Diversion of income by overriding title and application of income :
The concept of ‘diversion of income by overriding title‘ signifies diversion of income at source by an overriding title before it reaches an assessee. Such a diversion can take place either under a legal compulsion or under a contractual obligation or otherwise. An obligation to apply the income in a particular way before it has accrued or arisen to the assessee results in the diversion of the income. On the other hand, an obligation to apply income which has accrued or arisen or has been received amounts merely to the apportionment or appli cation of the income and not to its diversion. Sometimes the dividing line between diversion by overriding title and the application of income after it has accrued is somewhat thin.
When income or a portion of income is diverted at the source by an overriding title before it started flowing into the channel which was to reach the assessee concerned it could be excluded from his assessable income. Wherever there is such diversion of income, such diverted income, cannot be included in the total income of the assessee who claims that there has been a diversion. On the other hand, where income has accrued or arisen in the hands of the assessee, its subsequent application in any way will not affect the tax liability.
In order to decide whether a particular disbursement amounts to diversion or application of income, the true test is to probe into and decide whether the amount sought to be deducted, in truth, did not reach the assessee as his own income. It is the nature of the obligation that is the decisive fact. There is a difference between an amount which a person is obliged to apply out of his income and an amount which by the nature of the obligation cannot be said to be a part of his income. It is the nature of the obligation that is the decisive fact. There is a difference between an amount which a person is obliged to apply out of his income and an amount which by the nature of the obligation cannot be said to be a part of his income. Where, by the obligation, income is diverted before it reaches the assessee it is deductible; but where the income is required to be applied to discharge an obligation after such income reaches the assessee, the same consequence, in law, does not follow. In order that there is diversion at source of the income the obligation is to attach to the source which yields income and not to the income only. This was so held in CIT vs. Sital Doss Twath 41 ITR 367 (SC), M.K. Brothers Pvt. Ltd. vs. CIT 86 ITR 38 (SC). In many cases it would really be a matter of proper drafting of the document creating the obligation, though, in substance, the result in both the situations may appear similar.
For the purpose of tax planning, the concept of ‘diversion by overriding title‘ would have better scope for exploitation than the concept of ‘applicatio n of income‘. This is because as pointed out above where income is diverted by overriding title such diverted income is not taxed in the hands of the person who claims such diversion. On the other hand, the concept of application of income envisages first the accruing or arising of income and when once it has come within the grasp of the Income-tax Act, 1961 it is liable to income-tax whatever may be its destination or whatever it may be put to. Therefore if an overriding charge is created by the assessee either voluntarily or in pursuance of an obligation, whether pre-existing or not, the assessee may be able to invoke the principle of diversion of income by overriding charge. This is, of course, subject to the provisions of Sections 60 to 64, which have the effect of getting over this principle in some situations.