Income Tax Act, 1967.

Option in case of succession under will or intestacy.

278.—Where a person succeeds to a trade as a beneficiary under the will or on the intestacy of a deceased person who carried on that trade, the following provisions shall, if the beneficiary by notice in writing to the inspector so elects, have effect in relation to any machinery or plant previously owned by the deceased person and used by him for the purposes thereof:

(a) the reference in section 300 to the price which the machinery or plant would have fetched if sold in the open market shall, in relation to the succession and any previous succession occurring on or after the death of the deceased, be deemed to be a reference to that price or the amount of the expenditure on the provision of the machinery or plant still unallowed immediately before the succession in question, whichever is the lower; and

(b) notwithstanding anything in that section, such balancing charge, if any, shall be made on the beneficiary on any event occurring after his succession as would have fallen to be made on the deceased if he had not died and had continued to own the machinery or plant and had done all such things and been allowed all such allowances in connection therewith as were done by or allowed to the beneficiary or the successor on any such previous succession as is mentioned in paragraph (a).