1996 (12) TMI 206 - AT - Central Excise

Summary

Issues involved:
The issues in the appeals relate to the Computation of the assessable value under Rule 6(b) of the Valuation Rules framed under Section 4 of the Central Excise Act, 1944.

Issue 1: Inclusion of duty paid on raw materials in assessable value
The duty element attributable to the inputs taken as Modvat credit is not required to be included in the cost of raw materials for the purpose of Rule 6(b) of the Valuation Rules. The Tribunal ruled that once Modvat credit of duty is taken, this duty element need not be considered in arriving at the assessable value. Therefore, the inclusion of the duty element by the Lower Authority was deemed erroneous, and the appellants' plea to exclude this element was allowed.

Issue 2: Treatment of scrap retained and sold by job workers
The scrap generated from raw materials supplied by customers, retained and sold by the appellants, constitutes additional consideration and should be part of the assessable value. The sale proceeds of the retained scrap are considered as additional consideration towards job work charges and must be added to the assessable value. The failure to disclose the retention of scrap and sale proceeds, along with the absence of relevant contracts, led to the invocation of a longer period of limitation. The duty demanded on the amounts realized from the sale of scrap, included in the assessable value, was upheld.

Penalty Reduction:
Considering the circumstances, the penalty levied in the appeals was reduced to Rs. 20,000/-, Rs. 80,000/-, and Rs. 2,000/- for the respective appeals.