Know Your Tax Management

The tax law of a nation is usually unique to it, although there may be similarities and common features in the laws of various countries. Tax law is, in general, concerned only with the legal aspects of taxation, and not with its financial, economic, or other aspects. The decisions to impose various kinds of taxes, their rates and sweep fall into the political domain and not into the domain of tax law. Tax law consists of a body of rules ofย  publicย  law that affect the activities and reciprocal interestsย  ofย  aย  politicalย  communityย  andย  theย  membersย ย  composingย ย  itย  –ย  asย  distinguishedย  fromย  relationshipsย  between individuals in the sphere of privateย  law. Tax law can be divided into substantial tax law, which is a body of the legal provisions giving rise to theย  charging ofย  aย  tax; andย  proceduralย  tax law, which consists of the rulesย  laidย  downย  inย  theย  lawย  asย  toย  assessmentย ย  and enforcementย  procedure, coercive measures, administrative and judicial appeals and other similar matters.

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The tax laws mean what the words in them say, sinceย ย  itย ย  isย ย  presumedย ย  thatย ย  the Parliament acts purposefully in the use of its language. The judiciary has the final authority to interpret the tax statute. The normal rules in the doctrine of precedent apply also to tax cases. One general qualification to the doctrine of precedent, which is particularly important in tax law, is that previous decisions are only of value in determining questions of law. It is, however, a common fallacy to use similarity of facts in a previous case to decide another question of fact in the same way.

The Income Tax Act does notย  attemptย  toย  provide anyย  comprehensive definition of โ€œincomeโ€ for tax purposes; but givesย  anย  inclusiveย  definitionย  inย  Sectionย  2(24). Income – tax is a tax on income from various sources, estimated according to sets of rules which vary according to the source of income from which it flows. Mostย  type ofย  incomeย  canย  beย  broadlyย  classifiedย  into three main categories; (a) income derived by a personย  byย  rendering personalย  service;ย  (b)ย  incomeย  fromย  property, and (c) incomeย  fromย  theย  profitsย  ofย  aย  trade, professionย  orย  vocation. Inย ย  economicย ย  terms, theย  firstย  categoryย  representsย  incomeย  fromย  โ€œlaborโ€ย  alone, the ย ย second representsย  incomeย  from โ€œcapitalโ€ alone whilst the third category combines both โ€œcapitalโ€ andย  โ€œlaborโ€. Through the methods of assessing income under these different heads are distinct, income for tax purposes must be money or something capable of being turned into money. The income tax, whatever way it is charged is, however, one tax. In every case, the tax is a tax on income, whatever may be the standard by which the income is measured under different heads.

The tax unit is the person or entity whose income is calculated and who is to pay the tax. The basic tax unit is the individual – corporations and other legal entities are also tax units. The tax base, in an income tax, is โ€œincomeโ€. A broad based income tax will cover all kinds of income, gains, and accretions to wealth.ย  Thus, fringe benefits and capital gains are included in a broad based income tax. The broader the tax base, as a general principle, the lower the tax rates required to raise the same amount of revenue and the less easy it is to avoid the tax by converting one type of income into another. A broad tax base satisfies several of the tax policy criteria. The effective tax rate, as opposed to the marginal rate, may differ widely between taxpayers as the result of the tax base and the provisions relating to the tax rebates, exemptions and deductions.

Income-tax applies generally to all types of persons, whether individual, bodies of individuals, corporate bodies or other juridical persons. Levy of income-tax has substantial fiscal, economic and social consequences to the community, and the way it operates is ofย ย  vital significance to particular individuals or companies. Imposition of income tax directly affects the sum available for spending by the private sector of the economy, and, raising or lowering of the general rates of tax even marginally, can have marked deflationary or inflationary effect. The tax mayย ย  encourage, or discourage, particular types of activity in the private sector, by treating a particular type of activity more, or less favorably for tax purposes compared with other available activities. This is, atย  times, deliberately doneย  whenย  theย  governmentย  providesย  forย  someย  special relief, suchย  asย  investmentย  allowancesย  onย  newย  ship, aircraft, machinery or plant. Every proposed transaction of substance is required to be studied from the tax angle to find out what tax savings can be affected, if any, by reframing such transaction. The professional men have to be well equipped to correctly and effectively advise taxpayers as toย  theirย  potentialย  liabilityย  toย  tax, and their work, though not productive toย  theย  nation, isย  necessaryย  to ensure smooth working of the tax system.

Levyย  ofย  income-taxย  hasย  socialย  effects, besides its effect on economicย  lifeย  ofย  theย  community. Highlyย  progressiveย  ratesย  ofย  taxย  on individuals which provide the money for various welfareย  functionsย  ofย  the State haveย  significantย  socialย  consequences. Numerous types of tax reliefs given for charities, the provisions of various types of pensions etc., affect the social structure of the community to a substantial extent, though these factors cannot be evaluated in exact terms.

Whether or not income is an accurate measure of tax paying ability, depends on how it is defined. An individualโ€™s income is the best single index of his ability to contribute to the public revenue. To the extent that a personโ€™s ability to pay taxesย ย  is affected by other circumstances, such as, the number of dependents heย  supportsย  orย  extraordinaryย  medicalย  expenses, it is easier to makeย  adjustmentsย  forย  suchย  circumstancesย  by changesย  inย  theย  personalย  income-tax than by changes in other types of taxes.

In the traditional analysis, taxpayersย  haveย  two personalitiesย  –ย  aย  businessย  personalityย  andย  personal personality, whichย  areย  concerned,ย  respectively,ย  withย  profit-seeking andย ย  pleasure-seeking.ย ย ย  Sometimes, the efforts to analyze payment of income taxes and payments related to income taxes from a two personality approach works very poorly. This has led to the thinking that the taxpayersย  haveย  aย  thirdย  personalityย ย  concernedย ย  withย  re-distributionย  of wealth which has its own criteria for deductibility, and payment ofย  income- taxย  fallsย  inย  thisย ย  third category.

Usually, it is easy to attribute expenses between the two personalities. Just look and see whether the tax payerโ€™s purpose in incurring the expenses is to obtain business receipts or reduce costs needed to acquire those receipts, if so, it is deductible business expense.ย  This โ€œoriginโ€ test characterizes the expense by looking at whether it is incurred in business activity or personal activity.

A sharp distinction must be made between evasion and avoidance of tax. Illegal methods of reducing tax liability, by misstating orย  omittingย  itemsย  fromย  the returns, are known asย  โ€œtaxย  evasionโ€,ย  whichย  createsย  a statutory liability to substantial monetary penalties and toย  aย  criminalย  prosecutionย  in serious cases such as of fraud. Aiders and abettors are similarly liable. โ€œTax avoidanceโ€, however, denotes adoption of lawful means for reducing tax liability. Full use is made of loopholes in the tax system particularly when the rates imposed are very high. When loopholes become too well known, the yield of the tax will be less. A simple device is discovered which gradually gets into common use and then the legislation stops it. A more refined device is then adopted which again is plugged by legislation, and so on, a seesaw process goes on between a well-advised tax payer on one side and the Legislature and the Revenue on the other. The result is frequent amendments in theย ย  lawย ย  of income-tax, making it a complicated branch of the laws.

From earning an income till filling your income tax return, you have a right to know and should know each and every aspect of the laws abiding your income. The basic structure of income tax may be complicated but should be known to those who lie under its ambit.

 

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