indirectly by linking the levy
ostensibly to the "purchases" in the State. l560G-H]
Andhra Sugar Ltd. & Anr. v. State, [1968] l SCR 705, referred
to.
D State of Tamil Nadu v. Kandaswami, [1975] 36 S.T.C. 191,
distinguished.
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeals Nos.
1166-72 of 1985 etc. etc.
E From the Judgment and Order dated 24.1.85 of the Punjab &
Haryana High Court in C.W.P. Nos. 698 to 703 and 733 of 1984.
Raja Ram Aggarwal, B. Sen, Dr. Devi Paul, D.S. Tawatia, Soll
J. Sorabjee, Kapil Sibal and S.K. Dholalda, A.N. Hakasar, D.N.
Misra, Mukul Mudgal,.Ravinder Narain, P.K. Ram, S. Sukumaran,
F S. Ganesh, Mahabir Sinl(h, H.S. Anand. R. Karanjawala, Mrs. Manik
Karanjawala, A.S. Bhasme and A.M. Khanwilkar for the Appearing
Parties.
The following Judgments of the Court were delivered:
G SABYASACHI MUKHARJI, J. Except civil appeals Nos. 4162-
63 of 1988, in these appeals along with the special leave petitions and
the writ petition, we are concerned with Sections 9(1) and 24(3) as well
as the penalty proceedings initiated under Section 50 of the Haryana
General Sales Tax Act, 1974 (hereinafter referred to as 'the Act'). So
far as civil appeals Nos. 4162-63 of 1988 are concerned, these involve
H the scope, effect and validity of Section 13AA of the Bomaby Sales
GOODYEAR(!) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.] 523
Tax Act. 1959 (hereinafter referred to as 'the Bombay Act') as intro-
A
duced by the Maharashtra Act No. XXVIII of 1982. It will, therefore,
be desirable first to deal with the question of the Act, and then with
the provisions of the Bombay Act as mentioned hereinbefore.
The appellant/petitioner-Goodyear India Ltd., was engaged at
all relevant times, inter alia, in the manufacture and sale of automobile B
tyres and tubes. It manufactured the said tyres and tubes at its factory
at Ballabhgarh in the district of.FariDdabad in the State of Haryana.
For the said manufacturing activity the appellant had, from time to
time, to purchase various kinds of raw-materials both within the State
and outside the State. It is stated that about 7 to 10% of the total needs
of raw-materials on an all India basis were locally procured by the C
appellant from Haryana itself. The raw-materials purchased in
Haryana were: (i) pigments (partly), (ii) chemicals (partly), (iii) wires
(partly), (iv) carbon black (partly), (v) rubber (partly), and (vi) fabric
(partly). The rest of the requirements were iinported from other
States. the appellant had its depots at different places in the State of
Haryana as well as in other States. After manufacturing the said tyres D
and tubes, about 10 to 12% of the total manufactured products used to
be sold in the State of Haryana either locally or in the course of
inter-State trade & commerce or in the course of export outside the
country and also sold locally against Declaration Form No. ST-15. it
was stated that at the relevant time the local sales including sales in the
course of inte'r-State trade & commerce and in th" course of export E
from the State of Harvana was aboui 30 to 35%. The appellant was a
registered dealer both under the Haryana Act and the Central Sales
Tax Act, and had been submitting its quarterly returns and paying the
sales-tax in accordance with law, according to the appellant. In 1979,
the assessing authority, Faridabad, imposed upon the appellant the
puchase tax under Section 9 of the Act for the assessment year 1973-74 F
and subsequently for the years 1974~ 75 and 1975-76 as well on the
despatches made by the appellant on the manufactured goods to its
various depots outside the State. Subsequently, the relevant revenue
authorities sought to impose purchase tax under Section 9(1) of the
Act and imposed purchase tax on despatches of manufactured goods,
namely, tyres and tubes, to its various depots in other States. This led G
to the filing of various writ petitions in the Punjab & f,laryana High
Court by the appellant/petitioner.
In respect of the assessment years 1976-77 to 1979-80, these
• questions were considered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and
the wri~ petitions were decided in favour of the .appellant on December H
524 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989J Supp. 1 S.C.R.
4, 1982. The said decision being the decision in Goodyear India Ltd. v.
A The State of Haryana & Anr. is reported in 53 STC 163. The Division
Bench of the High Court in th_e said decision held that both on princi-
ple and precedent, a mere despatch of goods out of the State by a
dealer to his own branch while retaining both title and possession
thereof, does not come within the ambit of the phrase "disposes of the
B manufactured goods in any manner otherwise than by way of sale", as
employed in section 9(1)(a)(ii) of the Act. The High Court further
held that the decision of this Court in The State of Tamil Nadu v. M.K.
Kandaswami, (1975] 36 STC 191 was no warrant for the proposition
that a mere despatch of goods was within the ambit of disposing them
of. The High Court also distinguished the decision of this Court in
Ganesh Prasad Dix it v. Commissioner of Sales Tax, M. P., I1969 I 24
c STC 343, and held that Notification No. S.O. 119/H.A. 20/73/Ss. 9 &
15/74 dated July 19, 1974 issued under Section 9 (prior to its amend-
ment by Act No. 11 of 1979) was ultra vires of Section 9 of the Act. It
was held that whereas the section provided only for the levy of purc-
hase tax on the disposal of manufactured goods, the impugned notifi-
D cation by making a mere despatch of goods to the dealers themselves
taxable, in essence, legislates and imposes a substantive tax which it
obviously could not. Ir was held that this was/contrary to and in
conflict with the provisions of section 9. The High Court referred to
the relevant portion of unamended Section 9 of the Act with which it
was confronted and the notification. In order to appreciate the said
E decision and the position, it will be appropriate to set out the said
provisions, namely, the unamended provisions of Section 9 as well as
the notification:
"9. Where a dealer liable to pay tax under this Act pur-
chases goods other than those specified in Schedule B from
F any source in the State and-
(a) uses them in the State in the manufacture of,-
(i) goods specified in Schedule B or
G (ii) any other goods and disposes of the manufactured
goods in any manner otherwise than by way of sale whether
within the state or in the course of inter-State trade or
commerce or within fhe meaning of sub-section (1) of Sec-
tion 5 of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, in the course of
export out of the territory of India,
H
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.] 525
(b) exports them, A
in the circumstances in which no tax is payable under :my
other provision of this Act, there shall be levied, subject to
the provisions of section 17, a tax on the purchase of such
goods at such rate as may be notified under section 15."
B
The relevant notification was as follows:
"Notification No. S.O. 119/H. A. 20/73/Ss. 9 and 15/74
dated the 19th July, 1974.
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 9 and sub- C
section (1) of section 15 of the Haryana General Sales Tax
Act, 1973, the Governor of Haryana hereby directs that the
rate of tax payable by all dealers in respect of the purchases
of goods other than goods specified in Schedules C and D
or goods liable to tax at the first stage notified as such
under section 18 of the said Act, if used by them for D
purposes other than those for which such goods were sold
to them shall be the rate of tax leviable on the sale of such
goods:
Provided that where any such dealer, instead of using
such goods for the purpose for which they were sold tO him, E
despatches such goods or goods manufactured therefrom at
any time for consumption or sale outside the State of
Haryana to his branch 9r commission agent or any other
person on his behalf in any other State and such branch,
commission agent or other person is a registered dealer in
that State and produces a certificate from the assessing F
authority of that State or produces his own affidavit and the
affidavit of the consignee of such goods duly attested by a
Magistrate or Oath Commissioner or Notary Public in the
form appended to this notification to the effect that the
goods in question have been so despatched and received
and entered in the account books of the consignee, the rate G
of tax on such goods shall be three paise in a rupee on the
purchase value of the goods so despatched."
The High Court, as stated before, referred to section 9 and held
~ that the expression 'disposes of' was not basically a term of legal art
and, therefore, it was proper and necessary to first tum to its ordinary H
526 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
A meaning in order to determine whether a mere despatch of goods by a
dealer to himself would connote 'disposal of' such goods by him. The
High Court referred to the dictionary meaning of 'disposes of' in
Webster's. Third New International Dictionary. Reference was also
made to 27 Corpus Juris Secundum, P. 345, and ultimately it came to
the conclusion that the phrase 'disposes of' or 'disposal' cannot be
B possibly equated with the mere despatch of goods by a dealer to him-
self. After referring to the relevant provisions with which this Court
was concerned in Kandaswami's case (supra), the High Court held that
that case was no warrant for construing the expression 'despatch' as
synonymous to 'disposal'. On the other hand, the court held that the
decision of this Court emphasises that the expression 'disposal' of
goods is separate and distinct from despatch thereof. According to the
c High Court, the same position was applicable to Ganesh Prasad Dixit's
case (supra), and in those circumstances held that the term 'disposes
of' cannot be synonymous with 'disposal', and once that is held then
the notification mentioned above travelled far beyond what is provided
in Section 9 of the Act, while the said provision provided only for levy
D of purchase tax on disposal of manufactured goods.
The High Court observed as follows:
"Once it is held as above, the impugned Notification
No. S.O. 119/H.A. 20/73/Ss. 9 and 15/74 dated 19th July,
E 1974 (annexure P-2), plainly travels far beyond the parent
section 9 of the Act. Whereas the said provision provided
only for the levy of a purchase tax on the disposal of
manufactured goods, the notification by making a mere
despatch of goods to the dealers themselves taxable in
essence, legislates and imposes a substantive tax which it
F obviously cannot. Indeed, its terms .run contrary to and are
in direct contlict with the provisions of section 9 itself.
There is thus no option but to hold that the notification,
which is a composite one, is ultra vires of section 9 of the
Act and is hereby st.ruck down."
G The High Court also noted that though the challenged assess-
ment orders were appealable, however, as the challenge was to the·
very validity of the notification which was obviously beyond the scope
of the appellate authority, the writ petitions were entertainable as the
assessment was based on the notification which was frontally chal-
lenged. As a result, the High Court quashed the notification and set
». aside the assessment orders. The said decision is under challenge in
appeal to this Court.
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.] 527
It may be mentioned that sub-section ( 1) of se~tion 9 of the Act
A
had been introduced by the Haryana Act, 55 of 1976 in the Act. After
the aforesaid decision of the High Court, the Haryana Legislature
intervened and enacted the Haryana General Sales Tax (Amendment
& Validation) Act, 1983 by which Section 9 of the principal Act was
amended as follows:
B
"Amendment of Section 9 of Haryana Act 20 of 1973-in
Section 9 of the principal Act, -
(a) in sub-section ( 1),-
(i) for clause (b), the following clause shaJI be substituted
and shall be deemed to have been substituted for the period c
commencing from the 27th day of May, 1971, and ending
with the 8th day of April, 1979, namely:
"(b) purchases goods, other than those specified in
Schedule B, from any source in the State and uses them in D
the State in the manufacture of any other goods and either
disposes of the manufactured goods to a place outside the
State in any manner otherwise than by way of sale in the
course of inter-State trade or commerce or in the course of
export outside the territory of India within the meaning of
Sub-section ( 1) of Section 5 of the Central Sales Tax Act, E
1956; or'',
(ii) after clause (b ), the foJlowing clause shall be deemed
to have been inserted with effect from the 9th day of April,
1979, namely:
F
"(bb) purchases goods, other than those specified in
Schedule B except milk, from any source in the State and
uses them in the State in the manufacture of any other
goods and either disposes of the manufactured goods in any
manner otherwise than by way of sale in the State or des:
patches the manufactured goods to a place outside the G
State in any manner otherwise than by way of sale in the
course of inter-State trade or commerce or in the course of
export outside the territory of India within the meaning of
Sub-Section (1) of Section 5 of the Central Sales Tax Act,
1956; or";
H
528 SUPREME COURT REPORTS i 1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
(iii) ,the following proviso shall be added, namely:
A
"Provided that no tax shall be leviable under this section on
scientific goods and guar gum, manufactured in the state
and sold by him in the course of export outside the territory
of India within the meaning of Sub-section (3) of Section
B .... of the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956."; and
(b) in sub-section (3), the words "other than Railway pre-
misct;" shall be omitted."
After the aforesaid amendment the writ petitions were filed in
the High Court by Bata India Ltd. In the meantime, the petitioner
c Company also filed wirt petitions for the assessment years 1973-74 to
1975-76 and 1980-81 in the High Court challenging the assessment.
The High Court decided these matters on August 2, 1983. The said
decision Bata India Ltd. v. The State of Haryana & Anr. has been
reported in 1983 Vol. 54 STC 226. The High Court held that "mere
D despatch of goods to a place outside the State in any manner otherwise
than by way of sale in the course of inter-State trade or commerce" is
synonymous with or is in any case included within the ambit of the
consignment of goods either to the person making it or to any other
person in the course of inter-State trade or commerce as specified in
Article 269(1)(h) and Entry No. 92-B of List 1 of the 7th Schedule to
E the Constitution. Hence, the levy of sales or purchase tax on scuh a
despatch or consignment of goods and matters ancillary or subsidiary
thereto, will be withil) the exclusive legislative competence of Parlia-
ment to the total exclusion of the State Legislature. Therefore, section
9(1)(b) of the Haryana General Sales Tax Act, 1973, as amended by
the Haryana General Sales Tax (Amendment & Validation) Act,
F 1983, insofar as it levies a purchase tax on the consignment of goods
outside the State •in the course of inter-State trade or commerce is
beyond the legislative competence of the State of Haryana and is void
and inoperative. It was held that the retrospective validation of the
notification of 19th July, 1974 referred to hereinbefore, and the conse-
quential validation of all actions taken thereunder were liable to be
G quashed. The High Court further held that mere manufacture and
consignment of goods outside the State to himself by a manufacturer is
not sale or disposal thereof with the result that it will not be within the
ambit of Entry No. 54 of List II of the 7th Schedule to the Constitu-
tion. Consequently, it was held that irrespective of the 46th Amend-
ment, an attempt to tax the mere consignment or despatch of
H manufactured goods outside the State in the course of inter-State trade
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.] 529
or commerce will not come within the ambit of Entry No. 54 of List II
A
of the 7th Schedule, and consequently of the competence of the
respective State Legislatures. Even before the 46th Amendment, the
mere consignment of goods in the course of inter-State trade or com-
merce was beyond the scope of the said Entry and thus not within the
legislative competence of the Stales and was entirely within the
parliamentary field of legislation by ·virtue of Article 24.8 and the B
residuary Entry No. 9i of List I. ·
The High Court was of the view that neither the original pur-
chase of goods nor the manufacture thereof into the end-product by
itself attracts purchase tax and consequently are not even remotely the
taxable events. What directly and pristinely attracts the tax and can be
truly labelled as the taxing event under section 9( l)(b) of the Act is the c
'hreefold exigency of; (i) disposal of the manufactured goods in any
manner otherwise than by way of sale in the State; or (ii) despatch of
the manufactured goods to a place outside the State in any manner
otherwise than by way of sale in the course of inter-State trade or
commerce, or (iii) disposal or despatch of the manufactured goods in D
the course of export outside the territory of India. It was these three
exigencies only which were the taxable events in the amended section
9(1)(b) of the Act. Consequently, in a Statute where the taxable event
is the despatch or consignment of goods outside the State, the same
would come squarely within the wide sweep of Entry No. 92B of List I
of the Constitution, and thus excludes taxation by the States. E
The High Court was of the view that section 9 of the Act must oe
strictly construed as it was a charging section. If the charging section
travels beyond the legislative Entry and thereby transgresses the
legislative field, then the same cannot possibly be sustained. The con-
stitutional changes brought by the 46th Amendment in Art. 269 of the F
Constitution read with the insertion of Entry No. 92B in the Union
List, leave no doubt that the legislative arena of tax on the consign-
ment of goods (whether to one's ownself or to any other person) in the
course of inter-State trade or commerce and all ancillary or comp-
lementary or consequential matters, are now declared to be exclu-
sively reserved for parliamentary legislation and any intrusion into this G
field by the State Legislatures would be barred.
In my opinion, the High Court correctly noted in the said deci-
sion that the provisions of constitutional change have to be construed,
and such problems should not be viewed in narrow isolationism but on
a much wider. spectrum and the principles laid down in Heydon's case H
530 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
1584 3 Co. Rep 7a arc instructive. Hence, in a situation of this nature,
A
it was just and proper to see what was the position before the 46th
Amendment of the Constitution, and find out what was the mischief
that was sought to be remedied and then discover the true rationale for
such a remedy. In Black-Clawson International Ltd. v. Papierwerke
Waldhof-Aschaffenburg Ag., [1975] 1 All ER 810, Lord Reid observed
B as follows:
"One must first read the words in the context of the Act as
a whole, but one is entitled to go beyond that. The general
rule in construing any document is that one should put
oneself 'in the shoes' of the maker or makers and take into
account relevant facts known to them when the document
c was made. The same must apply to Acts of Parliament
subject to one qualification. An Act is addressed to all the
lieges and it would seem wrong to take into account any-
thing that was not public knowledge at the time. That may
be common knowledge at the time or it may be some
D published information which Parliament can be presumed
to have had in mind.
It has always been said to be important to consider
the 'mischief' which the Act was apparently intended to
remedy. The word 'mischief is traditional. I would expand it
E in this way. In addition to reading the Act you look at the
facts presumed to be known to Parliament when the Bill
which became the Act in question was before it, and you
consider whether there is disclosed some unsatisfactory
state of affairs which Parliament can properly be supposed
to have intended to remedy by the Act, ... '
F
The state of affairs that the Parliament bas sought to remedy by
the 46th Amendment of the Constitution, was that prior to the pro-
mulgation each State attempted to subject the same transaction to tax
. on the nexus doctrine under its sales tax laws. Consequently, on the
basis of one or the other element of the territorial nexus, the same
G transaction had to suffer tax in different States with the inevitable
hardship to trade and consumers in the same or different States. The
framers of the Constitution being fully aware of the problems sought
to check the same by a somewhat complex constitutional scheme and
by imposing restrictions on the States' power with regard to levy tax on
the sale or purchase of goods under Art. 286. The High Court in the
H judgment _referred to hereinbefore, mentioned these factors. It is in
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.} 531
this background that Art. 269 was amended and clause {3) was added
A
to it. The effect, inter alia, is that the power to levy tax on the sale or
purchase of goods is now referable to the legislative power vested in
the States by virtue of Entry No. 54 in List II of the 7th Schedule.
However, this legislative authority of the States is restricted by
three limitations contained in Articles 286{1)(a), 286(1)(b) & 286(3) of
the Constitution. It may be mentioned that Parliament by the 6th
Amendment to the Constitution, enacted the Central Sales Tax Act,
1956, with the object to formulate principles for determining when a
sale or purchase of goods takes place in the course of inter-State trade
or commerce or outside a State or in the course of import into or
export from India, to provide for the levy, collection and distribution
of taxes on sales of goods in the course of inter-State trade or com-
merce and to declare certain goods to be of special importance and c
specify the restrictions and conditions to which State laws imposing
taxes on the sale or purchase of such goods shall be subject. In this
connection, the High Court referred to the various propositions as
mentioned by the Law Commission in its 6 lst Report rendered in May,
1974. It is not necessary to set out the same in detail. It was in the D
aforesaid historical background that the High Court construed the
provisions in question and came to the conclusion that a plain reading
of these would leave little manner of doubt that the legislative power
to tax consignment transfers of goocYs from one branch of an institution
to another branch thereof outside the State and all matters incidental,
ancillary or complementary thereto were then declared to be vested in E
the Union of India to the total exclusion of the States. The High Court
referred to the observations of this Court in Khyerbari Tea Co. Ltd. v.
State of Assam, AIR 1964 SC 925; Navinchandra Mafatlalv.The Com-
missioner of Income-tax, Bombay City, [1955] SCR 829 and Waverly
lute Mills Co. Ltd. v. Raymon & Co. (I) Pvt. Ltd., [1963] 3 SCR 209,
and concluded that Entry 92B enabled the Union of India not only to F
tax the consignment of goods in the strict sense but also embraced all
ancillary and complementary areas as well to the exclusion of the State
Legislature therefrom. In the aforesaid light the High Court construed
section 9( l)(b) of the Haryana Act, 1983. Analysing the provisions in
detail it observed that Section 9 of the Act was a charging section for
the levy of purchase tax. It imposed liability for payment of purchase G
tax, therefore, it should be distinguished from the machinery section.
The High Court examined the real nature of the business outside the
State and found that there was merely a change in the physical situs of
the goods without ariy change in the basic incidents of ownership and
control. Therefore, in its true nature a mere despatch of goods outside
the State to another branch of the original institution is not and never H
532 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989) Supp. I S.C.R.
A
can be the equivalent of a sale either as a term of art in the existing
sales tax legislation and not remotely so in common parlance, and
construing section 9(1)(b) of the Act, the High Court was of the view
that the real taxing event is the despatch of the manufactured goods to
a place outside the. State in any manner otherwise than by way of sale
in the course of inter-State trade or commerce.
B
The High Court found that there was no distinction between the
despatch as defined in the said amended section and the consignment
of goods by the manufacturer to himself or any other person in the
course of inter-State trade or commerce, and referred to the mean-
ings of the expressions 'despatch' and 'consign', which are siniilar and
almost interchangeable when used in specific commercial sense. The
c High Court referred to Webster's New International Dictionary,
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and also to Random House dictio-
nary for their meanings. On construction, the High Court came to the
conclusion that the amended provisions of section 9(1)(b) of the Act
attempt to levy an identical tax in the garb of a levy on the despatch of
D manufactured goods to places outside the State of Haryana, and there-
fore intruded and trespassed into an arena exclusively meant for taxa-
tion by the Union of India. The High Court also viewed from another
point of view, namely, who was liable as it was the consignment of
goods which attracted the liability of purchase tax and. in pristine ess-
ence was the "taxable event" under section 9(1)(b) of the Act. The
E High Court also analysed it from the point of view that under section
9(1)(b), where a dealer purchases goods for the express purpose of
manufacturing other goods within the State, then in strict sense such
purchase by itself did not attract any tax under the provisions. Hence,
the High Court set aside the amended provision so far as it sought to
levy purchase tax on the consignment of goods outside the State in the
F course of inter-State trade or commerce, consequently it also set aside
the retrospective validation of th~ notification and the consequential
validation of all actions taken thereunder. Special leave petitions were
filed in this Court against the said decision of the High Court. These
are special leave petitions Nos. 8397 to 8402 of 1983. During the
pendency of the special leave petitions, show cause notices were issued
G by the assessing authority in respect of the assessment years 1973-74 to
1980-81 (except for 1978-79 & 1979-80) and also for 1982-83 asking the
petitioner to show cause why in addition to purchase-tax, it should not
be liable to penalty as well. The petitioner-Company again filed writ
petitions in Pun jab & Haryana High Court challenging the validity of
those notices. It appears that in the meantime, a Full Bench of the
H High Court decided the question again in the case of Des,Raj Pushap
GOODYEAR (!) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.) 533
Kumar Gulati v. The State of Punjab & Anr.. This decision was
A
rendered on January 24, 1985, and is reported in 58 STC 393. The
assessment years involved in all appeals are 1973-74 to 1982-83.
According to the Full Bench, the taxing event is the act of purchase
and not the Act of despatch or consignment as held in Bata India Ltd.,
(supra). In the premis~s, it was held that section 9(1)(b) as amended,
was neither invalid nor ultra vires and overruled the decision· of Bata B
India Ltd. The writ petitions filed were also dismissed.
The petitioner-Company filed special leave petitions against the
aforesaid judgment of the Punjab & Haryana High Court which were
admitted in Civil Appeals Nos. J 166-72/85. Goodyear India also filed
writ petition No. 3834 of 1985 in respect of the assessment year 1981-
82, as the notices for assessment and penalty were received after the c
decision of Punjab & Haryana High Court in Des Raj Pushap Kumar's
case (supra). The said decision was passed in appeal against the deci-
sion of the said court in Goodyear India reported in 53 STC 163,
number being 1514 (NT) of 1984. All these questions are the subject-
matters of these appeals. D
It is well-settled that what is the taxable event or what necessi-
tates taxation in an appropriate Statute, must be found out by constru-
ing the provisions. The essential task is to find out what is the taxable
event. In what is considered to be indirect tax, there is a marked
distinction between the consequence of manufacture and the conse- E
quence of sale.
It is well to remember that in construing the expressions of the
Constitution to judge whether the provisions like Section 9(1)(b) of
the Act, are within .the competence of the State Legislature, one must
bear in mind that the Constitution is to be construed not in a narrow or F
pedantic sense. Constitution is not to be construed as mere law but as
the machinery by which laws are to be made. It was observed by Lord
Wright in James v. Commonwealth of Australia, [1936] AC 578 at 614,
that the rules which apply to the interpretation of other Statutes, how-
ever, apply equally to the interpretation of a constitutional enactment.
In this context, Lord Wright referred to the observatioPs of the G
Australian High Court in The Attorney-General for the State of New
• South Wales v. The Brewery Employees Union etc., [1908] 6 CLR 469
' where it was observed that the words of the Constitution must be
interpreted on the same principles as any ordinary law, and these
principles compel us to consider the nature and scope of the Act, and
to remember that the Constitution is a mechanism under which laws H
534 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
are to be made, and not a mere Act which declares what the law is to
A
be. Hence, such mechanism should be interpreted broadly, bearing in
mind in appropriate cases, that the Supreme Court like ours is a nice
balance of jurisdictions. A Constitutional Court, one must bear in
mind, will not strengthen, but only derogate from its position if it seeks
to do anything but declare the law; but it may rightly reflect that a
B Constitution is a living and organic thing, which of all instruments has
the greatest claim to be construed broadly and liberally. See the obser-
vations of Gwyer, C.J. in Re: Central Provinces & Berar Sales of
Motor Spirit and Lubricants Taxation Act, 1938, AIR 1939 PC 1 at 4).
Mr. Justice Sulaiman in his judgment at p. 22 of the report observed
that the power to tax the sale of goods is quite distinct from any right to
impose taxes on use or consumption. It cannot be exercised at the earlier
c stage of production nor at the later stage of use or consumption, but only
at the stage of sat~, (emphasis supplied). The essence of a tax on goods
manufactured or produced is that the right to levy it accrues by virtue
of their manufacture. On the other hand, a duty on the sale of goods
cannot be levied merely because goods have been manufactued or
D produced. Nor can it be levied merely becaue the goods have been
consumed or used or even destroyed. The right to levy the duty would
not at all come into existence before the time of the sale. In this
connection, reference may be made to the observations of Chief
Justice Gwyer in The Province of Madras v. Mis. Boddu Paidanna &
Sons, AIR 1942 FC 33.
E
Mr Raja Ram Agarwala, learned counsel for the appellant/asses-
sees, contended before us that it is necessary to find out or identify the
taxable event. If on a true and proper construction of the amended
provisions of section 9(1)(b) it is the despatch or consignment of the
goods that is the taxable event as contended by the petitioners and
F appellants, then the power is beyond the State's competence. If, on
the other hand, it is the purchase of the goods that is the taxable event
as held by the Full Bench of the High Court, then it will be within its
competence. The Full Bench in Des Raj Pushap Kumar's case (supra)
has relied on the background of the facts and the circumstances which
necessitated the introduction of the amendment.
G
Mr. Tewatia, learned counsel appearing for the State canvassed
· before us the historical perspective and stated that Haryana State
came into being as a result of the Punjab State Reorganisation Act,
1966, therefore, part of the legislative history of the taxing Statute like '
any other Statute is shared by the Haryana State with the Punjab
H State, and as such it is proper to notice the concept of purchase tax as it
GOODYEAR(!) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.] 535
evolved in the State of Punjab. Purchase-tax was introduced in the
A
State of Punjab for the first time by the East Punjab General Sales
Tax (Amendment) Act, 1958. Section 2(ff} was introduced for the
first time to define the expression 'purchase'. The definition of the
term 'dealer' was changed to include therein a purchaser of goods also.
The definition of the term 'taxable turnover' was also altered. Some
' dealers who crushed oil-seeds, were called upon to pay purchase tax on B
the raw-material purchased by them on the ground that the raw-
material had not been subjected to a manufacturing process as the
process of crushing oil-seeds did not involve a process of manufactur-
ing. He referred to the fact that Punjab had originally exempted
purchase tax 'On the purchase of raw-material by the dealers if such
raw-material was to be used for the manufacture of goods for sale in
Punjab and thus generate more revenue to the State as a result of the c
sales tax on such manufactured goods. But when the dealers sta.rted
avoiding this condition for sale in Punjab by various ingenious devices
after having escaped the payment of purchase tax on the raw-material
purchased by them, the Legislature amended the Act and Punjab Act
No. 18 of 1960 was brought on the statute-book w.e.f. April 1, 1960. D
Section 2(ff) of the Act was amended and it provided that all the goods
mentioned in Schedule C when purchased shall be exigiblc to purchase
tax and thus the concession given to the manufacturers was withdrawn.
Explaining this background, Mr. Tewatia contended that section 9,
sub-section (i) of the Act envisages payment of tax at such rate as may
be notified under Section 15 on the purchase of goods from any source E
within the State by a dealer liable to pay tax under the Act when such
goods, not being Schedule 'B' goods, were consumed either in produc-
ing Schedule 'B' goods or when the manufactured goods were other
than Schedule 'B' goods, the same not being sold within the State or in
the course of inter-State trade or commerce, or in the course of export
outside the territory of India, or the purchased goods were exported F
outside the State.
After referring to the relevant provisions and the provisions of
section 9(1)(b), Mr Tewatia emphasised that the contingency contem-
plated by "or despatches the manufactured goods to a place outside
the State in any manner otherwise than by way of sale in the course of G
inter-State trade or commerce or in the course of export outside the
.territory of India within the meaning of section 5(1) of the Central
Sales Tax Act, 1956; or" as well as clause (c) of section 9(1) which
encompasses "purchases goods, other than those specified in
Schedule B, from any source in the State and exports them, in the
circumstances in which no tax is payable under any other provision of H
536 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
this Act, there shall be levied, subject to the provisions of Section 17, a
A
tax on the purchase of such goods at such rate as may be notified under
Section 15. ", have to be judged for determining their validity in the
true historical perspective as well as bearing in mind the remedial
aspect of the provisions for the purpose of which these were enacted.
Therefore, the main question is whether the tax envisaged by section
B 9( 1) is a tax on purchase/sale of given goods or is a tax on the despatch/
consignment of such goods and that depends on, as to whether the
taxable event is a purchase/sale of goods or despatch/consignment of
such goods. As mentioned hereinbefore, Mr. Tewatia laid great deal
of emphasis on the background of the provisions of section 9( 1\. He
urged that the said section is both a taxing as well as a remedial provi-
sion, as would be evident from the scheme of the Act. The legislative
c policy was to see that all goods except non-taxable goods i.e. Schedule
'B' goods, must yield tax/revenue to the State in the hands of a dealer,
at one stage or the other, according to Mr. Tewatia. He analysed the
scheme and referred us to section 6 along with section 27 of the Act,
and then submitted that the provision of section 9( 1) along with sub-
·o section (3) of section 24 of the Act are both composite provisions, i.e.
they are both charging provisions as also remedial provisions. Accord-
ing to him, such composite provisions of a fiscal Statute deserve to be
interpreted properly and in such a manner as to further remedy and
thus effectuate the legislative intent and suppress the mischief
intended to be curbed.
E
Reliance was placed by the High Court as well as Mr. Tewatia
before us on the observations of this Court in The State of Tamil Nadu
v. Kandaswami, (supra), where at p. 198 of the Sales Tax Cases, this
Court while dealing with section 7A of the Tamil Nadu (Amendment)
Act, observed that it was at once a charging as well as a remedial
F provision. Its main object was to plug leakage and prevent evasion of
tax. In interpreting such a provision, a construction which would
defeat its purpose and, in effect, obliterate it from the statute book,
shauld be eschewed. If more than one construction is possible, that
which preserves its workability and efficacy is to be preferred to the
one which would render it otiose or sterile, observed this Court in that
G case. While bearing the aforesaid principle in mind, it has to be
examined as to how far the application of this provision can be con-
strued with the well-settled principle of fiscal legislation and the terms
and conditions of the present legislation. It has been said and said on
numerous occasions that fiscal laws must be strictly construed, words
must say what these mean, nothing should be presumed or implied,
H these must say so. The true test must always be th_e language used.
GOODYEAR (!) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.J 537
On behalf of the assessee, Mr. Rajaram Agarwala, however, A
further contended that the ratio of Kandaswami's case (supra) to
which Mr. Tewatia referred, must be understood in the ligbt of the
question involved in that case. The said decision of this Court was
concerned with the limited point as to whether the Madras High Court
was right in observing "whether one could say that the sale· which is
exempted is liable to tax and then assume that because of exemption, B
the tax is not payable". This Court held that the language of section
7A of the said Act was far from clear as to its intention and did not
concern with the identification of the taxing event. Furthermore, it has
to be borne in mind, as emphasised by Mr. Agarwala, that if at all the
taxing event was spelt out, it was on the assumption that the goods in
question were generally taxable and these were to be put to tax under C
section 7A of the Tamil Nadu Act, if these came to be purchased
without payment of tax and then sought to be dealt with in any manner
as to escape payment of State sales/purchase tax within the State.
Mr. Tewatia drew our attention to the observations of this Court
in Kandaswami's case (supra) to prove that the observations in D
Malabar Fruit Products Co. v. The Sales Tax Officer, Palai, 30 STC
537, where these questions were decided by Justice Poti of the Kerala
High Court, who spelt out that the taxing event was not the event of
despatch but the event of purchase/sale of goods. It has, however, to
be borne in mind that the questions involved in Malabar Fruit Pro-
ducts' case and Kandaswami's case (supra) were not concerned with E
the actual argument with which we are concerned in the instant matter.
It is well-settled that a precedent is an authority ;mly for what it actu-
ally decides and not for what may remotely or even logically follows
from it. See Quinn v. Leathern, [1901] AC 495 and The State ofOrissa
v. Sudhansu Sekhar Misra & Ors., [1968] 2 SCR 154. Therefore, the
ratio of the said decision cannot be properly applied in construing the F
provisions of section 9(1)(b) in this case to determine what is the
taxable event.
It was contended by Mr. Rajaram Agarwala that clause (b) of
Section 9(1) dealt with non-exempted goods purchased in the State,
used in the .manufacture of any goods whether exempted or not, but G
when despatched outside the State of Haryana i.e. by way of stock
transfer consignment will attract the tax liability under this section,
hence, the event of despatch or consignment is the immediate cause
which attracts the tax liability under section 9. The quality or the
character of goods which should be liable to tax under section 9 in
clau~e (l)(a) is the non-exempted goods purchased in the State; while H
538 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
under the first part of clause (b) the quality of goods liable to tax is the
A
non-exempted goods purchased in the State and under the second part
of clause (b ), the quality of goods must be non-exempted goods
purchased and manufactured in the State, whether exempted or not in
the State which is liable to tax on despatch outside Haryana; and under
clause (c) the goods purchased in Haryana without undergoing any
B further change or use is the quality of goods liable to tax when
exported.
The submission of the State is that the taxable event is the pur-
chase of goods in Haryana while the obligation to pay is postponed on
the fulfilment of certain conditions. The further argument is that there
is a general liability to purchase tax which the dealer avoids on furnish-
c ing a Declaration in S. T. Form 15 as provided by section 24 at the time
of purchase, wherein certain conditions are mentioned and when those
conditions are not fulfilled, those revive. It was further argued that the
conditions are incorporated in section 9 of the Act. For testing which
of the contentions are nearer to find out the exact taxable event,
D certain indicias and illustrations may be seen. Their analysis will indi-
cate that there is no liability to pay ,sales tax under the Haryana Act on
the purchaser. It is admitted that on such sales the selling dealer is
liable to pay sales-tax. On such purchases, the sale and purchase being
the two sides of the same coin, no purchase tax is imposed under the
Act. This has been the accepted position by the State also for, while
E replying to the question of double taxation counsel for the State admit-
ted that sales as well as purchase tax is to be imposable under the
scheme of the Act which are of two sides. Hence, it was rightly urged
by Mr. Rajaram Agarwala that the first contention for attracting the
applicability of section 9(i), "whether a dealer is liable to pay tax
under this Act purchases goods", is missing when the section (1) talks
F of a dealer liable to pay tax under the Act, obviously it is with refe-
rence to his purchasing activity and if on that activity no purchase tax is
payable, section 9( 1) would not be applicable.
To accept the submissions advanced by Mr. Tewatia, assump-
tions and presumptions are to be made. It is not permissible to do so in
G a fiscal provision. See in this connection the observations of this Court
in C.S. T. U.P. v. The Modi Sugar Mills Ltd., [1961] 2 SCR 189 and
Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan (P) Ltd., Jhansi v. Excise Commissioner,
U.P. & Ors., [1971] 2 SCR 590 at 592. In that background it must be
noted that section 9 of the Act nowhere makes a reference to section
24 or any declaration furnished by the purchasing dealer on the basis
of which he was granted temporary exemption and thereby revival of
GOODYEAR (!) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.J 539
the original purchase tax on the breach of declaration as such. Section
A
9 of the Act opens with the expression "where a dealer liable to pay tax
under this Act" and not "whether a dealer has paid tax or has not paid
tax". The phrase 'liable to pay tax' under the Act must relate to liabi-
lity to pay sales tax on such purchases.
It is well-settled that the main test for determining the taxable B
event is that on the happening of which the charge is affixed. The
realisation often is postponed to further date. The quantification of the
levy aJJ9 !hf'c recovery of tax is also postponed in some cases. It is well
settled that there are three stages in the imposition of tax. There is the
declaration of liability, that is the part of the Statute which determines
what persons in respect of what property are liable. Next, there is the
assessment. Liability does not depend on assessment, that exhypothesi C
has already been fixed. But assessment particularises the exact sum
which a person is liable to pay. Lastly comes the method of recovery if
the person taxed does not voluntarily pay. Reference may be made to
the observations of Lord Dunedin in Whitney v. Commissioner of
Inland Revenue, [1926] AC 37 at p. 52 and of the Federal Court in D
Chatturam & Ors. v. C.I. T., Bihar, 15 ITR FC 302 at 308.
Taxable event is that which on its occurrence creates or attracts
the liability to tax. Such liability does not exist or accru~ at any earlier
or later point of time. The identification of the subject-matter of a tax
is to be found in the charging section. In this connection, one has to E
analyse the provisions of section 9(2)(b) as well as section 9(1)(b) and
9(1)(c). Analysing the section, it appears to us that the two conditions
specified, before the event of despatch outside the State as mentioned
in section 9(1)(b), namely, (i) purchase of goods in the State and (ii)
using them for the manufacture of any other goods in the State, are
only descriptive of the goods liable to tax under Section 9( l)(b) in the F
event of despatch outside the State. If the goods do not answer both
the descriptions cumulatively, even though these are despatched out-
side the State of Haryana, the purchase of those goods would not be
put to tax under section 9( l)(b ). The focal point in the expression
"goods, the sale or purchase of which is liable to tax under the Act", is
the character and class of goods in relation to exigibility. In this G
connection, reference may be made to the observations of this Court in
Andhra Sugars Ltd. v. State of Andhra Pradesh, [1968] 1 SCR 705. On
a clear analysis of the said section, it appears that section 9( l)(b) has to
be judged as and when liability accrues under that section. The liability
·to pay tax under this section does not accrue on purchasing the goods
sirripficiter, but only when these are despatched or consigned out of H
540 SUPREME COURT REPORTS ~1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
the State of Haryana. In all these cases, it is necessary to find out the
A true nature of the tax. Analysing the section, if one looks to the alleged pur-
chase tax under section 9, one gets the conclusion that the section itself
does not provide for imposition of the purchase tax on the transaction
of purchase of the taxable goods but when further the said taxable
goods are used up and turned into independent taxable goods, losing
B its original identity, and thereafter when the manufactured goods are
despatched outside the State of Haryana and only then tax is levied
and liability to pay tax is created. It is the cumulative effect of that
event which occasions or causes the tax to be imposed, to draw a
familiar analogy it is the last straw on the camel's back.
In this connection, reference may be made to the observations of
c Justice Vivian Bose in The Tata Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. v. The State of
Bihar, [1958] SCR 1355 at 1.381, where he observed as follows:
"I would therefore reject the nexus theory in so far as it
means that any one sale can have existence and entity
D simulataneously in many different places. The States may
tax the sale but may not disintegrate it, and, under the
guise of taxing the sale in truth and in fact, tax its various
elements, cme its head and one its tail, one its entrails and
one its limbs by a legislative fiction that deems that the
whole is within its claws simply because, after tearing it
E apart, it finds a hand or a foot or a heart or a liver still
quivering in its grasp. Nexus, of course, there must be but
nexus of the entire entity that is called a sale, wherever it is
deemed to be situate. Fiction again. Of course, it is fiction,
but it is a fiction as to situs imposed by the Constitution Act
and by the Supreme Court that speaks for it in these
F matters and only one fiction, not a dozen little ones."
It is, therefore, necessary in all cases to find out what is the
essence of the duty which is attracted. A taxable event is that which is
closely related to imposition. In the instant section, there is such close
relationship only with despatch. Therefore, the goods purchased are
G used in manufacture of new independent commodity and thereafter
the said manufactured goods are despatched outside the State of
Haryana. In this series- of transactions the original transaction is comp-
letely eclipsed or ceases to exist when the levy is imposed at the third
stage of despatch of manufacture. In the instant case the levy has no
direct connection with the transaction of purchase of raw-materials, it-
H has only a remote connection of lineage. It may be indirectly and very
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.] 541
remotely connected with the transaction of the purchase of raw-
A
material wherein the present levy would lose its character of purchase
tax on the said transaction.
Mr. Rajaram Agarwala submitted that the measure of tax is with
reference to the value of purchased goods in the State of Haryana. As
mentioned before, reference has been made to the decision of B
Kandaswami's case (supra), where this Court dealt with section 7A of
the Tamil Nadu Act, which was not identical but similar fo section 9 of
the Act. There at p. 196 of the report, this Court observed as follows:
" ... Difficulty in interpretation has been experienced only
with regard to that part uf the sub-section which relates to
ingredients (4) & (5). The High Court has taken the view
c
that the expression "goods, the sale or purchase of which is
liable to tax under this Act", and the phrase "purchases ...
in circilmstances in which no tax is payable under Sections
3, 4 or 5 are a "contradiction in terms".
D
Ingredients Nos. 4 & 5 are as follows:
"4. The goods purchased are "goods, the sale or purchase
of which is liable to tax under this Act".
5. Such purchase is, "in cifcumstances, in ''"hich no tax E
is payable under sections 3, 4 or 5, as the case may be;"
The relevant ingredient involved, as mentioned at page No. 196,
was as under:
"6. The dealer either- F
(a) consumes such goods in the manufacture of other
goods for sale or otherwise or
(b) despatches all such goods in any manner other than by
way of sale in the State or G
(c) despatches them to a place out~ide the State except as a
direct result of sale or purchase in the course of inter-State
trade or commerce."
This ingredient was neither argued nor was considered, so the H
542 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
passing reference based on the phraseology of the section is not the
A
dictum of Kandaswami's case. Secondly, in section 9, in the instant
case, the raw-materials purchased or used in the manufacture of new
goods and thereafter those new goods were despatched outside the
State of Haryana whereupon the tax was levied. This important factor
is wholly missing in Section 7A of the Tamil Nadu Act, which was
B considered in Kandaswami's case. In that decision, this Court
approved the Kerala High Court's decision in Malabar Fruit Products,
(supra), which was confined to the interpretation of the words 'goods',
the sale or purchase under the Act. A decision on a question which has
not been argued cannot be treated as a precedent. See the observa-
tions of this Court in Rajput Ruda Maha~ & Ors. v. State of Gujarat,
[1980] 2 SCR 353 at 356. The decision of the Division Bench of the
c Kerala High Court in Yusuf Shabeer & Ors. v. State of Kera/a & Ors.,
32 STC 359 is clearly distinguishable. In Ganesh Prasad Dixit's case
(supra) the question of constitutional validity was not argued. A refe-
rence was made by Mr. Tewatia to the decision of the High Court in
The Coffee Board v. Commissioner of Commercial Taxes & Ors., 60
D STC 142 and the decision of this Court in Coffee Board, Karnataka v.
Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, Karnataka, 70 STC 162. In these
cases the question involved was the acquisition of coffee by the Coffee
Board under compulsory acquisition or purchase or sale of goods. That
question is entirely different from the question with which we are
concerned in these appeals.
E
Prior to 46 the Amendment, Entry 54 of List II of the 7th
Schedule of the Constitution of India which demarcated the exclusive
field of State Legislation, read with Article 246(3) of the Constiiution
conferred power on the State Legislature to impose tax on the transac-
tions of sale or purchase of goods. The said Entry read as follows:-
F
"Taxes on the sale or purchase of goods other than News-
papers, subject to the provisions of Entry 92-A of List I".
Entry 92A of List I, which is in the exclusive domain of the
Union, was to the following extent:
G
"Taxes on the sale or purchase of goods other than News-
papers, where such sale or purchase takes place in the
course of inter-State trade or commerce."
The mere consignment of goods by a manufacturer to his own
H branches outside the State does not in any way ~amount to a sale or
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA (MUKHARJI, J.] 543
disposal of t!J.e goods as such. The consignment or despatch of goods is
A
neither a sale nor a purchase. The first ju.cJgment in case of Goodyear
India was on December 4, 1982 when it was held that the Notification
was beyond the Act, as the word 'disposal' did not include the word
'mere despatch' as mentioned in the notification. The Constitution
(46th Amendment) Act, 1982 came into force on February 2, 1983,
whereby section 9 was amended. This amendment was after 46th Con- B
stitutional Amendment Act, 1982. The 46th Constitution Amentment
Act in the Statement of Objects & Reasons, inter alia, stated as
follows:
"There were reports from State Government to whom
revenues from sales-tax have been assigned, as to the large
scale avoidance of Central Sales Tax leviable on inter-State c
sales of goods through the device of consignment of goods
from one State to another and as to the leakage of local
Sales Tax in works contracts, hire purchase transactions,
lease of films etc. Though, Parliament could levy a tax on
these transactions, as tax on sales has all along been treated D
as an item of revenue to be assigned to the States, in regard
to these transactions which are semble sales also, it is con-
sidered that the same policy should be adopted."
The Law Commission of India in its 61st Report made, as indi-
cated before, certain recommendations, and noticed that the provi- E
sions of existing Central Sales Tax Act were insufficient to tax the
consignment transfers from branch to another, as it was beyond the
concept of sale, and its recommendations are contained in paragraph
2.23 of Chapter II (at page 66), it recommended that the definition of
sale in the Central Sales Tax Act, after carrying out the requisite
Constitution Amendment be amended somewhat on the lines indi- F
cated by them in their report. The Union of India, in part, accepted
the recommendations but instead of amending the definition of sales in
Central Sales Tax Act, inserted a new Entry in the ·union List in the
shape of Entry 92B and also inserted a new sub-clause (4) after sub-
clause (g) in Art. 269 (1) of the Constitution. The Parliament also
amended clause (3) of Article 269. G
It appearsto us that the effect of the aforesaid amendment is that
the field of taxation on the consignment/despatch of goods in ihe
course of inter-State trade or commerce expressly come within the
purview of the legislative competence of the Parliament. It is well-
settled that the nomenclature of the Act is not conclusive and for H
544 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
determining the true character and nature of a particular tax, with
A
reference to the legislative competence of a particular Legislature, the
Court will look into its pith and substance. See the observations of
Governor General in Council v. Province of Madras, [1945] 72 IA 91.
There, Lord Simonds observed as follows:
B " ..... For in a Federal Constitution, in which there is a
division of legislative powers between Central and provin-
cial legislatures it appears to be inevitable that controversy
should arise; Whether one or other legislature is not
exceeding its own, and encroaching on the others Constitu-
tional Legislative Power, and in such a controversy it is a
• principle, which their Lordships do not hesitate to apply in
c the present case, that it is not the name of the tax, but its
real nature, "it is pith and substance", as it has some times
been said which must determine into what category it
falls."
D We must, therefore, look not to the form but to the substance of
the levy. See the observations of the Federal Court in Ra/la Ram v.
The Province of East Punjab, AIR 1949 FC 81.
Therefore, the nomenclature given by the Haryana Legislature is
not decisive. One has to find out whether· in pith and substance, a
E consignment tax is sought to be imposed, a tax on despatch in the
course of inter-State trade or commerce. I have no hesitation in hold-
ing that it is a tax on despatch. Inter-state trade or commerce, it has
been emphasised, is of great national importance and is vital to the
federal structure of our country. As the imposition of consignment tax
requires very deep consideration of all its aspects and certain amount
F of consensus among the States concerned, especially with regard to the
rates, grant of exemption, and ratio relating to distribution of proceeds
amongst the States inter se, the actual imposition of tax is bound to
take some time till an agreeable solution is found, but that would not
make the consignment tax to be in suspended animation in the State,
and make us hold that a tax which is in essence a tax on consignment
G should be taxed by the States by the plea either that otherwise there is
ample scope of evasion and further States are without much resources
in these days when there is such a tremendous demand on the revenue
of the States.
It is well settled that the Entries in the Constitution only
H demarcate the legislative fields of the respective legislatures and do
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA (MUKHARJI, J.] 545
not confer legislative powers as such. The tax on despatch of goods
A
outside the territory of the State certainly is in the course of inter-State
trade or commerce, and in other words, amounts to imposition of
consignment tax, and hence the latter part of section 9(1)(b) is ultra
vires and void.
In these cases, we are concerned with the validity of the latter B
part of section 9(1)(b) of the Haryana Act which imposes a tax on
despatch of manufactured goods outside the territories of Haryana. If
it is accepted that section 9(1)(b) is ultra vires, the penalty proceedings
would automatically go as they are in substance, based on the violation
of section 9( l)(b) of the Act and the consequent proceedings flowing
therefrom. It is in that context that in writ petition No. 3834 of 1985,
Mr. Soli Sorabjee urged that the attempt and action of the State in
c
imposing tax and attempt to penalise are bad.
In this connection, it may be mentioned that before the Full
Bench of the Punjab & Haryana High Court on behalf of the State, a
statement was made, which has been recorded in 58 STC 393 at p. 408, D
as follows:
"Counsel appearing for the State of Haryana made a state-
ment thai if the Full Bench held that Bala India Limited's,
case (1983)54 STC 226 did not lay down the correct law and
the amendment effected by Act No. 11of1984 to Section 9 E
was intra vires, then the provision of sub-section (3) of
section 24 regarding the rate of tax shall not be enforced
and only the old rate will be leviable."
In view of the aforesaid Statement, no higher rate except the old
rate admissible factually would be applicable. F
Section 24(3) was introduced by the Haryana Act with retrospec-
tive effect from May 27, 1971, which is as follows:
"Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act or any
Judgment, decree or order of any Court or other authority G
to the contrary if a dealer who purchases goods, without
payment of tax under Sub-section (1) and fails to use the
goods so purchased for the purpose specified therein he
shall be liable to pay tax on the purchase value of such
goods, at the rates notified under Section 15 without pre-
judice to the erovisions of Section 50 provided that the tax, 'fl
546 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
shall not be levied where tax is payable on such goods
A
under any other provision of this Act."
This provision without making any change in the substantive
provision purports to give a direction to ignore the judgment, in other
words, purports to overrule the judgments, namely, Goodyear and
B Bata India, which is beyond the legislative competence of the State
Legislature and this provision is void in view of the decision of this
Court. See Shri Prithvi Cotton Mills Ltd. v. Broach Borough Munici-
pality, (1969] 2 SCC 283 at 286. For the same reason, applying the
main section instead of section 9(1), section 24 should also fail as
amended. Civil appeal No. 1515/84 is also liable to be dismissed in
view of the judgment of this Court in Dy. Commissioner of Sales Tax
c (Law), Board of Revenue (Taxes) v. Mis. Thomas Stephen & Co. Ltd.,
Qui/on, [1988) 2 SCC 264, where this Court observed that "disposal
means transfer of title in the goods to any other person", and therefore
it would not include mere despatch to own self or to its agents or to its
branch offices or depots. In the premises, the decision of the Punjab &
D Haryana High Court in Goodyear India Ltd., 53 STC 163 is correct on
merits as well.
In the aforesaid view of the matter, it cannot be held that section
9( 1) and sub-section (3) of section 24 are constitutionally valid.
E In civil appeals Nos. 1633 (NT) of 1985 and 3033/86 which are the
appeals by the Food Corporation of India, Mr. Sen submitted that the
FCI is a service agency of the Govt. of India and is discharging the
statutory functions of distribution of foodgrains by procuring/purchas-
ing from the surplus States and despatching the same to the deficit
States in accordance with the policy of the Govt. of India. He further
F submitted that the Corporation procures foodgrains from the farmers
through commission agents in the Mandis of Haryana and despatch
them to its own branches in the deficit States of the country. The
Corporation branches in the recipient States supply these stocks to the
State agencies/fair price shops and also pay tax as per the provisions of
the Sales Tax Jaw of the respective States. Some of the stocks are
G distributed within Haryana for the Public Distribution System (PDS)
for which sales tax is charged and deposited with the Sales Tax depot
as per the provisions of the Haryana General Sales Tax Act. In case
the stocks are also sold in the course of inter-State trade or commerce,
central sales tax is levied and deposited with the Haryana Sales Tax
authorities. Some of the grain~ are also exported out of India on which
H there is exemption on payment of any tax.
GOODYEAR (!) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA (MUKHARJI, J.] 547
In fact, the points at which the tax is to be levied have been A
indicated in Schedule 'D' to the Act. It is clear from the perusal of the
Schedule that in case of Paddy, the taxable event is the last purchase.
Similarly, in case of rice the taxable event is the first sale poiI1t in the
State. In case of wheat and other cereals the point of taxation is the
last sale to the consumer by a dealer liable to pay tax under the Act.
B
In respect of inter-State despatch of wheat and other foodgrains
by FCI to its own branches, tax is attracted at the thne of desptach
under section 9(1)(c) of the Haryana Act. Section 9 is, therefore, the
·charging section for taxation in case where the goods are purchased for
export. There is no other provision for levy of purchase or sales tax in
such cases of export. Incidentally, "export" has been defined in C
section 2( e) of the Act which reads as follows:
"2(e) "export" means the taking out of goods from the
State to any place outside it otherwise than by way of sale
in the course ofinter-State trade or commerce or in the
course of export out of the territory oflndia;" D
No tax is payable under the Haryana Act when exports outside
the State take place either in the course of inter-State sale or export
out. of the territory of India. No tax is therefore payable in regard to
export outside India but the tax is payable for sale in the course of
inter-State trade and commerce i.e. under the Central Sales Tax Act. E
It is only when. the goods are despatched/consigned to the depots of
the FCI in other States that tax is levied under section 9 of the Haryana
Act. This is in addition to the sales tax paid by the FCI on the sale of
grains in the recipient States. On perusal of sections 14 & 15 of the
Central Sales Tax Act, it becomes clear that wheat is one of the
commodities specified as 'declared goods' and in respect of which the p
intention is clear that the tax is payable only once on the declared
goods. In the case of inter-State sale if any tax has been paid earlier on
declared goods inside the State the same is to be refunded to the dealer
who is paying tax on such inter-State sales. On these transactions no
tax is liable in the recipient State, while in case of inter-State
despatches, the tax is leviable twice. The appeals of· the FCI are G
confined to section 9(1)(c), which insofar as it purports to tax export, is
beyond the legislative competence of the State of Haryana.
On behalf of the State in Bata Co. Ltd. v. State of Haryana
(supra), the submission of the State was on the basis that it had power
to till< consignment or despatches of goods. But after the 46th Amend- H
548 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
ment, the State Legislature is incompetent to legislate about consign-
ments/despatches otherwise than by way of sale under which no
purchase/sales tax is leviable under the Haryana Act. It is the Parlia-
ment alone which is legislatively competent to enact a legislation on
consignment.
B Now, it is necessary to deal with civil appeals Nos. 4162-63/85
which deal with the validity of section 13-AA of the Bombay Sales Tax
Act.
These appeals are by Hindustan Lever Ltd. and Wipro Products
-the appellants herein. The appellants, at all material times,
manufacture, make and deal in vanaspati, soaps, etc., chemicals and
c agro-chemicals, and they used to purchase various types of VNE oils
for their manufacture of vanaspati, soaps and other products. Since
the appellants had a wide net of distribution of their products all over .
India, they appointed 40 and more clearing and forwarding agents in
the country. The appellant used to despatch the goods so manufac-
D lured from their factory to the clearing and forwarding agents. They
also used to purchase VNE oils and other raw-materials and paid 4%
tax by way of purchase tax under section 3 of the Bombay Sales Tax
Act, 1959 (hereinafter called 'the Bombay Act'). The raw-materials
are used in the manufacture of said goods and as the said manufac-
tured goods are despatched outside the State to the several distributing
E agencies, the appellant companies were held to be liable to pay, under
section 13-AA of the Act, an additional tax @ 2% on purchase of the
said goods.
The question, therefore, that arises, is: whether the levy of addi-
tional tax at 2% under Section 13-AA of the Act is a tax on purchases
F falling under Entry 54 of List II of the 7th Schedule or it is a tax on the
despatch of consignment of the manufactured goods outside the State.
In case of latter, the State Legislature will have no power to im1mse any
tax on such consignment or despatch of goods outside the State. If it is
the former, then it will be valid. The question is that under the true
constructions of section 13-AA of the Act, on which the imposition of
G tax is made, or in other words, what is the incidence of that taxation or
taxable event? In both these appeals, namely, civil appeals No. 4162/
88 and 4163/88, the appellants M/s Wipro Products Ltd. and
Hindustan Lever Ltd. are contending that the levy is bad. The issue
involved in both the appeals is the constitutional validity and legality
· of the provisions of section 13-AA of the Act, which was introduced
H into the Act by the Maharashtra Act XXVIII of 1982. The appellant
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STAIB OF HARYANA !MUKHARJI, J.l 549
. had a factory at Amalnar in Jalgaon district in the State of
A
Maharashtra wherein it uses non-essential oil purchased by it for the
.,,«•manufacture and transport. The finished products, namely, vanaspati
manufactured by the appellant used to be despatched to their various
marketing depots in the State of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, U.P., Tamil Nadu and Kerala etc. On
July 1, 1981 the rate of purchase tax payable on VNE oils {falling B
under Schedule C, part I at Entry 35) purchased within the State of
Maharashtra from non-registered dealers increased from 3% to 4%,
by the Maharashtra Act 32 of 1981.
Section 13-AA was introduced into the Act providing for levy of
2 % additional purchase tax on the purchase of goods, input goods,
specified in part I of the Schedule from a non-registrered dealer if such c
goods were used in the manufacture of taxable goods within
Maharashtra and thereafter the manufactured goods were transferred
outside Maharashtra in the manner indicated in the said section. ·
The appellants filed writ petitions. An order was .passed by· the D
Bombay High Court on July 19, 1988,in respect of these two writ
petitions by the Wipro Products as well as Hindustan Lever Ltd. The
decision of the High Court is reported in [1989 I 72 STC 69.
Dismissing the petitions of the appellants the High Court held
that (i) three different phases are contemplated in section 13-AA of E
.the Act, namely, the initial purchase of the raw material, the consump-
tion thereof in the manufacture of taxa6le goods, and the despatch of
the manufactured goods outside the State. If the goods purchased
remain in the same form within the State, the question of levying
additional tax would not arise. The High Court came to the conclusion
that there was no ground to hold that the additional tax was levied on F
the despatch of goods and was unconnected with the initial transaction
of purchase, as it was required to be paid in addition to the sales or
purchase tax paid or payable in respect of the same goods which had
been so purchased before the conditions specified in section 13-AA
are fulfilled, (ii) in the context of the other provisions of the Act, a sort
of concession is given at the time of purchase on the quantum of tax G
payable on the purchase of goilds which fall under Part I of Schedule
C. However, there is a dear mandate of law, which is clearly under-
stood between seller and buyer, that ihough tax at the conncessional
rate is paid, the obligation to pay the additional tax on the happening
of certain events, namely, use of such goods in manufacture of finished
goilds, and despatch of finished goods outside the State, is undertaken H
550 SUPREME COURT REPO!l.TS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
by the purchaser; and (iii) implicit in the low rates of tax prescribed on
A
raw material attributable to goods in Part I of Schedule C is the condi-
tion precedent that to avail of this concession the goods in question are
required to be sold in the Staie after being used in the manufacture of
other taxable goods. The High Cou~t, further, was of the opinion that
a manufacturer who purchases raw-material at a concessional rate on
B the strength of declaration in Form 15 cannot transfer the goods
manufactured out of such raw-material outside the State. The High
Court held that if he does so, he is liable to pay purchase tax at the full
rate on the raw material under section 14. According to the High
Court, similarly, a manufacturer who purchases goods covered in Part
III of Schedule C, uses them in the manufacture of other taxable goods
which he despatches outside the State, is liable to pay tax at rates
c ranging from 6% to 15%. Section 13-AA, therefore, far from being
discriminatory, serves to wipe out any discrimination between the two
categories of manufacturers mentioned above and manufacturers
purchasing raw-material covered by Part I of Schedule C, according to
the revenue. The High Court was of the opinion that the additional
D purchase tax leviable under section 13-AA of the Bombay Act, is on
the purchase value of VNE oil used in the manufacture of goods trans-
ferred outside the State and not on the value of the manufactured
goods so transferred. It further held that the tax levied under section
13-AA of the Bombay Act, falls squarely and exlcusively under Entry
54 of the State List in the 7th Schedule to the Constitution of India and
E the State Legislature was competent to levy it. It does not even
remotely fall under Entry 92B of the Union List, according to the
High Court.
The High Court was also of the view that the goods taxed under·
section 13-AA of the Bombay Act, are consumed in the State as raw
F material in the process of producing other commodities. Hence, there
was no question of any hindrance to a free flow of trade bri!llli.ng into
operation Article 301 of the Constitution. According to the High Court,
the petitioners had not brought forth any material to show how the
free flow of trade has been affected by this additional rate of tax; and
held that section 13AA is not violative of Article 14 of the Constitu-
G tion; and that section 13AA of the Bombay Act and the orders requir-
ing the appellants to pay additional tax@ 2% on purchase of VNE oil
used by them as raw-material in the manufacture of goods despatched
outside the State, were valid.
The High Court in the judgment under appeal has set out the
·H relevant provisions of the Act, which was enacted to consolidate and
GOODYEAR (I) LID. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJI, J.] 551
amend the law relating to levy of tax on the sale or purchase of certain
A
goods in the State of Bombay. Section 2 contains some of ihe defini-
tions. Section 24 deals with authorisations of turnover etc. Section
BAA of the Bombay Act with which the High Court and these appeals
are cqncerned, is in the following terms:
"B-AA. Purchase tax payable on goods in Schedule C, B
Part I, when manufactured goods are transferred to outside
branches.
Where a dealer, who is liable to pay tax under this
Act, purchases any goods specified in Part I of Schedule C,
directly or through Commission agent, from a person who
is 9r is not a Registered dealer and uses such goods in the
c
manufacture of taxable goods and despatches the goods, so
manufactured, to his own place of business or to his agent's
place of business situated outside the State within India,
then such dealer shall be liable to pay, in addition to the
sales tax paid or payable, or as the case may be, the pur- D
chase tax levied or leviable under the other provisions of
this Act in respect of pure.bases of such goods, a purchase
tax at the rate of two paise in the rupee on the purchase
price of the goods so used in the manufacture, and accord-
ingly the dealer shall include purchase price of such goods
in his turnover of purchases in his return under section 32, E
which he is to furnish next thereafter. n
The questions involved in these appeals are: whether section
BAA of the Bombay Act is beyond the legislative competence of the
State Legislature; and it is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution;
and thirdly, whether the said provision is violative of Article 301 of the F
Constitution. It was contended on behalf of the appeallant that section
BAA of the Act is a charging section and imposes a charge of an
additional rate of 2% in the rupee if the following conditions laid clown
therein are satisfied: (i) the charge is levied upon a dealer who is liable
to pay tax under the Act; (ii) such a dealer purchases any go0ds
specified in Part I of Schedule C, directly or through commission G
agent, from a person who is or is not a registered dealer; (iii) the goods
so purchased are used in the manufacture of taxable goods; and (iv)
the goods which are so manufactured (and not the goods on which
purchase tax had been paid) are despatched to the dealer's own place
of business or to his agent's place of business situated outside the
State. H
552 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
According to the appellant, the said section lays down the person
A
who is liable to pay tax, the goods on which the same is leviable and
the taxable event which would attract the liability of additional tax of
two paise in the rupee, namely the despatch or consignment of goods
by the dealer/manufacturer outside the State.
B According to Dr. Pal, counsel for the appellant, the taxable
event is not the purchase of goods as such which is the raw-material,
but it is the despatch or consignment of goods manufactured by the
dealer/manufacturer to its own branch outside the state; and that thus
manufactured goods are different from commercial commodity, dis- .
tine! and separate from the raw materials on which p~rchase tax has
already been paid. It is well-settled; it was reiterated before.us, that in
c case of excise duty, the taxable event is the manufacture of goods and
the duty is not directly on the goods but on the manufacture thereof. In
case of sales tax, taxable event is the sale of goods. Hence, though
both excise duty and sales tax are levied with reference to the goods,
the two are different imposts, in one case the imposition is on the act
D of manufacture or production while in case of ot.her the imposition is
on the act.of sale. But in neither case the impost is a tax directly on the
goods. See in this connection, the observations of this Court in re: The
Bill to amends. 20 of the Sea Customs Act, 1878 ands. 3 of the Central
Excises & Salt Act, 1944, [1964] 3 SCR 787 at 821 and Mis.
Guruswamy & Co. v. State of Mysore, [1967] 1 SCR548 at562.
E
The power to tax the sale or purchase of goods is different from
the right to impose taxes on use or consumption. According to Dr. Pal,
such power to levy sales tax cannot be exercised at the earlier stage of
import or manufacture/production nor the said power can be exercised
at the later stage of use or consumption but only at the stage of sale or
F purchase. In respect of sales tax, the right to levy duty would not at all
come into being before the time of sale/purchase. Sales tax cannot be
imposed unless the goods are actually sold and may not be leviable if
there is a transfer in some other form. See in this connection the
observations of the Federal Court in Mukunda Murari Chakravarti &
Ors. v. Pabitramoy Ghosh & Ors., AIR 1945 FC 1at22. Therefore, in
0 this case it is necessary to ascertain what is the taxable event under
section 13-AA of the Act which attracts duty. A taxing event is that
event the occurrence of which immediately attracts the levy or the
charge of tax.
In the fiscal legislations normally. a charge is created. The mis-
H chief of taxation occurs on the happening of the taxable event. Diffe-
•
GOODYEAR (I) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA (MUKHARJI, J.] 553
rent taxes have different taxable events. In the instant case, Dr. Pal
A
canvassed before us that the incidence of the levy of·additionaltax of
two paise in the rupee is not on the purchase of goods but such a levy is
attracted only when-( a) the goods which so purchased on payment of
purchase tax are used in the manufacture of taxable goods; and (b) the
goods so manufactured are despatched to his owo place of business or
to his agent's place of business outside the State. Therefore, the inci- B
dence of tax is attracted not merely on the purchase but only when the
goods so purchased are used in the manufacture of taxable goods and
are despatched outside the State. In our opinion, it was rightly submit-
ted that it is the effect' of section 13AA of the Act. It was further
highlighted by Dr. Pal on be!!11.lf of the assessee that additional tax is
not levied on the goods purchased on payment of purchase tax and
despatched outside the State. The goods which are purchased on pay- c
ment of purchase tax are used in the manufacture of taxable goods.
What is despatched is not the raw material which have been purchased
on payment of purchase tax but a completely different commodity,
namely, vanaspati and soap. If the raw materials as such purchased on
payment of purchase tax are despatched outside the State, the addi- .D
tional tax under section 13-AA of the Ar.tis not attracted. Hence, tlle
inCidence of additional tax has no nexus with the purchase of the
raw-materials, as was contended by Mr. S.K. Dholakia, appearing for
the State and as held by the High Court. ·
Purchase tax under section 3 of the Act is attra~ed when the . E
taxable ev~nt i.e. the purchase of goods occurs, but the taxable e.x.e.itt
for the imposition of additional tax of two ,paise in .the rupee occurs
only 'when the goods so purchased .are used in the manufacture of
taxable goods and such taxable goods are despatched outside the State
by .a dealer-manufacturer. Dr. Pal drew our attention to some of the
observations of this Court in Kedamath Jute Mfg. Co. Ltd. v. Commis- F
sioner of Income-tax (Central), Calcutta, 82 ITR SC 363 and State of
Madhya Pradesh & Ors. v. Shyama Charan Shukla, 29 STC SC 215 at
218-219. On the other hand, Mr. Dholakia submitted that the submis-
sion of the appellant proceeded on the assumption that the liability to
pay is the same as the obligation to pay but this was wrong. These two
are different. It was submitted that the obligation to pay is not the G
same thing as liability to tax; and that it was wrong to proceed on tlie
basis that because. 'obligation' to pay' is a later event, 'the despatch of
goods' is the taxable event. This is a fallacy, according to Mr.
Dholakia. In this connection, reliance was placed on the observations
of this Court in R.C. Jail v. Union of India, [1962] Suppl. 3 SCR 436,
where this Court reiterated that subject always to the legislative com- H
554 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989) Supp. 1 S.C.R.
A
petence of the enacting authority, the tax can be levied at a convenient
stage, so long as the character of the impost is not lost. The method of
collection does not affect the essence of the machinery of collection for
administrative convenience. Reliance was also placed on the observa-
tions of Union of India v. Bombay Tyre International Ltd., [1984) 1
SCR 34/.
B
It was submitted by Mr. Dholakia that the correct approach is to
first determine whether the State Legislature, having regard to Entry
54 of List II to the 7th Schedule to the Constitution, can levy tax ·on
purchse of a class of goods, which class is to be identified by referenc<c
to the condition of use of such goods into other taxable goods and
despatch of such taxable goods outside the State. He submitted that if
c it is accepted that the State could have the power to tax purchases of
goods meant for use into manufacture of other taxable goods and
despatch outside thereafter, then next question is whether the State
enactment (like section 13AA of the Bombay Act) is so formulated as
to come within the framework described. He admitted that even if it
D did, it would still have to be subject to (a) the doctrine of pith anu
substance, (b) the fundamental rights, and (c) Article 301.
According to Mr. Dholakia, the Act contains a charging section
which is section 3. It levies tax on turnover of sales and purchases
within section 2(36) and 2(35) respectively of the said Act. Section 13
E of the Act levies tax on purchases in accordance with rates prescribed
in Schedule C iLthe goods are purchased from an unregistered dealer.
Section 13A levies a copcessional tax on purchases if th~ goods are
purchased from a registered dealer, provided a declaration in the pre-
scribed form i.s given under section 12(b) of the Act, if the purchaser
buys directly, or one under section 12(d) if the purchaser buys througfi ·
F a commission agent. In both the forms the relevant conditions are: (a)
that the goods fall within Part II of Schedule C; and (b) that the goods
bought would be used for manufacture of other taxable goods within
the State and sold within the State. Mr. Dholakia submitted that on
giving the aforesaid declaration, the purchaser would have to pay only
4% tax. The rates prescribed in Schedule Care as under:
0
· Schedule 'C'
Part Minimum Rate Maximum Rate
I 2% 4%
II 6% 15%
GOODYEAR (!) LTD. v. STATE OF HARYANA [MUKHARJi, J.j 555
The effect of section 13A without section 13-AA, according to
A
Mr. Dholakia, was that only those who bought goods which fell into
Part II, would have benefitted by the declaration, since the rate
mentioned in section 13A was 4%. Hence, those buying goods falling
within Part I of Schedule C had not to give any declaration under
section 12(b) or 12(d), as the case may be, and still manufacture the
taxable goods and despatch them outside the State. According to him, B
as a result of this situation, two results emerged, i.e. (i) the State lost
revenue because the goods manufactured with the help of the
infrastructure provided by the State escaped further tax, by goods
being resold outside the State; and (ii) the purchasers of raw-materials
used by the manufacturers for producing new taxable goods, were not
being treated equitably because those whose purchases of goods which
fell into Part II had to give a declaration to get the benefit of reduce.d c
rate. On the other hand, those whose purchases of goods fell in Part!,
need not give such a declaration. According to him, from the stand-
point of the object of encouraging resale within the State, the classifi-
cation in form of Part I and II had no rational nexus. Therefore, that
construction shou.ld be made which may make section 13-AA of the D
Act, to avoid this mischief.
According to Mr. Dholakia, section 13AA speaks of the require-
ment of additional purchase tax from those who have paid purchase
tax, if the object of the purchases is to use the goods falling in Patt I of
Schedule C for manufacture of taxable goods and the despatch of such E
goods outside the State. He alleged it to be a fair and reasonable
construction and it will subserve the purpose of the amendment.
It is well settled that reasonable construction should be followed
and literal connstruction may be avoided if that defeats the manifest
object and purpose of the Act. See Commissioner of Wealth-tax, Bihar F
& Orissa v. Kripashankar Dayashankar Worah, 81 !TR 763 at 768 and
v.
lncome-tax·.commissioners for city of London Gibbs, JO !TR Suppl.
121 HL at 132. Mr. Dholakia further submitted that the Statement of
Objects & Reasons also helps this construction. In our opinion, he
rightly submitted that because the accounts had to be maintained in a
particular manner, is no criterion or evidence for determining when G
the liability arises. The law is that the liability to tax would be
determined with reference to the interpretation of the Statute which
creates it. It cannot be determined by referring to another Statute. As
contended by both the sides, it is well-settled that the doctrine of pith
and substance means that if an enactment substantially falls within the
powers expressly conferred by the Constitution upon the Legislature H
556 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [ 1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
which enacted it, it cannot be held to be invalid merely because it
A
incidentally encroches upon matters assigned to another Legislature.
See Kera/a State Electricity Board v. Indian Aluminium Co, [ 1976] I
SCR 552 and Prafulla Kumar Mukherjee & Ors. v. Bank of Com-
merce Ltd., AIR 1947 PC 60 at 65. ·
B Therefore, the proper question which one should address to one-
self is, whether section l3AA is in pith and substance, not levying tax
on purchase but one levying tax on consignment. Depending upon the
answer to the question, the validity of the action can be judged. Mr.
Dholakia submitted that the Act is in pith and substance, an Act levying
tax on purchase and not one levying tax on consignment, and referred
to the observations of this Court in State of Karnataka v. Shri
c Ranganatha Reddy, [1978] 1 SCR 641. According to him, the consign-
ment contemplated in section 13-AA is only of manufactured goods and
no tax is levied under section 13AA in respect of such manufactured
goods. He emphasised as aforesaid. It is well-settled that while
determining nature of a tax, though the standard or the measure on
D which the tax is levied may be a relevant consideration, it is not the
conclusive consideration. One must have regard to such other matters
as decided by the Privy Council in Governor General in Council v.
Province of Madras, (supra) not by the name of tax but to its real
nature, its pith and substance which must determine into what cate-
gory it falls. See the observations of R.R. Engineering Co. v. Zila
E Parishad Qareilly & Anr., [ 1980] 3 SCR I; in re: A reference under the
Govt. of Ireland Act, 1920, l 1936] AC 352 at 358 and Navnitlal C.
Javeri v. K.K. Sen, Appellate Asst/. Commissioner of Income Tax, 'D'
Range, Bombay, [1965] l SCR 909 at 915.
On an analysis we find that the goods which are despatched are
F different products from the goods on the purchase of which purchase
tax was paid. The Maharashtra legislation has to be viewed in the
context of 46th Amendment to the Constitution. The 46th Amend-
ment introduced Article 269 ( l)(h) which lays down that the proceeds
of the tax on consignment of goods (whether the consignment is to the
person making it or to any other person) where such consignment
o takes place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce, will be
assigned to the States. The said Amendment also introduced Entry
No. 92B in List I of the 7th Schedule. The said Amendment was made
on the consideration of the 6lst Report of the Law Commission. Entry
92B in List I of the 7th Schedule and Article 269( l)(h) of the Constitu-
tion bring within its sweep the consignment of goods by a person either
H to himself or to any other person in the course of inter-State trade or
GOODYEAR (I) LID. v. STATE OF HARYANA (MUKHARJI, J.] 557
commerce. Article 269(3) gives the power to Parliament to formulate
A
the principles for determining when a consignment of goods takes
place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce. If Entry 92B in
List I is to be given the widest interpretation, as it should be, it would
be clear that the constitutional changes introduced by the 46th
Amendment in Article 269 read with the Entry, the tax on consign-
ment of goods now comes within the exclusive legislative field of Parli- B
ament. The true test to find out what is the pith and substance ..of the
legislation is to ascertain the true intent of the Act which will
determine the validity of the Act. If the Parliament in exercise of its
plenary power under Entry 92B of List I imposes any tax on the
despatch or cosignment of goods, Parliament will be competent to do
so. It is, therefore, not possible to accept the argument that the
chargeable event was lying dormant and is activated only on the c
occurrence of the event of despatch. The argument on the construction
of the enactment is misconceived. The charging event is the event the
occurrence of which immediately attracts the charge. Taxable event
cannot be postponed to the occurrence of the subsequent condition. In
that event, it would be the subsequent condition the occurrence of D
which would attract the charge which will be taxable event. If that is
so, then it is a duty on despatch. In that view of the matter, this charge
cannot be sµstained.
As mentioned hereinbefore, the section has been challenged as
being violative of Article 14 of the Constitution. This attack is based E
on the discrimination between the two types of taxes but in the way we
have costrued the section, in our opinion, this question does not
survive. It was further submitted by Dr. Pal that section BAA of the
Act is violative of Article 301 of the Constitution. It makes a discri-
mination between the dealer/manufacturer who despatches the goods
outside the State and the other dealer/manufacturer. Both the dealer/ F
manufacturers purchase the goods on payment of purchase tax and use
-them in the manufacture of taxable goods. The incidence of additional
tax on the purchase of goods is attracted only when such manufactured
goods are despatched outside the State. If a dealer/manufacturer has
to despatch the goods outside the State, he has to pay a higher rate of
tax and thus he is discriminated as compared to the other dealer/manu- G
facturer who purchses the raw material on payment of 4% purchase
tax, but de_spatches the raw material straightaway outside the State
and uses them in the manufacturer of goods outside the.State. The
High Court held that there was no violation of Article 301 of the
Constitution. Reference was made to the decision of this Court in
Atiabari Tea Co. Ltd. v. The State of Assam & Ors., (1961] 1SCR809; H
)58 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
The Automobile Transport (Rajasthan) Ltd. v. The State of Rajasthan,
A
[1963] 1 SCR 491; Andhra Sugars Ltd. v. State of Andhra Pradesh,
(supra), State of Madras v. N.K. Nataraja Mudaliar, [1968] 3 SCR 829
and State of Kera/av. A.B. Abdul Khadir & Ors., [1970] 1SCR700.
One has to determine: does the impugned provision amount to
B restriction directly and immediately, on the trade or commerce move-
ment? As was observed by this Court in Kalyani Stores v. The State of
Orissa & Ors., [1966] 1 SCR 865, imposition of a duty or tax in every
case would not tantamount per se to any infringement of Article 301 of
the Constitution. Only such restrictions or impediments which directly
or immediately impede free flow of trade, commerce and intercourse
fall within the prohibition imposed by Article 301. A tax in certain
c cases may directly and immediately restrict or hamper the flow of
trade, but every imposition of tax does not do so. Every case must be
judged on its own facts and its own setting of time and circumstances.
Unless the court first comes to the finding on the available material
whether or not there. is an infringement of the guarantee under Article
D 301 the further question as to whether the Statute is saved under
Article 304(b) does not arise. The goods taxed do not leave the State in
the shape of raw material, which change their form in the State itself
and there is no question of any direct, immediate or substantial hind-
rance to a free flow of trade. On the evidence adduced, we are in
agreement with the High Court that the challenge to the imposition in
E the background of Article 301 cannot be sustained and, therefore, no
question whether such imposition is saved under Article 304{b) of the
Constitution arises.
In the aforesaid view of the matter and for the reasons
mentioned hereinbefore, it must be held that so far as the appeals in
F respect of the Haryana Act are concerned, the High Court ·was right in
the view it took in Goodyear India Ltd's case, 53 STC 163 as well as the
views expressed by the High Court in Bata India Ltd. v. The State of
Haryana & Anr., 54 STC 226 are correct and are affirmed. The views
of the High Court expressed in Des Raj Pushap Kumar Gulati' s case
(supra) are incorrect for the reasons mentioned hereinbefore. The last
G mentioned judgment and the judgment and orders following passed by
the Punjab & Haryana High Court are, therefore, set aside. In the
premises, Civil Appeals Nos. 1166-72185 (Mis Goodyear India Ltd. v.
State of Haryana & Anr.), Civil Appeal No. 1173-77 (NT)l85 (Gedore (I)
Pvt. Ltd. v. State of Haryana & Anr.), civil appeal No. 2674186 (Mis.
Kelvinator of India Ltd. & Anr. v. State of Haryana & Ors.), Civil
H Appeal No. 1633 (NT)l85 F.C.I. v. State of Haryana & Anr.) and
GOODYEAR(I)LTD. v. STATEOFHARYANA [RANGANATHAN,J.] 559
Civil Appeal No. 3033 (NT)/86 F.C.I., Kamal v. The State ofHaryana
A
& Ors.) are allowed and the judgment and order of the High Court are
set aside.
Civil Appeals Nos. 1512 (NT)/84 [State of Haryana & Anr. v.
Gedore Tools (P) Ltd.] and 1515/84 [State of Haryana & Anr. v.
B
Goodyear India Ltd.] are dismissed. Special leave petitions Nos. 8398-
8402/83 are dismissed, and for the reasons mentioned hereinbefore,
civil appeal Nos. 4162/88 (Mis. Wipro Products Ltd. v. State of
Maharashtra & Anr. and 4163/88 !Hindustan Lever Ltd. & Anr. v.
State of Maharashtra & Anr.] are allowed and the judgment and order
of the High Court passed therein, are hereby set aside.
c
In the facts and the circumstances of this case, the parties will
pay and bear the respective costs. So fat as the civil appeals Nos.
1633/85 and 3033/86 are concerned, wherein the appellants are the
Food Corpn. of Ilidia, I allow these appeals and setting aside the
judgment of the High Court on the ground that tax on despatch or D
consignment was not within the competence of the State Legislature. I
am, however, not dealing with or expressing any opinion on the other
contentions of the F.C.I. that in view of the nature of its business it
was not liable to tax in respect of the sales tax. This contention will be
decided in the appropriate proceedings.
E
So far as the contention regarding penalty under the Haryana
Act, these proceedings fail because the charging provisions fail. In so
far as the penalty proceedings are impugned on other grounds apart
from the fail11te of the charging provisions, I am expressing no opinion
on these aspects.
F
RANGANATHAN, J. I agree but wish to add a few words.
The question raised in these appeals is a fairly ticklish one.
Simply stated, Section 9 of the Haryana General Salex Tax Act, 1973
as well as section 13AA of the Bombay Salex Tax Act, 1959, purport
only to levy a purchase tax. The tax, however, becomes exigible not on G
the occasion or event of purchase but only later. It materialises only if
the purchaser (a) utilises the· goods purchased m the manufacture of
taxable goods and (b) despatches the goods so manufactured
(otherwise than by way of sale) to a place of bilsiness situated outside
the State. The legislation, however, is careful to impose the tax only
on the price at which·the raw materials are ·purchase<:t and not on the H
560 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1989] Supp. 1 S.C.R.
A value of the maunfactured goods consigned outside the State. The
States describe the tax as one levied on the purchase of a class of goods
viz. those purchased in the State and utilised as raw material in the
manufacture of goods which are consigned outside the State otherwise
than by way of sale. On the other hand, according to the respondents-
B assessees, this is nothing but a tax on consignment of goods
manufactured in the State to places outside the State, camouflaged as
a purchase tax, by quantifying the levy of the tax with reference to the
purchase price of the goods purchased in the State and utilised in the
manufacture. To me it appeared as plausible to describe the levy as a
tax on purchase of goods inside the State (which attaches itself only in
certain eventualities) as to describe it as a tax on goods consigned
c outside the State but limited to the value of the raw material purchased
inside the State and utilised therein. I, therefore, had considerable
doubts not only during the arguments but even some time thereafter as
to whether so long as the tax purports to be a tax on purchases and has
a nexus, though a little distant, with purchase of goods in the State, the
State Government's competence to impose such a tax should not be
D
upheld. But, on deeper thought, I am inclined to agree with the con-
clusion of niy learned brother. It is one thing to levy a purchase tax
where the character and class of goods in respect of which the tax is
levied is described in a particular manner (vide, Andhra Sugars Ltd. &
Anr. v. State, (1968] 1 SCR 705 and a case like the present where the
tax, though described as purchase tax, actually becomes effective with
E
reference to a totally different class of goods and, that too, only on the
happening of an event which is unrelated to the act of purchase. The
"taxable event", if one might use the expression often used in this
context, is the consignment of the manufactured goods. and not the
purchase. I also agree with my learned brother that the decision in
State of Tamil Nadu v. Kandaswami, (1975] 36 S.T.C. 191, though
F
rendered in the context of an analogous provision, does not touch the
issue in the present case.
The above distinction becomes significant particularly in the
background of the constitutional amendments referred to in the judg-
ment of my learned brother. These indicate that there were efforts at
G
sales tax avoidance by sending goods manufactured in a State out of
raw materials purchased inside to other States by way of consignments
rather than by way of sales attracting tax. This situation lends force to
the contention of the assessees that the States, unable to tax the
exodus directly, attempted to do so indirectly by linking the levy
H ostensibly to the "purchases" in the State.
G00DY1'AR(I)LTD. v. STAIBOFHARYANA [RANGANATHAN,J.] 561
Viewing the impugned statutory provisions from the perspectives A
indicated above, I agree with my learned brother that the appeals have
to be allowed as held by him. ·
T.N.A. Appeals and petitions disposed of.
B
Search Indian case law
Ask in plain English, not just keywords. 25,000 AI words free, no card.
Try "purchase tax"Sign in to search