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Constitution of India · Part XII: Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits · Distribution of Revenues between the Union and the States

Article 270: Taxes levied and distributed between the Union and the States

In plain words

All taxes and duties in the Union List, except those under articles 268, 269 and 269A, surcharges under article 271 and cesses for specific purposes, are levied and collected by the Government of India and shared between the Union and the States. The Union's goods and services tax is shared in the same way.

  • A prescribed percentage of the net proceeds goes to the States, not into the Consolidated Fund of India, and is distributed among them as prescribed.
  • "Prescribed" means fixed by the President by order, after considering the Finance Commission's recommendations once a Commission has been set up.

A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.

Official text

(1) All taxes and duties referred to in the Union List, except the duties and taxes referred to in [articles 268, 269 and 269A], respectively, surcharge on taxes and duties referred to in article 271 and any cess levied for specific purposes under any law made by Parliament shall be levied and collected by the Government of India and shall be distributed between the Union and the States in the manner provided in clause (2). [(1A) The tax collected by the Union under clause (1) of article 246A shall also be distributed between the Union and the States in the manner provided in clause (2).

(1B) The tax levied and collected by the Union under clause (2) of article 246A and article 269A, which has been used for payment of the tax levied by the Union under clause (1) of article 246A, and the amount apportioned to the Union under clause (1) of article 269A, shall also be distributed between the Union and the States in the manner provided in clause

(2).]

(2) Such percentage, as may be prescribed, of the net proceeds of any such tax or duty in any financial year shall not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India, but shall be assigned to the States within which that tax or duty is leviable in that year, and shall be distributed among those States in such manner and from such time as may be prescribed in the manner provided in clause (3).

(3) In this article, "prescribed" means, —

(i) until a Finance Commission has been constituted, prescribed by the President by order, and

(ii) after a Finance Commission has been constituted, prescribed by the President by order after considering the recommendations of the Finance Commission.]

Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the official text of the Constitution of India. As amended up to the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023. Text as on 10 September 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.

Supreme Court judgments citing the article 270