GST Department Can't Challenge Registration Restoration Orders After Implementing Them: GSTAT Hyderabad

The Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) at Hyderabad, on 18 September held that the GST Department cannot challenge orders restoring GST registrations after acting upon those orders and restoring the registrations. A Two-Member Bench comprising Judicial Member A P Ravi and Technical Member Duvvuri Krishna Srinivas disposed of 16 Department appeals as not maintainable, holding that they had become infructuous after the registrations were restored. The Tribunal observed: “Having...

GSTAT Bengaluru Sets Aside 100% Penalty On I-NXT, Says ITC Mismatch Alone Can't Trigger Penalty

The Bengaluru Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) on 15 September held that an ITC mismatch between GSTR-3B and GSTR-2A cannot, by itself, attract Section 74 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act without establishing a link between the mismatch and fraud, wilful misstatement or suppression of facts with intent to evade tax. A Bench comprising Technical Member Sudha Koka and Judicial Member Srikanth Venkatraman allowed I-NXT's appeal and set aside the 100% penalty imposed under...

GSTAT Delhi Bench Sets Aside Profiteering Proceedings Against Vertex Homes Over ITC Benefit

The GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), Delhi, on 2 September set aside profiteering proceedings against Vertex Homes Pvt. Ltd. concerning its “Vertex Panache” project in Hyderabad, after finding that the increase in construction costs had offset the benefit of additional Input Tax Credit (ITC). A Bench comprising Technical Member Anil Kumar Gupta accepted the Directorate General of Anti-Profiteering's (DGAP) revised calculation of nil profiteering, after it deducted Rs. 3.49 crore in verified cost...

GSTAT New Delhi Directs Bengal Emami Housing To Pass On ₹70.58 Lakh ITC Benefit To Homebuyers

The Delhi Bench of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) has directed Bengal Emami Housing Ltd. to pay ₹70.58 lakh, including GST, to eligible homebuyers of its “Swan Court” project in Kolkata on account of additional Input Tax Credit (ITC) benefit.The Division Bench comprising President Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra and Technical Member Anil Kumar Gupta held that the profiteering computation should be confined to the Higher Income Group (HIG) category.The proceedings arose from a...

GSTAT Agra Splits Over ₹10.10 Lakh Penalty On Tata Play For Wrong Vehicle Number, Refers Matter To VP

The GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), Agra, on 10 September differed on whether mentioning an entirely different vehicle number in an e-way bill can attract penalty under Section 129 of the CGST/UPGST Act. A Split Bench of Judicial Member Ajeet Singh and Technical Member Vivek Kumar was hearing an appeal filed by the State of Uttar Pradesh against an order deleting a Rs. 10,10,186 penalty imposed on Tata Play Limited after its vehicle was intercepted while transporting goods from Delhi to...

ITC Cannot Be Denied Solely Over GSTR-3B, GSTR-2A Mismatch: GSTAT Lucknow

The GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), Lucknow on 18 September held that a mismatch between Input Tax Credit (ITC) claimed in GSTR-3B (a self-declared summary return) and the credit reflected in GSTR-2A (an auto-generated statement of supplier filings), by itself, cannot justify denial of the credit.A Division Bench of Judicial Member Narendra Kumar and Technical Member Alok Chopra remanded R R Infrastructure Projects' ITC dispute for fresh consideration, directing the adjudicating authority to...

GSTAT Directs Hyderabad Cinema Operator To Deposit ₹81,722 For Failing To Pass On GST Rate Cut Benefit

The Principal Bench of the GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) on 19 September directed Hyderabad-based cinema operator Devi 70MM to deposit Rs. 81,722 towards profiteering for failing to pass on the benefit of the reduction in GST on cinema admission tickets priced at Rs. 100 or below, which was reduced from 18% to 12% with effect from 1 January 2019. A Single Member Bench comprising Judicial Member Justice Mayank Kumar Jain held that a cinema operator must pass on the benefit of a GST rate...

Reversal Of ITC For Earlier Tax Period Cannot Be Deducted From ITC Availed During Refund Period: GSTAT

The Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), Ranchi, has held that an ITC reversal relating to an earlier tax period cannot automatically be deducted from the ITC availed during a refund period merely because the reversal was recorded during that period.The ruling concerned paragraph 43(c) of CBIC Circular No. 125/44/2019-GST, which the Revenue relied on to argue that ITC reversed through GSTR-3B during the refund period could not be treated as ITC availed during that period. Rejecting...

GSTAT Ernakulam Says ITC Eligibility Must Be Decided Under CGST Act, Sets Aside ₹7.07 Lakh Denial

The Ernakulam Bench of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) on 8 September held that refund of unutilised Input Tax Credit (ITC) cannot be denied on the ground of ineligibility unless the credit is first disallowed through proceedings under the prescribed provisions of the GST law. A Bench comprising Vice-President Subramanya Rayaprol and Technical Member Ramamoorthi Sriram allowed the appeal filed by Augustan Textile Colours, a unit of Augustan Knitwear Pvt Ltd, and set aside...

E-Way Bill Generated After Detention Cannot Cure GST Violation: GSTAT Bengaluru

The GST Appellate Tribunal, Bengaluru Bench, has dismissed an appeal against a penalty imposed on a taxpayer after GST authorities found that goods were being unloaded at a destination different from the one mentioned in the accompanying tax documents.The Tribunal held that the subsequent generation of an e-way bill and invoice after interception could not cure the violation under Section 129 of the CGST Act, as the required documents for the actual destination were not available when the...

Original Goods' Value Need Not Be Included In E-Way Bill For Job Work Returns: GSTAT Thiruvananthapuram

The GST Appellate Tribunal, Thiruvananthapuram Bench, has held that when a job worker returns goods to the principal after completing the job work, the transaction value is limited to the job-work charges and applicable duties. The value of the original goods subjected to job work cannot be included in the consignment value declared in the e-way bill. The Division Bench of Vice-President Subramanya Rayaprol and Technical Member Ramamoorthi Sriram further held that where the transaction value of...

Kerala Water Authority Not 'Local Authority,' Works Contract Services Taxable At 18% From 2022: GSTAT Thiruvananthapuram

The GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), Thiruvananthapuram Bench, has held that the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is not a “local authority” under the CGST Act. It consequently ruled that works contract services supplied to KWA were taxable at 18% from January 1, 2022, instead of the 12% rate paid by the assessee. A coram of Vice-President Subramanya Rayaprol and Technical Member Ramamoorthi Sriram held that KWA does not fall within any of the categories of “local authority” specified under Section...