Holding

The "Circumstances and Property Tax" is a composite tax referable to Entries 49 and 60 (and also 58) of List II, within State legislative competence, not subject to the Rs.250 ceiling of Article 276(2), and not saved by Article 277.

Summary

R.R. Engineering Co., a partnership engaged in manufacturing, challenged the "Circumstances and Property Tax" levied by the Zila Parishad of Bareilly and by a Town Area Committee in Kuraoli, arguing that the tax was in substance a tax on income or professions and therefore exceeded the constitutional ceiling of Rs.250 per annum under Article 276(2) and was not saved by Article 277. The Supreme Court examined the nature of the tax, holding that it is a composite tax comprising a component based on a person’s financial position (circumstances) and a component based on land and buildings, making it referable to Entries 49 and 60 (and also 58) of List II of the Seventh Schedule, not to the residuary entry of List I. Consequently, the tax falls within the competence of the State legislature and is not subject to the Rs.250 limit, and Article 277 does not save it. The Court upheld the validity of the tax and dismissed both appeals with costs.

Issues considered

The true nature of the "Circumstances and Property Tax" – whether it is a tax on income/professions or a composite tax on status and property.
Whether the tax falls within the legislative competence of the State under entries of List II or under the residuary entry of List I.
The applicability of Article 276(2) of the Constitution limiting taxes on professions, trades, callings and employments to Rs.250 per annum.
The whether Article 277 saves the tax despite the constitutional limitation.
The validity of the tax imposed by the Town Area Committee under the post‑Constitution amendment of the Town Areas Act.

Legislation cited

Constitution of Indias. Article 276, s. Article 277
District Boards Act, 1922s. 108, s. 172
U.P. Antarim Zila Parishad Ordinance, 1958
U.P. Kshetra Samitis and Zila Parishads Act, 1961s. 119, s. 120, s. 121, s. 274
U.P. Town Areas Act, 1914 (as amended 1950)s. 14(f)

Subjects

Constitutional lawTaxationState legislative competenceArticle 276Article 277List IIComposite taxCircumstances and Property TaxZila ParishadUttar Pradesh

Judgment

1

R. R. ENGINEERING CO. A
)
v.
• ZILA PARISHAD, BAREILLY & ANR.

March 10, 1980
:{Y. V. CHANDRACHUD, C. J., V. R. KRISHNA IYER, N. L. UNTWALIA, B
P. N. SHINGHAL AND A. D. KoSHAL, JJ.]
U. P. KJhetra Samitis & Zila Parishads Act 1961-Circumstances and Pro-
_perty Tax-Nature of tax-If a tax on income or profession.

State Legislature, if competent to impose tax.
c
Acting under the power conferred by section 108 of the District Boards
Act, 1922 the District Board, Bareilly imposed "Circumstances_ and Property
Tax" on persons according to their circumstances and property, Jn 1958 the
.powers and functions of the District Boards were vested in or were transfer-
-red to the Antarim Zila Parishads and later they were transferred to the Zila
'Parishads constituted under the U.P. Kshetra Samitis and Zila Parishads Act
1961. The 1961-Act empowered lhe Zila Parishads to impose the "Clrcum- D
·stances and Property Tax." It also provided that where before the appointed
·date there was in force "Circumstances and Property Tax" under the 1922
Act such tax may continue to be levied by th~ Zila Parishads at the same
rates and on the same condition$ under which it V.'as. being levied under the
1922 Act. The tax which till then was being levied by the District Boards
was henceforth levied by the Zila Parishads.
E
Dismissing the appellants' writ petition impugning the· constitutional validity
·of the Act the High Court held (I) that the tax on circumstances and pro-
perty was a single tax possessing altogether a separate and distinct identity
from other taXes and could neither be equated with a tax on professions,
trades, callings or employments nor with a tax on property and (2) that
the tax feli under the residuary entry of List I, namely, Entry 97 (any matter
not enumeraied in any other Entry in List I or in any of the Entries in list F
II and lll) and that it could be continued to be levied by virtue of Article
277 of the Constitution. ·

In CA 564 of 1973 the appellants were assessed to the tax by the Town
Area Committee under the U.P. Town Areas Committee Act, 1914 as amended
in 1950. The appellants' suit challenging the validity of the tax was allowed
... by the Munsiff on the ground that the tax on circumstances and property
was in truth and substance a tax on income and since prior to the Constitution
G

it was not lawful for the Town Area Committee to Jevy it, it was not saved
~y Article 277. The Civil Judge dismissed the appeal of the Committee, The
High Court upheld the validity of the tax.

In appeal to this Court it was contended that the limitation contained in
Article 276(2) of the Constitution cannot be transgressed by the State Legis- B
Jature by adopting the subterfuge of impooing a consolidated tax by clubbing
l1p two or more entries in List II, and that the State Legislaturo could not
2 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 S.C.R.

A exercise the power to levy a tax on circumstances and property by an artificial
understanding on that expression so as to acqnire power to impose a laxc \.
on income.

Dismissing the appeal,

HEID : 1. (a) There is a basic distinction between a tax on income and
a tax on circumstances and property. While income tax can only be levied
B on income, tax on circumstances and property can be on the total turnover of the
assessee from his trade or calling or the fact of his having an interest in -·
property. For the levy of tax on circumstances and property it is not necessary
that there should be income in the f¥mds of the assessee, in the sense of
the Income Tax Act A person can be subjected to tax on circumstances and
property in relation to the status which he occupies by reason of the pnrsuit~
by him of a beneficial calling or the possession by him of an interest in pro-
c perty. While determining the status of an individual for the purpose of the
tax on circumstances, the total turnover of his business or avocation may,
therefore, be legitimately taken into consideration. [8 G-H; 9 C.DJ
(b) The fact that the tax on circumstances and property is levied on the
basis of income which an assessee receives from bis profession, trade, calling
or property is not conclusive of the naiture of the tax. It is only as a matter
D of convenience that income is adopted as a yardstick or measure for assessing
the tax. The measure of the tax is not a true test of the nature of the tax
and, therefore, while determining the nature of a tax, thongh the standard on
which the tax is levied may be a relevant consideration, it is not a conclusive
consideration. [9 El
District Board of Farrul:habad v. Prag Dutt, AIR 1948 AIL 382 (PB),
E Zila Parishad, Muzaffarnagar & Anr. v. JugaZ Kishore Ram Swarup and Anr.
AIR 1969 All 40, approved.
Re. a Rpference under Government of Ireland Act, (1936] A. C. 352;
Governor-General in Council v. Province of Madras, 72 I.A 91, 99, referred·
to.

2. (a) The tax is referable to Entry 49 (taxes on lands buildings) Entry
F 60 (taxes on professions, trades, callings and employments) and among otber
items to item 58 (taxes on animals and boats) .of List II. The impupied'
tax is a composite tax, one of its components being the circumstances of the
assessee. By 'circumstances' is meant his financial position, his status 1111 a·
whole, which depends inter-alia on his income from bis lands and buildings fllld
from his trade or calling. The tax is wide enough to cover certain. other items
in ·List II like Item 58 which relates to "tax on animals and boats". [12 H;·
G 11 G-HJ
The Notified Area Committee & Anr. v. Sri Ram Singhasan Prasad Kal'ri•ar.
AIR 1970 Allahabad 561, approved.

(b) Yet the fact that one of the components of the tax, namely, the com·
ponent of 'circulnstances' is referable to other Entries in addition to Entry 60 ·
H should not be construed as conferring an unlimited charter on. the local
authorities to impose disproportionately ext.•essive levies on the assessees who,
are subject to their jurisdiction. [13 A-BJ
R. R. ENGINEERING CO. V. ZILA PARISllAD 3
(Chandrachud, C. l.)
3. The High Court was wrong in holding that by reason of the fact that A
the circumstances and property tax is a composite tax and since the clement
of 'property' necessarily enters into that composition, the tax cannot be
identified as a tax on prof~ions, trades, callings or employments. It is alsO
• not co1rect to say that since the tax on circumstances and property did not
place as an entry expressly .enumerated in any of the three Lists of the Seventh
Schedule it falls under the residuary entry, namely, Entry 97 of List I. It is
erroneous to take resort to Article 277 for the purpose of saving the tax. The B.
mere name of a tax does not bear on legislative competence and the absence
of express enumeration of a tax by a particular name will not justify the
tracing of legislative authority to the residuary entry. [13 D-GJ

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal No. 1528 of 1970.
From the Judgment and Order dated 23-5-1969 of the Allahabad c-
High Court in Civil Misc. Writ No. 37/67
AND
Civil Appeal No. 564 of 1973.
Appeal by special leave from the Judgment and Order dated
29-11-72 of the Allahabad High Court in Second· Appeal No. 2359
of 1966. -
Yogeshwar Prasad, S. K. Bagga, Mrs. S. Bagga, Ashoke Srivastava
and Mrs. Rani Chhabra for the Appellant in C.A. No. 1528/70.
E. C. Agarwala for the Appellant in C.A. 564/73.
E
· K. C. Agarwa/a and M. M. L. Srivastava for the Respondent in
C.A. 1528/70.
J. P. Goyal and S. K. Jain for the Respondent in C.A. 564/73.

The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
CHANDRACHUD, C.J .-These are two appeals from Uttar Pradesh
involving the validity of a levy which bears the somewhat unusual name
of 'Circumstances and Property Tax'. Civil Appeal 1528 of 1970 is
by certificate granted _by the Allahabad High Court under Articles
132(1) and 133(1)(c) of the Constitution while Civil Appeal 564 of 1973
is by Special Leave granted by this Court.
The facts leading to Civil Appeal 1528 of 1970 are as follows-:-
The appellant M/s. R. R. Engineering Company is a partnership
firm engaged jn the business of manufacture and sale of machinery,
machine tools and as structural engineers. Its registered office is
situated at Clutterbu~kganj which was at one time within the local
. limits of the jurisdiction of the District Board ofBareilly. Acting under
the power conferred by section 108 of the District Boards Act, 1922,
4 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 S.C.R.

A the District Board, Bareilly, by Resolution No. 3 dated February 18,
1928 decided to impose the 'Circumstances and Property Tax' on per-
. sons according to their circumstances and property. Rule 7 framed
under section 172 of the Act for assessment and collection ol the said •
tax was published on March 10, 1928, providing for the maximum
assessment of Rs. 2,000/- on any single assessee. Later by a Noti-
B fication dated November 29, 1933 the State Government directed under
section 114(d) of the Act that the total amount of tax on circumstances
and property imposed by a District Board on any single assessee shall
not in any year exceed the sum of Rs. 2,000/-.

On April 20, 1958 the U. P. Antarim Zila Parishad Ordinance
-C 1958 was enacted by the State Government, providing for the establish-
ment of Antarim Zila Parishads for the internal administrationJof local
self-Government in rural areas, thereby facilitating the establishment of
Zila Parishads for the co-ordinated administration of affairs concerning
economic and social planning and of local self-Government in the
various Districts ofUttar Pradesh. The Ordinance was repealed by the
D U.P. Antarim Zita Parishad Act 1958.

In 1961, the U. P. Kshetra Samitis and Zila Parishads Act, 33 of
1961, was passed. By section 274 of that Act, the U. P. District Boards
Act, 1922, was repealed as from the date Kshetra Samitis were estab-
lished in a District, and the U. P. Antarim Zita Parishads Act was re-
·E pealed as from the date on which the Zila Parishad was established in a
District. The powers and functions of District Boards were vested
in or were transferred to the Antarim Zila Parishads and from them to
the Zila Parishads on their establishment in the District.
By section 119 of the U. P. Kshetra Samitis and Zita Parishads
F Act 1961, the Zita Parishads were empowered to impose the 'Circum-
stances and Property Tax'. S~ction 120 of that Act provides that
where, before the appointed date, there was in force •circumstances and
Property Tax' under the District Boards Act, 1922, such tax may conti-
nue to be levied by the Zila Parishad at the same rates and on the same
conditions under which it was being levied under the District Boards
-G Act. Section 121 provides that the total amount of the tax shall not
exceed the amount as may be prescribed by rules framed under the Act.
Rule 7 framed under section 172 of the District Boards Act, 1922,
.vhich provides for a maximum levy of Rs. 2,000/- on a single assessee, r
remains in force until the framing of rules under the Act of 1961.
II The appellant's registered office which was situated within the juris-
diction of the District Board of Bareilly is now within the jurisdiction
of the Zita Parishad, Bareilly. The Circumstances and Property Tax
R. R. ENGINEERING CO. V. ZILA PARISHAD 5
(Chandrachud, C. J.)
which was being levied by the District Board of Bareilly is now being A-
J levied by the Zila Parishad of Bareilly.
The appellant having been assessed to a tax of Rs. 2,000/- for the
' year 1965-66, filed Writ Petition 37of1967 in the High Court of Allaha-
bad to challenge the constitutional validity of that tax. A learned
single Judge referred the Petition to a Division Bench which in turn
B:
referred it to a Full Bench. The Full Bench consisting of Mr. Justice
R. S. Pathak, Mr. Justice M. H. Beg and Mr. Justice H; C. P. Tri-
pathi dismissed the Writ Petition but granted certificate to the appellant
to appeal to this Court under Articles 132(1) and !33(I)(c) of the
Constitution.
In Civil Appeal 564 of 1973, appellants who are residents of Kura- c-
oli, District Mainpuri, were assessed to Circumstances and Property
Tax l:y the Town Area Ccn:mittee of Kuraoli, for the years 1961-64.
The tax was levied by the Committee under section 14([) of the U.P.
Town Area Act, 1914, as amended by the U.P. Town Area (Validation
and Amendment) Act,. 1950, which empowers the Town Area Commit-
tees to impose a tax on persons according to their "circumstances and
property", not exceeding such rate and subject to such limitations and
restrictions as may be prescribed.
The appellants filed a suit, 62 of 1964, to challenge ·the validity of
the tax. That suit was decreed by the learned Munsif, Munsir, on the
giound that the tax on circumstances and property was in truth and E:
substance a tax on income and since, prior to the Constitution, it was
not lawful for the Town Area Committee to levy it, it was not saved by
Article 277 of the Constitution. The appeal filed by the Committee
against that judgment was dismissed by the learned Civil Judge, Main-
puri, but in Second Appeal 2859 of 1966, the High Court of Allahabad
by its judgment dated November 29, 1972, took a contrary view, F-
allowed the Committee's appeal and directed the dismissal of the appe-
llant's suit. The learned Single Judge who decided the Second Appeal,
followed the Full Bench decisions of the High Court in (i) Mfs R. J?.
Engineering Co.(l) which has given rise to the companion appeal herein,
namely, Civil Appeal 1528of1970, and (ii) The Notified Area Committee
• ~
& Anr. vs. Sri Ram Singhasan Prasad Kalwar.(2) Being aggrieved by the G:
;udgment of the High Court, the appellants have filed this appeal by
Special leave of this Court.
~ Tt.e three learned Jtdges \\l:o ccnstituted the Full Bench of the
I
High Court in R. R. Engineering Co. (supra) delivered separate
judgments,. coming ultimately to the same cdnclusion though not by H '
(1) AIR 1970 Allahabad 316.
(2) AIR 1970 Allahabad 561-Full Bench.
6 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 S.C.R.

the same process of reasoning. ilt was urged. before the High Court
that the tax on 'circumstances and property' was a tax on professions,
trades, callings and employments and therefore the total amount of
tax in respect of any one person could not, by reason of Article 276(2)
of the Constitution, exceed Rs. 250 per annum. It was further con-
tended that though the proviso to Articlei276(2) enables the levy of a
tax on professions, trades, callings and !employments in excess of
Rs. 250/- per annum if in the financial !year immediately preceding
the commencement of the Constitution the tax was being imposed,
the authority which is now seeking to impose the tax being different
from the. one which was imposing the tax immediately before the
Constitution came into force, the proviso would have no applica-
tion. Mr. Justice R. S. Pathak and Mr. Justice M. H. Beg rejected
the contention that th@ tax on 'circumstances and yroperty' was a
tax on professions, trades, callings or employments. Consequently,
they held that the limitation contained in Art. 276(2) of the Con-
stitution to the effect that the total amount payable in respect of

• ·any one person to the State or to any one municipality, district
board, local board or other local authority in the State by way of
taxes on professions, trades, callings and employments shall not
exceed two hundred and fifty rupees per (annum was not applic-
able. Justice Pathak held that the tax on circumstances and
property is a composite tax and although a person's status and property ....
are two intertwined strands which enter into the composition of the tax,
the tax cannot be considered as consisting of two distinct taxes under a
single denomination. According to the learned Judge, the tax on cir-
cumstances and property is a single tax possessing altogether a separate
and distinct identity from other taxes and could neither be equated with
a tax on professions, trades, callings or employments nor with a tax on
property; that is to say, the constituent elements which enter into the
composition of the tax could not be separated. On the question whe-
ther the circumstances and property tax levied by District Boards prior
to the Constitution could be levied thereafter,the learned Judge relied
upon Art. 277 of the Constitution as authorising the continued impo-
sition of the tax. When the Constitution came into force, said the
learned Judge, circumstances and property tax did not find a place in
any of the three Lists of the Seventh Schedule and therefore it fell under
the residuary entry, namely, entry 97 of List I which refers to any
matter not enumerated in any other entry in List I or in any of the en-
•
__,., .
tries in Lists II and III. r
U Justice M.H. Beg largely shared the view of Justice Pathak that the
tax on circumstances and property was a composite tax and not merely
a tax on professions, trades, callings or employments and therefore,
R. R. ENGINEERING CO. v. ZILA PARISHAD 7
(Chandrachud, C. J.)
.the limit imposed by Art. 276(2) was not applicable to the tax. Accord· A
; ingto'.thepearned Judge, the relevant enquiry in regard to the tax was .
u to!what .was the legal basis of the tax or the reason without which
there could be no such tax. He answered that question by saying that
the best answer'one could give was that the tax on circumstances and
property was a tax on the status of a person. The learned Judge .shared
the view of Pathak, J., that after the enactment of the Constitution, B
Art. 277 authorised the continued imposition of the tax.
Tripathi, J. followed"an"earlier Full Bench judgment of the Allaha-
bad High Court and held that the tax on:circumstances and property
was in the nature of a tax on professions, trades, callings or employ-
ments. The limitation prescribed by Art. 276(2) would, therefore, be c
.attracted, but the proviso to that article saved the imposition of the tax
even if it was in excess of Rupees two hundred and fifty per annum
because the tax was in force in the financial year immediately pre-
-oeding the co=encement of the Constitution and the Parliament
had not by law made any provision to the contrary. The contention,
that the Proviso would apply only if the authority imposing the tax D
.after the enactment of the Constitution was the same which did so

., i=ediately prior to the Constitution was rejected by the learned
Judge on the ground that what was important for the purposes of the
Proviso was the identity of the purpose for which the tax was and is
imposed, and the area of its operation, and not the identity of the
E
authority imposing the tax. ·

In the companion Appeal, 564 of 1973, a different consideration
arose in a significant respect, namely, that the tax was not in force in
the financial year immediately preceding the commencement of the
Constitution. The assessment.having been made by the Town Area
Committee under section 14(f) of the U.P. Town Areas Act, which
was introduced by a post-Constitution amendment of 1950 the
proviso to Art 276(2) had no application and therefore the le~ in
excess of Rs. 250 per annum could not be saved by the proviso if the
. . '
tax was 1~ respect of professions, trades etc. A learned Single Judge
of the High Court, however, upheld the validity of the tax following G
the Full Bench judgment in R. R. Engineering Co. (supra).

. Before u~ also, the main controversy centred round the appli-
cation of Article 276, the contention being that the imposition of the
impugned tax in excess of Rs. 250 per annum is invalid. It was urged B
b~ !'fr·
E. C. Agarwala, who appears on behalf of the appellant in
Cml Appeal No. 564of1973, that although Entry 60 in List II empowers

••
8 SUPREME COURT REPORTS . [ l980] 3 S.C.lt
A State Legislatures to levy tax on professions, trades, callings and emp-
. loyments, the exercise of that power is necessarily limited by Article
276(2) of the Constitution. The constitutional limitation, according
to the learned counsel, contained in Article 276(2) must be given its
full effect and that limitation cannot be transgressed by the State
Legislature by adopting the subterfuge of imposing a consolidated tax.
B
by clubbing-up two or more entries in List II. Counsel further con-
tended that the State Legislature cannot over-reach its taxing power by
making an ~rtificial definition of words and expressions used in the·
legislative entries. Just as it cannot, by an artificial definition of
'sale of goods', exercise a power to legislate in respect of a subject mat-
c ter outside its sphere, it cannot exercise the power to levy a tax on
'circumstances' by an artificial and colourable understanding of that
expression so as to acquire the power to impose a tax on inclilme.
Lastly, it was contended by Shri Agarwala, and by Shri Yogeshwar
Prasad who appears in thl' companion appeal, that the power to
levy a tax oa circumstances not being incidental to the power to tax
D professions, trades, etc. the doctrine of pith and substance had no-
application and could not save the impugned tax on circumstances
and property.

The nature and validity of the tax on 'circumstances and property'
have agitated the minds of the learned Judges of the Allahabad ·High
E Court for a long time, as is evident from various Full Bench judgments,
.which are not quite consistent with one another, and some of which.
have even taken conflicting positions. In some cases decided by single
Judges or Division Benches, the view was taken that the tax on 'cir-
cumstances and property' is a tax on 'income'. (Tata Oil Mills Co. Ltd.
v. District Board of Allahabad;(l) Western U. P. Electric Power and
Supply Co. Ltd. Etawah v. Town Area Jaswant Nagar(") and Raghubir
Singh v. Town Area Committee.(3). The correct position is, however,
the one which was pointed out by Malik C.J., in his Full Benc!L
judgment in District Board of Farrukhabad v. Prag Dutt(4). The.
learned Chief Justice elaborated the point by dwelling upon the basic
distinction between a tax or> 'income' and a tax on 'circumstances
G
and property'. It is trite that income-tax can only be levied
on income, that is to say, it can be !levied provided the assessee.
is in receipt of an income. .If there (s no income, there can be·
no income-tax. In contrast, the relevant consideration in the case~ .,
(!) 1955 All LJ 630.
(2) AIR 1957 All 433.
(3) 1961 All LJ 743.
(4) l\IR 1948 All 382 (FB).
/

R. R. ENGINEERING CO. V. ZILA PARISHAD 9
(Chandrachud, C. J.)
of· a tax on 'circumstances and property" can be the total turnover t\ .
of the assessee from his trade or calling or the fact of his. having
• an interest in a property. This consideration assumes relevance
because the tax on circumstances and property is a tax, so to say,
on· the status of the assessee. In their endeavour to give to that
tax a local name and habitation, in order perhaps to soften resistance
to it, the learned Judges of the Allahabad High Court have describe<l B
it· as a tax on 'Haisiat' which, as far and as best as translation ca11
go, means 'status'. For the levy of tax on circumstances and property,
it is not necessary that there should be income in the hands of th~
assessee, in the sense of the Income-tax Act. The outgoings, the der
ductions, the carry-forward losses, the development repate and the
like may leave no income in the hands of an assessee which could be c:
brought to tax under the Income-tax Act. But a person can be sub-
jected to tax on circumstances and property in relation to his 'Haisiat'•.
thafis to say, the status which he occupies by reason of the fact of the·
pursuit by him of a beneficial calling or the possession by him of an:
interest in property. While determining the status of an individuar
for the purposes of the tax on circumstances, the total turnover
of his business or avocation may therefore be legitimately taken into
consideration.

It may be, and is often so, that the tax on circumstances and property
is levied on the basis of income which the assessee receives from his
profession, trade, calling or property. That is, however, not conclusive
on the nature of the tax. It is only as a matter of convenience
that income is adopted as a yardstick or measure for assessing the
tax. As. pointed out in Re a Reference under Govt. of fre/anif
Act.(I) the measure of the tax is not a true test of the nature of
the tax. Therefore, while determining the nature of a tax, though F'
tlo.e standard on which the tax is levied may be a relevant
consideration, it is not a conclusive consideration. One must have
regard in such matters, as stated by the Privy Council in Governor-
General in Council v. Province of Madras,(2) not to the name of the tax
but to its real nature, its pith and substance, which must determine
• into what category it falls. Applying these tests; the tax on 'circun:- G
'
stances' will faU in the category of a tax on "a man's financial
position, his status taken as a whole and includes what may
not properly be comprised under the term 'property' and at the
same time ought not to esape assessment." This quotation finds
place in the judgment of Malik C.J. in the Full Bench decision in
.U
(!) [1936] A. C. 352.
(2) 72 I. A. 91, 99.
2-!89SCI/80
10 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1980] 3 S.C.R.

District Board of Farrukhabad. (supra) The formulation, which the
learned Chief Justice would appear to have extracted from anolh!r
source, since he has put it within quotes, is in similar term; as
that of this Court in Pandit Ram Narain r. The State of U.P.(1) In that
case an ~ssessee challenged his liability to pay the tax on circumstances
and property under section 14 (1) (f) of the U. P. Town Areas Act,
1914 on the greund that he did not reside within the jurisdiction of the
Town Area Committee of Karhal and that Rule 3 framed under
aeetion 39 (2) of the Act was invalid. This Court, after referring
approvingly to the decision in District Board of Farrukhabad, (supra)
particularly to the staten~~mt therein that the name given to a tax did
not matter and that what had to be considered was the pith and
substance of it, observed:
A tax on 'circumstances and property' is a composite tax and
the word 'circumstances' means a man's financial position,
his status as a whole depending, among other things, on
hts mcome from trade or business.
D
The Full Bench decision under appeal in the instant case, R. R.
Engineering Co. (supra) has taken the same view of the nature of the
tax on circumstances and property by holding that it is not a tax on
income but is a tax on a man's financial position, his status as a whole,
depending upon his income from trade or business. Earlier another
Full Bench of the Allahabad High Court had held in Zila Parishad
Muzajfarnagar v. Jugal Kishore (1) that the tax on circumstances jand
property is fundamentally distinct from~and cannot be equated with
income tax, that it is not covered by item 82, List I, Schedule 7, of the
C-Onstitution and that it is essentially a tax on status or financial position
combined with a tax on property. These decisions correctly describe the
natu<e of the tax on circumstances and property. We affirm the view
ta1<en therein, especially that the aforesaid tax is not a tax on income.
But even though the impugned tax is not a tax on income, it is
necessary to consider whether it is within the legislative competence of
the State legislature and, if so, under which entry it would fall. The
G reason for such an inquiry is mainly two-fold: firstly, even if the tax
on circumstances is within the legislative competence of the State
legislature, being referable to entry 60 of List II which relates
to taxes on professions, trades, callings and employments, it carmot ex- •'
ceed the limit of two hundred and fifty rupees per annum prescribed
by Article 276(2) of the Constitution, unless the proviso to that article
8
(I) [1956] S.C.R. 664, 673.
(l) AIR 1969 All. 40.
R. R. ENGINEERING CO. v. ZILA PARISHAD 11
(Chandrachud, C. J.)
> .;s attracted: secondly, if the tax is beyond the legislative A'
·competence of the State legislature, being a composite tax not liable to
lbe split up into distinct component parts, it will be necessary to
.examine whether the tax is saved by article 277 of the Constitution.

Article 276(1) of the Constitution provides that notwithstanding
B
anything in article 246, no law of the legislature of a State relating to
taxes for the benefit of the State or of a municipality, district board,
local board or other local authority therein in respect of professions, tra-
.<Jes, callings or employments shall be invalid on the ground that it relates
-) to a tax on income. By clause (2) of that Article, the total amount
1'.)ayable in respect of any one person to the State or to any one munici- c
pality, district board, local board or other local authority in the State
by way of taxes on professions, trades, callings and employments shall
not exceed two hundred and fifty rupees per annum. The proviso to
this clause says that if in the financial year immediately preceding the
·commencement of this Constitution there was in force in the case of
any State or any such municipality, board or authority a tax on profes- D
1lions, trades, callings or employments the rate, or the maximum rate of
which exeeded two hundred and fifty rupees per annum, such tax may
.continue to be levied until provision to the contrary is made by Parlia-
ment by law, and any law so made by Parliament may be made either
generally or in relation to any specified States, municipalities, boards
or authorities. E

Entry 49 of List II Seventh Schedule, relates to "taxes on lands
and buildings" while Entry 60 of the same list relates to "taxes on pro-
fessions, trades, callings and employments". Having already consider-
·ed the true nature of the tax on circumstances and property, we are of
F
the opinion that it is, in any event and at the least, referable to Entries
49 and 60 of List II. The profession, trade, calling or employment which
a person pursues and the lands and buildings which he owns determine
the status which he occupies. The impugned tax is a composite tax
one of its components being the 'circumstances' of the assessee. By
'circumstances' is meant his financial position, his status as a whole
G
which depends, inter a/ia, on his income from his lands and building~
.and from his trade or calling. That is the view which was taken by a
Full Bench 0f the Allahabad High Court in Zila Parishad, Muzaffar-
41agar & Anr. v. lugal Kishore Ram Swarup and Anr. (supra). Broome,
J. who spoke for the court in that case observed thatit wasclearfrom the
very nomenclature of the tax that it was of a composite character and B
.consisted of two components : a tax on property and a tax on circum-
'Stances. The tax on property was confined to immovable property and
12 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1980] 3 S.C.R•.

,A fell within the jurisdiction of the Statel.egislature by virtue of Item 49 .
of the State List whiie;the tax on circumstances, that is to say, status
or financial position, meant the tax on man's trade, business, profession
or employment which was covered by Item 60 of the State List.

This question was also considered by a Special Bench consisting
B of Five Judges of the Allahabad High Conrt in The Notified
Area Committee and Anr. v. Sri Ram Singhasan Prasad Kalwar(l).
Mr. Justice.S.N. Dwivedi who delivered the Judgment of the Special
Bench traced t.he entire history of the impugned tax in reference to
three periods : (!) the period prior to the 1935 Constitution Act; (2)·
the period between 1935 and 1950; and (3) the post-Constitution
c period. After a careful examination of the nature of the tax the,
learned Judge summed up the position thus :
To sum up, the history of the tax on circumstances and.
property after 1935 definitely shows that it was not
a distinct and separate impost. The Government of
D
India Act, 1935 and the Constitution treat it as a composite·
tax as its name suggests. As its constituents are already
covered by one or the other entry in the legislative Lists, it
is not enumerated as a category in the Lists as it was
enumerated in the White Paper.
E The conclusion to which the Special Bench came was that a tax on cir-.
cumstances and property is a composite tax, that its components are
varied, but that two of such components are firstly a tax on trades,
callings, professions and employments and secondly, a tax on lands
and buildings. In coming to this conclusion, reliance was placed by
the learned Judge on the decision of the Supreme Court in Pandit Ram
F Narain (supra) and that of the Full Bench in the District I /3oard of
Farrukhabad (supra). But the amplification of the legislative authority
which the Special Bench made is significant. It did not say as Broome, J.
said in the Full Bench decision in the Zi/a Parishad, Muzaffarnagar
(supra) that the tax on circumstances and property is referable only
to two entries in List II namely, Entries 49 and 60. According to the •
G Special Bench, the tax was wide enough to cover certain other items in
List II, like Item 58 which relates to "taxes on animals and boats".
We are of the opinion that the Special Bench was right in coming to •
this conclusion. Accordingly, we affirm its view that the tax on cir,
cumstances and property is referable to items 49 and 60 of List II of
the Seventh Schedule, and amongst other items, to item 58 of that Lis~
'B The validity of the tax has therefore to be upheld.
(!) A.l.R. 1970 All. 561 (F.B.).
R. R. ENGINEERING CO. V. ZILA PARISHAD 13
( Chandrachud, C. !. )
While doing so, we would like to utter a word of caution. The A'
· fact that one of the components of the impugned tax, namely, the com-
ponent of 'circumstances' is referable to other entries in addition to
• Entry 60, should not be construed as conferring an unlimited charter
on the local authorities to impose disproportionately excessive levies
on the assessees who are subject to their jurisdiction. An excessive
levy on circumstances will tend to blur the distinction between a tax on B
y
income and a tax on circumstances. Income will then cease to be a
mere measure or yardstick of the tax and will become the very;subject-
matter of the tax. Restraint in this behalf will be a prudent prescrip-
tion for the local authorities to. follow.
c
All that remains to be done is to express our inability to accept
•as correct the view taken by Mr. Justice R. S. Pathak and Mr.
Justice M. H. Beg in R.R. Engineering Co. (supra)that by reason of the
fact that the circumstances and· property tax!is a'.composite tax'.and;since
the element of 'property' necessarily enters into that composition, the
tax cannot be identified as a tax on professions, trades, callings or D
employments. Our conclusion that the tax is referable, inter alia,
to entries 49 and 60 of List II must necessarily result in the rejection of
that view. The learned Judges were of the opinion, with which we are
respectfully unable to agree, that since the tax on circumstances and
property did not find place as an entry expressly enumerated in any of
the three Lists of the Seventh Schedule, it falls under the residuary E
entry, namely, Entry 97 of List I. On that basis they held that Article
277 of the Constitution would save the tax since it;was within the com-
petence of the Parliament to impose it. In the view that we have taken,
namely, that the impugned tax falls within the competence of the State
Legislature by virtue of entries 49 and 60, inter a/ia, of List II, this
part of the reasoning of the learned Judges has to be rejected. It is F
unnecessary and in fact erroneous to take resort to Article 277 of the
<Constitution for the purpose of saving the tax on circumstances and pro-
·perty. The mere name of a tax does not bear on legislative competence
and the absence of express enumeration of a tax by a particular name
will not justify the tracing of legislative authority to the residuary
G
entry. What is true in other jurisdictions is true in this branch of law
also, namely, that one must have regard to the substance of the matter
and not to the form or label. We may [also mention
·that in so far as the Town Area Committees are concerned, Article
277 will not save the impugned tax since it was levied by
the Town Area Committee in pursuance of the power conferred B
'by clause (f) of section 14 of the Town Areas Act, which was intro-
..duced by a post-Constitution amendment. We accept the reasoning
14 SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1980] 3 S.C.Rc

A of Mr. Justice S. N. Dwivedi in The Notified Area Committee,
(supra) by which the Special Bench expressed its disagreement with ~
the view taken by the two learned Judges in R. R. Engineering Co.
(supra) in regard to the application of Article 277 on the basis. 1
that the residuary entry is attracted.
B For these reasons we uphold the validity of the tax on circumstances
and property in both the appeals and dismiss the appeals with.costs.

P.B.R. Appeals dismissed.

•