2000 (9) TMI 192 - AT - Central Excise

Summary

Issues involved: Central Excise duty on bonus received by the assessee, abatement for penalties and replacement bricks, imposition of penalty.

Central Excise duty on bonus: The appellant, a manufacturer of Refractory Bricks, received bonus for bricks lasting beyond average 'heats'. Central Excise Officers held that the bonus should be treated as part of the price of the bricks for duty calculation. The appellant contended that bonuses and penalties are not related to the price of the bricks.

Abatement for penalties and replacement bricks: The orders did not allow abatement for penalties and bricks cleared for replacement, free of charge. The appellant argued that penalties and bonuses were post-sale provisions and not part of the sale price at the time of removal.

Imposition of penalty: The orders imposed a penalty on the assessee along with the duty demand. The Tribunal found that the bonus and penalties were separate from the agreed prices for the goods and should not be considered for duty calculation.

The Tribunal examined the records and submissions, concluding that bonus and penalty provisions were distinct from the sale price of the goods. The duty is to be levied on the normal price at the time of removal, which was agreed upon in this case. Therefore, treating the bonus amount as part of the price for duty calculation was unjust. The duty demand, penalty, and interest were set aside as they were not justified. The appeal of the assessee was allowed in its entirety.

Regarding the Revenue's appeal, the Tribunal upheld the valuation principle followed by the Commissioner based on a previous case. Despite upholding the Commissioner's finding on valuation, since the duty demand was set aside, the valuation finding was of academic interest only. The Revenue's appeal was rejected, and both appeals were disposed of accordingly.