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Showing contexts for: amendment contract in State Of Karnataka Etc vs M/S. Pro Lab & Ors. Etc on 30 January, 2015Matching Fragments
14) As pointed out above, in Gannon Drunkerley's case, the Court also held that such a contract was indivisible. No doubt, insofar as indivisibility facet of the contract is concerned, the same was done away by 46th Constitutional Amendment. However, in subsequent cases, the Court grappled with the issue as to whether the principle of dominant intention still prevailed. This very aspect came up for discussion before two Judge Bench of this Court in Rainbow Colour Lab's case. The Court held the view that the division of contract after 46th Amendment can be made only if the Works Contract involved a dominant intention to transfer the property in goods and not in contracts where the transfer in property takes place as an incident of contract of service. This aspect is highlighted by the said Bench in the following manner:
11. Prior to the Amendment of Article 366, in view of the judgment of this Court In State of Madras v Gannon Dunkerley and Co., the State could not levy sales-tax on sale of goods involved in a work's contract because the contract was indivisible. All that has happened In law after the 46th Amendment and the judgment of this Court in Builders case (supra) is that it is now open to the States to divide the works contract into two separate contracts by a legal fiction (i) contract for sale of goods involved in the said works contract and (it) for supply of labour and service. This division of contract under the amended law can be made only if the works contract involved a dominant intention to transfer the property in goods and not in contracts where the transfer in property takes place as an incident of contract of service. The Amendment, referred to above, has not empowered the State to indulge in microscopic division of contracts involving the value of materials used incidentally in such contracts. What is pertinent to ascertain in this connection is what was the dominant intention of the contract. Every contract, be it a service contract or otherwise, may involve the use of some material or the other in execution of the said contract. State is not empowered by the amended law to impose sales-tax on such incidental materials used in such contracts. This is clear from the judgment of this Court in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. v. State of Karnataka [1984]2SCR248, where it was held thus:
23. In arriving at the aforesaid conclusion the Court referred to the decision of this Court in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. vs. State of Karnataka (1984) a SCC 706 and Everest Copier (supra). But both these cases related to pre-Forty-sixth Amendment era where in a works contract the State had no jurisdiction to bifurcate the contract and impose sales tax on the transfer of property in goods involved in the execution of a works contract. The Forty-sixth Amendment was made precisely with a view to empower the State to bifurcate the contract and to levy sales tax on the value of the material involved in the execution of the works contract, notwithstanding that the value may represent a small percentage of the amount paid for the execution of the works contract. Even if the dominant intention of the contract is the rendering of a service, which will amount to a works contract, after the Forty-sixth Amendment the State would now be empowered to levy sales tax on the material used in such contract. The conclusion arrived at in Rainbow Colour Lab case, in our opinion, runs counter to the express provision contained in Article 366 (29A) as also of the Constitution Bench decision of this Court in Builders' Association of India and Others vs. Union of India and Others (1989) 2 SCC 645." [emphasis supplied]
67. In view of the statement of law in Associated Cement and Bharat Sanchar, the argument advanced on behalf of the Appellants that dominant nature test must be applied to find out the true nature of transaction as to whether there is a contract for sale of goods or the contract of service in a composite transaction covered by the clauses of Article 366(29A) has no merit and the same is rejected.
68. In Gannon Dunkerley-II, this Court, inter alia, established the five following propositions: (i) as a result of Forty-sixth Amendment the contract which was single and indivisible has been altered by a legal fiction into a contract which is divisible into one for sale of goods and the other for supply of labour and service and as a result of such contract which was single and indivisible has been brought on par with a contract containing two separate agreements; (ii) if the legal fiction introduced by Article 366(29A)(b) is carried to its logical end, it follows that even in a single and indivisible works contract there is a deemed sale of the goods which are involved in the execution of a works contract. Such a deemed sale has all the incidents of the sale of goods involved in the execution of a works contract where the contract is divisible into one for sale of goods and the other for supply of labour and services; (iii) in view of Sub- clause (b) of Clause 29A of Article 366, the State legislatures are competent to impose tax on the transfer of property in goods involved in the execution of works contract. Under Article 286(3)(b), Parliament has been empowered to make a law specifying restrictions and conditions in regard to the system of levy, rates or incidents of such tax. This does not mean that the legislative power of the State cannot be exercised till the enactment of the law under Article 286(3)(b) by the Parliament. It only means that in the event of law having been made by Parliament under Article 286(3)(b), the exercise of the legislative power of the State under Entry 54 in List II to impose tax of the nature referred to in Sub-clauses (b),