46. Tax payable on transfer of business, assessment of legal representatives, etc

(1) When the ownership of the business of a dealer is transferred, the transferor and the transferee shall jointly and severally be liable to pay any tax or penalty or any other amount remaining unpaid at the time of transfer or that may become payable in respect of such business after the date of transfer but relating to the years up to the date of transfer and for the purpose of recovery from the transferee, such transferee shall be deemed to be the dealer liable to pay the tax or penalty or other amount due under this Act.

(2) When a firm liable to pay the tax or penalty is dissolved, the assessment of the tax and imposition of penalty shall be made as if no dissolution of the firm had taken place, and every person who was at the time of dissolution a partner of the firm and the legal representative of any such person who is deceased shall be jointly and severally liable to pay the tax or penalty assessed or imposed.

(2-A) Where the business of a registered dealer is transferred as a whole on account of change in ownership, sale, merger, amalgamation, lease or transfer of the business to a joint venture, on cancellation of registration, subject to such restrictions and conditions as may be prescribed, the registered dealer may opt to transfer any excess input tax that has not been adjusted by him or refunded to him, to the transferee.

(3) Where any firm is liable to pay any tax or penalty or any other amount under this Act, the firm and each of the partners of the firm shall be jointly and severally liable for such payment.

(4) Where a partner of a firm liable to pay any tax or penalty or any other amount under this Act retires, he shall, notwithstanding any contract to the contrary, be liable to pay any tax or penalty or any other amount remaining unpaid at the time of his retirement, and any tax or penalty or any other amount due up to the date of retirement, though unassessed.

(5) When an undivided Hindu family or Aliyasanthana family liable to pay the tax or penalty is partitioned, the assessment of the tax and the imposition of penalty shall be made as if no partition of the family had taken place, and every person who was a member of the family before the partition shall be jointly and severally liable to pay the tax or penalty assessed or imposed.

(6) Where a dealer dies, his executor, administrator or other legal representative shall be deemed to be the dealer for the purposes of this Act and the provisions of this Act shall apply to him in respect of the business of the said deceased dealer, provided that, in respect of any tax, penalty or fee assessed as payable by any such dealer or any tax, penalty or fee, which would have been payable by him under this Act if he had not died, the executor, administrator or other legal representative shall be liable only to the extent of the assets of the deceased in his hands.