Taxes levied and collected by the Union but assigned to the States
Article 269 — Taxes levied and collected by the Union but assigned to the States
- Taxes levied and collected by the Union but assigned to the States.—1[(1) Taxes on the sale or purchase of goods and taxes on the consignment of goods except as provided in article 269A shall be levied and collected by the Government of India but shall be assigned and shall be deemed to have been assigned to the States on or after the 1st day of April, 1996 in the manner provided in clause (2). Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause,—
- (a) the expression "taxes on the sale or purchase of goods" shall mean taxes on sale or purchase of goods other than newspapers, where such sale or purchase takes place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce;
- (b) the expression "taxes on the consignment of goods" shall mean taxes on the consignment of goods (whether the consignment is to the person making it or to any other person), where such consignment takes place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce. (2) The net proceeds in any financial year of any such tax, except in so far as those proceeds represent proceeds attributable to Union territories, shall not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India, but shall be assigned to the States within which that tax is leviable in that year, and shall be distributed among those States in accordance with such principles of distribution as may be formulated by Parliament by law.] (3) Parliament may by law formulate principles for determining when a sale or purchase of, or consignment of goods] takes place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce.] 269A. Levy and collection of goods and services tax in course of inter-State trade or commerce.— (1) Goods and services tax on supplies in the course of inter-State trade or commerce shall be levied and collected by the Government of India and such tax shall be apportioned between the Union and the States in the manner as may be provided by Parliament by law on the recommendations of the Goods and Services Tax Council.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause, supply of goods, or of services, or both in the course of import into the territory of India shall be deemed to be supply of goods, or of services, or both in the course of interState trade or commerce. (2) The amount apportioned to a State under clause (1) shall not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India. (3) Where an amount collected as tax levied under clause (1) has been used for payment of the tax levied by a State under article 246A, such amount shall not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India. (4) Where an amount collected as tax levied by a State under article 246A has been used for payment of the tax levied under clause (1), such amount shall not form part of the Consolidated Fund of the State. (5) Parliament may, by law, formulate the principles for determining the place of supply, and when a supply of goods, or of services, or both takes place in the course of inter-State trade or commerce.] 270. Taxes levied and distributed between the Union and the States.—(1) All taxes and duties referred to in the Union List, except the duties and taxes referred to in articles 268, 269 and 269A, respectively, surcharge on taxes and duties referred to in article 271 and any cess levied for specific purposes under any law made by Parliament shall be levied and collected by the Government of India and shall be distributed between the Union and the States in the manner provided in clause (2). (1A) The tax collected by the Union under clause (1) of article 246A shall also be distributed between the Union and the States in the manner provided in clause (2). (1B) The tax levied and collected by the Union under clause (2) of article 246A and article 269A, which has been used for payment of the tax levied by the Union under clause (1) of article 246A, and the amount apportioned to the Union under clause (1) of article 269A, shall also be distributed between the Union and the States in the manner provided in clause (2).]
(2) Such percentage, as may be prescribed, of the net proceeds of any such tax or duty in any financial year shall not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India, but shall be assigned to the States within which that tax or duty is leviable in that year, and shall be distributed among those States in such manner and from such time as may be prescribed in the manner provided in clause (3). (3) In this article, "prescribed" means, —
- (i) until a Finance Commission has been constituted, prescribed by
the President by order, and
- (ii) after a Finance Commission has been constituted, prescribed by the President by order after considering the recommendations of the Finance Commission.]
Plain English Summary
This article deals with taxes on the buying and selling of goods and shipments of goods that are collected by the central (Union) government but are ultimately assigned to the individual states. It specifies how these taxes are shared between the Union and the States.
Key Points
- Taxes on the sale or purchase of goods and consignment of goods are levied and collected by the Government of India.
- These taxes are assigned to the States after April 1, 1996, according to rules made by Parliament.
- The net money collected from these taxes is not kept in the central fund but is assigned to the specific states where the tax applies.
- Parliament can decide the rules for determining when a sale or consignment happens in inter-State trade.
Why It Matters
This article establishes the financial mechanism for sharing revenue from trade taxes between the central government and the state governments, ensuring that states receive a share of the revenue generated from commerce within their boundaries.
Landmark Judgements
No major landmark judgements.