GST Input Tax Credit On Construction Costs Can Be Claimed If Building Construction Was Necessary For Renting Out Service : Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday (October 3) held that if construction of a building is essential for supplying services such as renting out, it could fall into the "plant" exception to section 17(5)(d) of CGST Act which provides that Input Tax Credit cannot be claimed for construction material (other than plant or machinery) for immovable property construction. “If the construction of a building was essential for carrying out activity of supplying services such as renting or giving on lease or...

Payment To Non-Employed Director As Sitting Fees Is Not Salary, Hence Liable To Service Tax: CESTAT

The Ahmedabad Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has stated that the payment made to a non-employed director as director's sitting fees is not in the nature of salary; hence, the director's fees are liable to the levy of Service Tax.The Bench consists of Ramesh Nair (Judicial Member) and Raju (Technical Member), considered the issue of whether the assessee is liable to pay Service Tax under reverse charge mechanism on the Directors remuneration paid to the...

Second Provisional Attachment Notice Lacking Fresh Reasons Is Arbitrary: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court stated that issuing a second provisional attachment notice without providing new or fresh reasons is considered arbitrary. The Division Bench of Justices Shekhar B. Saraf and Manjive Shukla observed that “the department cannot be allowed simpliciter to issue a second notice, and thereafter, third and fourth and continue with the provisional attachment for four to five years without giving any fresh reason for the said provisional attachment. If the same was...

Service Charge Collected By Medical Store In Hospital Covered Under “Health Care Services”, Exempted From Service Tax: CESTAT

The New Delhi Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has stated that service charge collected by a medical store in the hospital is covered under “Health Care Services” and are exempted from Service Tax. The Bench of Binu Tamta (Judicial Member) has observed that “medical aid to the patients who are admitted in the hospital, most of the time requires urgent care and treatment without any loss of time and that is the reason for having a medical store...

No Service Tax Can Be Determined Without Clarifying The Category Of Service Under Which The Said Amount Can Be Attributed: CESTAT

The New Delhi Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has stated that no service tax can be determined without clarifying the category of service under which the said amount can be attributed. Under Section 78 of the Finance Act, 1994, if service tax has not been levied, paid, short-levied, short-paid, or erroneously refunded due to fraud, collusion, willful misstatement, suppression of facts, or contravention with the intent to evade payment, the person...

No Element Of Misstatement And Intention To Evade Payment Of Service Tax: Gauhati High Court Quashes Demand & Penalty

Finding that the Assessee company had provided every detail regarding availment of CENVAT Credit in the ST-3 Returns, and the same was considered by the Central Excise Commissioner, the Gauhati High Court held that the fact of wilful misstatement or suppression should specifically be mentioned in the show-cause notice. Since the Department had not misstated any fact with intent to evade the payment of service tax, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman...

Tax Invoice, E-Way Bill, GR Or Payment Details Not Sufficient To Prove Physical Movement Of Goods: Allahabad High Court Upholds Penalty U/S 74 GST

Recently, the Allahabad High Court has held that production of tax invoice, e-way bill, GR or payment details is not sufficient to show the actual physical movement of the transaction for the purposes of availing Input Tax Credit under Section 16 of the Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017. Section 16 of the Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017 provides for the conditions and eligibility for claiming input tax credit. Section 16(2) provides that an assesee is not entitled any input tax credit...

Preferential Location Charges Charged By Builder Includible In Taxable Value For Service Tax Levy: CESTAT

The Allahabad Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has held that the preferential location charges charged by the builder includible in the taxable value of the service tax levy.The bench of P.K. Choudhary (Judicial Member) and Sanjiv Srivastava (Technical Member) have observed that the service is rendered in the context of a location, which does not make it a tax on land within the meaning of Entry 49 of List II. The tax continues to be a tax on the rendering of...

Service Tax Not Payable On Revenue Sharing Arrangement Between Exhibitors & Distributors Of Films: CESTAT

The Mumbai Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax (CESTAT) has held that the no service tax is payable on revenue sharing arrangements between exhibitors and distributors of films.The bench of Justice Dilip Gupta (President) and C. J. Mathew (Technical Member) has observed that the theatre owner screens or exhibits a movie that has been provided by the distributor. Such an exhibition is not a support or assistance activity but is an activity of its own accord. The activity cannot fall under...

No Service Tax Payable On Clinical Trial On Drugs Supplied By Foreign Service Recipient: CESTAT

The Ahmedabad Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has observed that no service tax is payable on the activity of clinical trials on the drugs supplied by the foreign service recipient.The bench of Ramesh Nair (Judicial Member) and C.L. Mahar (Technical Member) has observed that the activity of clinical trials on the drugs supplied by the foreign service recipient to the appellant amounts to export of service.During the course of the audit of the appellant's...

Commission Deducted In Sale Invoice To Foreign Buyer Is Not Chargeable To Service Tax: CESTAT

The Ahmedabad Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has held that the commission deducted in the sale invoice of the appellant to their foreign buyer is not chargeable to service tax.The bench of Ramesh Nair (Judicial Member) and C.L. Mahar (Technical Member) has observed that there is no contract between the appellant and the foreign-based service provider, even if any arrangement of payment is there between the buyer of the goods and the so-called commission...

Arranging Package Tour Can't Be Classified As Tour Operator Service, No Service Tax Payable: CESTAT

The Ahmedabad Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has held that no service tax is payable on arranging package tours.The bench of Ramesh Nair (Judicial Member) and C.L. Mahar (Technical Member) has observed that the service cannot be classified under Tour Operator Service as arranging the package tour does not involve all the activities that are required to classify the service under Tour Operator Service.The appellant/assessee has submitted that business...