2008 (3) TMI 454 - SC - VAT and Sales Tax

Whether the assessee is entitled to deduction, from gross turnover, the purchase value of the raw material which the assessee bought from exempted units? Held that - Appeal dismissed. It is important to note that rule 29(2) of the Rajasthan Sales Tax Rules, 1955 used the words goods which had suffered tax at the rates prescribed under section 5 . Therefore, section 5 of the Rajasthan Sales Tax Act, 1954 dealt with only the rate of tax. Therefore, section 5 of the Rajasthan Sales Tax Act, 1954 contemplated only rate fix- ation and not to the stage of taxation whereas in the present case, we are concerned with section 5(1A) of 1948 Act which refers to the stage at which the tax has to be levied, namely, first stage of sale.

Issues Involved:
1. Entitlement to deduction under Rule 29(xii) of the Punjab General Sales Tax Rules, 1949.
2. Interpretation of the phrase "subjected to tax" under Rule 29(xii).
3. Applicability of the judgment in Gannon Dunkerley & Co. v. State of Rajasthan to the present case.

Detailed Analysis:

1. Entitlement to Deduction under Rule 29(xii) of the Punjab General Sales Tax Rules, 1949:
The primary issue revolves around whether the assessee, a partnership firm engaged in the manufacturing of yarn, is entitled to a deduction from its gross turnover for the purchase value of raw materials bought from exempted units under Rule 29(xii) of the 1949 Rules. The assessee claimed that it used raw materials purchased from exempted units within the State of Punjab to manufacture yarn, which was then sold intra-State, with tax paid on the finished goods. The department denied the deduction on the grounds that the raw materials were not taxed at the first stage of sale because they were bought from exempted units.

2. Interpretation of the Phrase "Subjected to Tax" under Rule 29(xii):
The court needed to interpret the meaning of "the purchase value of goods which have already been subjected to tax under section 5(1A)" in Rule 29(xii). The department argued that "subjected to tax" means the goods must have suffered tax. However, the court found no merit in this argument. The court emphasized that under the 1948 Act, section 5(1A) indicates the stage at which the levy takes place, specifically the first stage of sale. The court clarified that the exemption provided to eligible units was only regarding payability and not assessment. Thus, the phrase "subjected to tax" should not be equated with "having suffered tax."

3. Applicability of the Judgment in Gannon Dunkerley & Co. v. State of Rajasthan:
The department relied on the judgment in Gannon Dunkerley & Co. v. State of Rajasthan, where the Supreme Court interpreted Rule 29(2) of the Rajasthan Sales Tax Rules. In that case, it was held that goods on which no tax was leviable were not subjected to any tax. However, the court distinguished the present case from Gannon Dunkerley. The court noted that the Rajasthan Sales Tax Act, 1954, dealt only with the rate of tax and not the stage of taxation, whereas the 1948 Act explicitly refers to the stage at which tax is levied. Moreover, the phrase "subjected to tax" in Rule 29(xii) does not imply that the goods must have "suffered tax." Therefore, the judgment in Gannon Dunkerley was not applicable to the present case.

Conclusion:
The court concluded that the scheme of the 1948 Act and the 1949 Rules is different from that of the Rajasthan Sales Tax Act, 1954. The words "subjected to tax" in Rule 29(xii) cannot be equated with "having suffered tax." The court found no infirmity in the judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which held that the assessee was entitled to the deduction under Rule 29(xii). Consequently, the civil appeal was dismissed with no order as to costs.

← Previous Next →