9911796707
TMI Blog2024 (10) TMI 1544X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... from the definition of service. Therefore, a distinction needs to be made on this count. On a specific query from the bench, he fairly submits that there are no case laws to support this argument nor is there any case law contrary to the judgment in the GE T D [ 2019 (12) TMI 1566 - MADRAS HIGH COURT] In view of our finding that compensation for failure under a cannot is NOT consideration for service under the contract and also following the law laid down by Madras High Court in GE T D that Notice pay in lieu of termination, however, does not give rise to the rendition of service either by the employer or the employee, the impugned order upholding confirmation of a demand of service tax on the notice pay received/recovered by the appellant from its employees for premature resignation cannot be sustained and needs to be set aside. X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... site notice is exigible to Service Tax as a declared Service under Section 66E(e) of the Finance Act, 1994 or not." 6. During the relevant period, service tax was leviable under section 66B on all services, other than those included in the negative list. Service was defined to mean any service carried out for a consideration and included 'declared services' Declared services were defined to mean any activity carried out by a person for another person for consideration and declaration as such under section 66E. Section 66E included 'agreeing to the obligation to refrain from an act, or to tolerate an act or a situation, or to do an act'. The legal provisions as applicable during the relevant period were as follows: SECTION 65B. Interpretations. In this Chapter, unless the context otherwise requires.- (22) "Declared service" means any activity carried out by a person for another person for consideration and declared as such under section 66E; (44) "service" means any activity carried out by a person for another for consideration, and includes a declared service, but shall not include- (a) an activity which constitutes merely:- (i) a transfer of title i ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... nce under the contract, compensation is received if the other party reneges or fails to perform as per the contract Consideration is the object of the contract and compensation is not. The party which suffers because of the reneging or non-performance by the other can get compensated either in the form of unliquidated damages (where the court decides the quantum of damages) or liquidated damages (where the contract itself provides that damages of such and such amount will be paid in case of non-performance of the contract) While a contract for any service specifies both the service to be rendered and the consideration to be paid for such service, it also has other clauses which define the conditions of the contract which include details of how the parties must fulfil their parts of the contract. These conditions, often include a clause on 'liquidated damages if a party fails to fulfil its obligations under the contract as laid down in the conditions Consideration is the result of successful performance of the contract while compensation is paid by the party frustrating the contract to the other Compensation is also paid, if the contract so provides, when one party performs unde ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... self. Therefore, it is agreed beforehand that if one of the p arties reneges or fails to perform, the other will tolerate the situation in return for the amount to be paid as decided in the contract. This, according to the Revenue is an agreement to tolerate a situation and hence constitutes a 'Declared Service' under Section 66E(e) and is exigible to service tax. 11. This, in our view, is not the correct reading of the contract Contract, is an agreement enforceable by law Section 2 of The Indian Contract Act, 1872 is reproduced below: "2. Interpretation-clause. -In this Act the following words and expressions are used in the following senses, unless a contrary intention appears from the context (a) When one person signifies to another his willingness to do or to abstain from doing anything. With a view to obtaining the assent of that other to such act or abstinence, he is said to make a proposal; (b) When the person to whom the proposal is made signifies his assent thereto, the proposal is said to be accepted. A proposal, when accepted, becomes a promise; (c) The person making the proposal is called the "promisor", and the person accepting the prop ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... act. 14. Evidently, if none of these are the purpose or the essence of the agreement or if there is no consideration for such an agreement, it does not fall within the ambit of Section 66E(e). If the agreement is for something else and if one of the parties fails to perform as per the agreement and pays to the other a compensation as pre-decided in the agreement, it does not fall under Section 66E(e). This view was taken by this Tribunal in several cases. In Mis. Repco Home Finance Ltd. (Service Tax Appeal No. 511 of 2011-LB decided by MISCELLANOUS ORDER NO. 40053/2020 dated 8.6.20201, the larger bench of this Tribunal held that no service tax can be charged on loan pre-payment charges. In South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. [2020-TIOL-1711-CESTAT-DEL), the amounts received by the appellant as penalty from other parties for non-observance or breach of terms of contract in the commercial contracts it entered into were held to be not chargeable to service tax under section 66E(e). In MNH Shakti Ltd. [2021-TIOL-732- CESTAT-KOL), Revenue's demand of service tax under section 66E(e) on the compensation which the appellant received from the Government for cancellation of the coal blocks ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... the employer in the course of employment. Hence, amounts so paid would not be chargeable to service tax. However any amount paid for not joining a competing business would be liable to be taxed being paid for providing the service of forbearance to act." 17 Referring to the above clarification by the CBEC, High Court of Madras has, in GE T&D India Ltd. [2019 (12) TMI-1566- Madras High Court] held that notice pay, in lieu of sudden termination, does not give rise to the rendition of service either by the employer or the employee and allowed the writ petitions. Thus the specific issue in this case is no longer res integra GE T&D India Ltd. was followed in Intas Pharmaceuticals [2021-TIOL-367-CESTAT-AHM], State Street Syntel Services Pvt. Ltd. [2021-TIOL- 152-CESTAT-MUM] Shri Ram Pistons and Rings Ltd. [2020 (42) GSTL 79 (Tri-All)) and HCL Learning Ltd. [2019-TIOL-3545-CESTAT-AII]. 18. Learned Departmental Representative submitted that the clarification by the CBEC was clear and it was held that the termination pay received by the employee is not exigible to tax because in such as case. It is the employee who is the service provider and the service provided by him in the cour ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
|
