Full Judgment Text
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PETITIONER:
COMMISSIONER OF GIFT TAX GUJARAT
Vs.
RESPONDENT:
CHHOTALAL MOHANLAL
DATE OF JUDGMENT16/04/1987
BENCH:
MISRA RANGNATH
BENCH:
MISRA RANGNATH
PATHAK, R.S. (CJ)
DUTT, M.M. (J)
CITATION:
1987 AIR 1412 1987 SCR (2)1042
1987 SCC (2) 612 JT 1987 (3) 8
1987 SCALE (1)823
ACT:
Gift Tax Act, 1958---Section 2(xii) & 4--Goodwill of
partnership-- Whether can be transferred--Whether such
transfer a ’gift’.
HEADNOTE:
Under a deed of partnership dated 12.11.1958, a firm by
the name M/s. Chhotalal Vedilal came into existence with
Chhotalal Mohanlal (the assessee), Gunvantilal Chhotalal and
Pravinchandra Vedilal, as partners, each having 7 annas, 4
annas and 5 annas share respectively in the firm. This
position continued until on 9.11.1961 when a change took
place in the constitution of the firm. Under the new deed,
Pravinchandra Vedilal retired. One Ramniklal Chhotalal
became a partner with 4 annas share. The share of the asses-
see, Chhotalal Mohanlal was reduced. For the remaining 4
annas, two minor sons of the assessee were admitted to the
benefits only of the firm.
In the assessment year 1963-64, the Gift Tax Officer
concluded that the assessee had deprived himself of 19%
share In the profits and had gifted away 19% share in the
goodwill of the firm in favour of his two minor sons. He
valued the .goodwill and treated 19% thereof as taxable
gift.
In the appeal before the Appellate Assistant Commission-
er the assessee took the stand that the gift was not of a
share of the goodwill but in respect of the right to receive
future profits. He valued that right and since the amount
was higher than what the Income Tax Officer has estimated,
he enhanced the quantum.
In further appeal by the assessee the Tribunal held that
in the circumstances of the case there could be no gift of
goodwill and found that the right to receive future profits
could not be subject matter of a gift as the transfer did
not relate to existing property and the situation did not
give rise to any gift which could be made liable to tax
under the Act.
In the Reference the High Court upheld the view of the
Tribunal.
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In the appeal to this Court on behalf of the Revenue, it
was contended that the order of the Gift Tax Officer was
right and the Appellate Assistant Commissioner, the Tribunal
and the High Court had gone wrong in holding that the ar-
rangement under the deed of 9.11.1961 did not give rise to a
taxable event under the Act.
Allowing the appeal,
HELD: 1. Goodwill of a firm is an asset. [1045E]
Khushal Khemgar Shah & Ors. v. Khorshed Banu Dadiba
Boatwalla & Anr., [1970] 3 SCR 689, followed.
2. Once goodwill is taken to be property and with the
admission of the two minors to the benefits of partnership
in respect of a fixed share, the right to the money value of
the goodwill stands transferred, the transaction does con-
stitute a gift under the Gift Tax Act, 1958. [1046F]
3. Since there has been no dispute about valuation of
the goodwill as made by the Gift Tax Officer, with the
conclusion that there has been a gift in respect of a part
of the goodwill the transfer of the benefit of the partner-
ship constitutes a gift under the Act. [1046F-G]
Commissioner of Gift Tax v. Nani Gopal Mondal, 150 ITR
469; M.K. Kuppuraj v. Commissioner of Gift-Tax, 153 ITR 481;
Sirehmal Nawalkha v. Commissioner of Income-Tax, 156 ITR 714
and Commissioner of Gift Tax, Bombay v. Premji Trikamji
Jobanputra, 133 ITR 317, approved.
JUDGMENT:
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 2027 of
1974.
From the Judgment and Order dated 8.10.1973 of the
Gujarat High Court in Gift Tax Reference No. 3 of 1971.
Wazir Singh, K.C. Dua and Ms. A. Subhashini for the
Appellants.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
RANGANATH MISRA, J. This appeal is by certificate under
a Deed of Partnership dated 12.11.1958, a Firm by name M/s
Chhotalal Vedilal came into existence with three partners,
Chhotalal Mohanlal
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(the assessee). Gunvantilal Chhotalal and Pravinchandra
Vedilal. These three partners had 7 annas, 4 annas and 5
annas share respectively in the firm. This position contin-
ued until on 9.11. 1961 relevant to assessment year 1963-64
with which this appeal is concerned, a change took place in
the constitution of the firm. Under the new deed, Pravin-
chandra Vedilal retired; no change took place in respect of
Gunvantilal Chhotalal; one Ramniklal Chhotalal became a
partner with 4 annas share. The share of the assessee
Chhotalal Mohanlal was reduced to 4 annas; for the remaining
4 annas two minor sons of Chhotalal being Kiritkumar and
Deepak Kumar were admitted to the benefits only of the
firm--Kiritkumar having 12 percent and Deepak Kumar having
13 per cent. No alteration was, however, made regarding the
share capital standing in the name of the assessee.
The Gift Tax Officer came to the conclusion that the
assessee had deprived himself of 19 per cent share in the
profits and had gifted away 19 per cent share in the good-
will of the firm in favour of his two minor sons. He valued
the goodwill and treated 19 per cent thereof as taxable
gift. The Appellate Assistant Commissioner before whom the
assessee appealed adopted a different stand. According to
him, the gift was not of a share of the goodwill but in
respect of the right to receive future profits. He valued
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that right and since the amount Was higher than what the
Income-tax Officer had estimated, following the requirements
of law he enhanced the quantum. In further appeal by the
assessee the Tribunal held that in the circumstances of the
case there could be no gift of goodwill. As appears from the
statement of the case, the Revenue did not seek to support
the order of the Incometax Officer but pleaded for sustain-
ing the order of the Appellate Assistant Commissioner. The
Tribunal further found that the right to receive future
profits could not be subject-matter of a gift as the trans-
fer did not relate to existing property. According to it,
the situation did not give rise to any gift which could be
made liable to tax under the Act. The following question
relevant for the purpose of the appeal was referred to the
High Court for its opinion at the instance of the Revenue:-
"Whether on the facts and in the circumstances
of the case, the benefit of partnership given
to minors Kirit Kumar Chhotalal and Deepak
Kumar Chhotalal was a gift under the Gift Tax
Act, 1958?"
The High Court answered the question against the Revenue and
up-
1045
held the view of the Tribunal. This appeal has, therefore,
been carried by the Revenue.
In spite of service of notice of appeal the respondent
has not appeared. Counsel appearing in support of the appeal
has contended that the order of the Gift Tax Officer was
right and the Appellate Assistant Commissioner, the Tribunal
and the High Court had gone wrong in holding that the ar-
rangement under the deed of 9.11.1961 did not give rise to a
taxable event under the Act, so far as the assessee was
concerned.
"Gift" is defined in section 2(xii) of the
Act:-
"’Gift’ means the transfer by one person to
another of any existing movable or immovable
property made voluntarily and without consid-
eration in money or money’s worth, and in-
cludes the transfer of any property deemed to
be a gift under section 4."
In support of the appeal, learned counsel further relies
upon decisions of different High Courts to which we shall
presently refer. Before doing so it would be appropriate to
indicate that in Khushal Khemgar Shah & Ors. v. Khorsheed
Banu Dadiba Boatwalla & Anr., [1970] 3 SCR 689 this Court
has held that goodwill of a firm is an asset, In Commission-
er of Gift Tax v. Nani Gopal Mondal, 150 ITR 469 after
referring to a number of authorities of this Court and
different High Courts a Division Bench of the Calcutta High
Court concluded thus:-
"From the cases cited above, it appears that
goodwill of a partnership business is a
property of the firm in which a partner is
entitled to a share. Although the above cases
are under the Estate Duty Act, yet the princi-
ple laid down in the said cases regarding the
nature of goodwill of a firm and the right of
a partner in respect thereof is applicable to
the instant case. In this connection, it may
be mentioned that according to section 14 of
the Indian Partnership Act, property of a firm
includes goodwill of the business. Further,
according to section 29(2), if a partner
transfers his interest and the transferring
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partner ceases to be a partner, the transferee
is entitled as against the remaining partners
to receive the share of the assets of the firm
to which the transferring partner is entitled
to. It further appears that under proviso to
section 53 of the Indian Partnership Act,
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in case of dissolution, a partner or his
representative may buy the goodwill of the
firm and under section 55(1) of the Act, in
settling the accounts of a firm after dissolu-
tion, the goodwill shall, subject to contract
between the parties, be included in the assets
and it may be sold either separately or along-
with other properties of the firm ......
Upon transfer, the share or interest in the
property of the firm of the transferring
partner including the goodwill becomes the
share or interest of the transferee. In the
instant case, Nani Gopal Mondal by the deed of
gift transferred his share or interest in the
firm which included his share of goodwill
also. Hence, for the purpose of payment of
gift-tax, the value of one-third share of the
assessee in the goodwill shall also be taken
in account."
In M.K. Kuppuraj v. Commissioner of Gift-Tax, 153 ITR 481
the Madras High Court was called upon to deal with a case of
this type where minors were admitted to the benefits of
partnership firm and the assessee’s interest in the firm
suffered the detriment by relinquishment of a portion of his
interest. The High Court found that relinquishment of 8 per
cent profit was in favour of the minors who were admitted
without any consideration. It held that the transaction
constituted a gift by the assessee in favour of the minors.
The ratio in Sirehmal Nawalkha v. Commissioner of Income-
Tax, 156 ITR 714 as also in Commissioner of Gift Tax, Bombay
v. Premji Trikamji Jobanputra,’ 133 ITR 3 17 support the
stand of the Revenue that the transaction
constitutes a ’gift’.
Once goodwill is taken to be property and with the
admission of the two minors to the benefits of partnership
in respect of a fixed share, the right to the money value of
the goodwill stands transferred, the transaction does con-
stitute a gift under the Act. Since there has been no dis-
pute about valuation of the goodwill as made by the Gift Tax
Officer, with the conclusion that there has been a gift in
respect of a part of the goodwill, the answer to the ques-
tion referred has to be in the affirmative, that is, it
constitutes a gift under the Act. The appeal is allowed and
the conclusion of the High Court is reversed. Since the
respondent has not appeared, there will be no order for
costs.
A.P.J. Appeal
allowed.
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