Section 3:
Regulation of dividends on preference shares in certain cases.
(1) Where the stipulated
dividend in respect of a preference share of a company 1[issued and subscribed for before the 1st April,
1960],--
(a) is specified to be free of income-tax and no deduction is made therefrom on account of the
income-tax payable by the company, or
(b) was being paid before the 1st April, 1960, without any deduction therefrom on account of the
income-tax payable by the company, notwithstanding the absence of any specification that the
dividend would be free of income-tax,
every such share shall, as respects dividends declared after the commencement of this Act, carry a
preferential right to be paid without any deduction aforesaid such amount as would exceed the stipulated
dividend by thirty per cent. thereof.
(2) Where the stipulated dividend in respect of preference share of a company issued and subscribed
for after the 31st March, 1959 2[and before the 1st April, 1960] is free of income-tax, and the company,
besides paying the stipulated dividend to the holder such share, pays to Government on his behalf any
sum on account of income-tax payable thereon, then, every such share shall, as respects dividends
declared after the commencement of this Act, carry a preferential right to be paid free of income-tax such
amount as together with the sum aforesaid would exceed the stipulated dividend by thirty per cent.
thereof.
(3) Where the stipulated dividend in respect of a preference share of a company2[issued and
subscribed for before the 1st April, 1960]--
(a) is specified to be subject to income-tax and a deduction is made therefrom on account of the
income-tax payable by the company, or
(b) was being paid before the 1st April, 1960, subject to a deduction therefrom on account of the
income-tax payable by the company, notwithstanding the absence of any specification that the
dividend would be subject to income-tax, then every such share shall, as respects dividends declared
after the commencement of this Act, carry a preferential right to be paid subject to the deduction
aforesaid such amount as would exceed the stipulated dividend by eleven percent.thereof.
(4) Where a company has in relation to a preference share 2[issued and subscribed for before the 1st
April, 1960] declared,--
(a) after the 31st March, 1959, and before he 1st July, 1960, a dividend in respect of a previous
year relevant to its assessment year 1960-61 or a subsequent assessment year, or
(b) after the 30th June, 1960, and before the commencement of this Act, a dividend in respect of
any previous year,
it shall declare, in respect of the said previous year, an additional dividend of such amount as, together
with the dividend already declared, would exceed the stipulated dividend--
(i)by thirty per cent.of the stipulated dividend in the cases referred to in sub-section (1), or
(ii) by eleven per cent. of the stipulated dividend in the cases referred to in sub-section (3).
(5) For the purposes of sub-section (1), sub-section (3) and sub-section (4), any reference therein to
the stipulated dividend shall, in respect of a preference share issued and subscribed for on or before the
31st March, 1959, be construed as a reference to the stipulated dividend as on that day.
(6) For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that any reference in this section 2[and section 4A]
to deduction made from a dividend "on account of income-tax payable by the company" does not include
any amount deducted by the company from the dividend under 3[section 194 of the Income-tax Act,
1961(43 of 1961)].
Notes:
1. Ins. by s. 72, ibid. (w.e.f. 1-4-1965).
2. Ins. by Act 10 of 1965, s. 72 (w.e.f. 1-4-1965).
3. Subs. by s. 72, ibid., for "sub-section (3D) of section 18 of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922 (11 of 1922)" (w.e.f. 1-4-1965).