Madras High Court
Simplex Infrastructures Limited vs The Assistant Commissioner (Ct) on 20 September, 2019
Author: Anita Sumanth
Bench: Anita Sumanth
Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS
DATED: 20.09.2019
CORAM
THE HONOURABLE Dr. JUSTICE ANITA SUMANTH
Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014
M.P.Nos.2, 3 & 4 of 2014
Simplex Infrastructures Limited,
Represented by its Management Advisor,
J.S.Raghavan ... Petitioner
vs.
The Assistant Commissioner (CT)
Egmore-II Assessment Circle,
88, Mayor Ramanathan Salai,
Chetpet,
Chennai-600031 ... Respondent
Prayer:- Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India to issue
a Writ of Certiorari to call for the records on the files of the respondent herein in
TIN:33110540224/2010-11 dated 28.02.2014 and quash the same.
For Petitioner : Mr. N.Sriprakash
For Respondent : Mr. V.Haribabu, AGP
ORDER
The petitioner is a dealer in terms of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006 (in short ‘Act’) as well as the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956, (in short ‘CST Act’), engaged in the execution of works contracts.
2. The impugned assessment relates to the period 2010-11 and has been completed pursuant to an audit conducted by the officials of the enforcement wing on 18.09.2012 and 13.12.2012. Based on the audit, a pre-revision notice dated 18.09.2013 was issued proposing to bring to tax several transactions on http://www.judis.nic.in 1/8 Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014 the ground that verification of the check-post movements indicated that the turnover from some transactions had escaped assessment and were thus, liable to brought to tax as purchase suppression. This stand of the revenue emanated from the opinion of the enforcement officials indicated at the time of inspection.
3. The petitioner responded that the movement noticed by the revenue wase in relation to machinery and equipments owned by it that were being shunted from its own stock yard/work sites to other stock yards/work sites and there was no sale involved in such transfer. The equipment was being transferred for the execution of works contract in various project sites and such transfer has not generated any turnover liable to the levy of tax.
4. The pre-assessment notice reiterated the issue as raised at the time of inspection, as follows:
7.Purchase suppression by way of checkpost movement:
On verification of chek post movement details (As consignee) along with Interstate Purchase bills for the year 2010-11, it was pointed out that the following Interstate bills were not accounted for in the returns as Interstate Purchase of Timber Iron & Steel and hence tax due is worked out as below:
Name of the Inv.No./Date Bill Value Gross Deemed sale Tax due
Supplier 4% Profit at Value
15%
Simplex 3523/23.05.1 780000 117000 897000 35880
Infrastructur 0
e Bangalore
Simplex 94/28.09.10 545351 81803 627154 25086
Infrastructur
e Kolkata
P.S.Steel 756/5.10.10 668833 100325 769158 30766
Tubes
Skipper Ltd., 1013/20.9.10 616500 92475 708975 28359
Howrah
Skipper Ltd. 1275/17.11.1 629463 94419 723882 28955
Howrah 0
Simplex 1241/4.1.11 1405760 210864 1616624 64665
Infrastructur
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Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014
e, Cochin
Simplex 1240/4.1.11 1043200 156480 1199680 47987
Infrastructur
e, Cochin
Simplex 1242/5.1.11 721600 108240 829840 33194
Infrastructur
e
Simplex 5752/20.1.11 150000 22500 172500 6900
Infrastructur
e, Kolkatta
Total 75,44,813 3,01,792
12.5%
Simplex 2945/21.4.10 80000000 12000000 9,20,00,000 11500000
Infrastructur
e, Cochin
Tikitar 65/4.5.10 494949 74242 5,69,191 71149
Industries
Simplex 2944/7.5.10 50000000 7500000 5,75,00,000 7187500
Infrastructur
e, Cochin
Indofrench 2/12.8.10 150000 22500 1,72,500 21563
Engineers
Simplex 354/9.8.10 100000 15000 1,15,000 14375
Infrastructur
e, Bangalore
Madras 2885/31.8.10 62467 9370 71,837 8980
Hand Tools
Simplex 24889/2.12.1 100000 15000 1,15,000 14375
Infrastructur 0
e, Cochin
Simplex 24888/2.12.1 200000 30000 2,30,000 28750
Infrastructur 0
e, Cochin
Simplex 77934/3.1.11 100000 15000 115,000 14375
Infrastructur
e, Cochin
Simplex 55602/20.1.1 150000 22500 1,72,500 21563
Infrastructur 1
e, Cochin
Simplex 516/20.1.11 150000 22500 1,72,500 21563
Infrastructur
e, Cochin
Simplex 1404/3.12.11 100000 15000 1,15,000 14375
Infrastructur
e, Cochin
BASF 23.3.11 376871 56531 4,33,402 54175
Chemical
Total 15,17,81,930 1,89,72,743
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Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014
5. The proposal is seen to proceed on identical lines as the query raised by the inspecting officer. The petitioner responded on 17.01.2013, 16.12.2013 and 16.12.2013 circulating documents in support of its stand that there was no taxable sale or purchase suppression as alleged by the revenue. After affording personal hearing the impungd order came to be passed confirming the pre-
assessment proposals challenging which the petitioner is before me by way of the present writ petitions.
6. A counter has been filed by the respondent to the effect that the writ petition is devoid of merit, the petitioner has an efficacious statutory appellate remedy available and that the impugned order of assessment contains no legal fallacy or error and has taken into account all factual and other submissions made by the petitioner. The Revenue argues that if at all, the equipment was being transferred from one project/stock yard to another, such transfer ought to have been covered by statutory forms (Form F), in the absence of which this contention of the petitioner was not liable to be accepted. They also draw support from the position that according to them the equipments in question were not seen to have been reflected in the balance sheet of the petitioner.
7. Heard learned counsel in detail.
8. That the petitioner had transferred equipment from one State to another is not in dispute. What has to be determined is whether these equipments were owned by the petitiomer and were being deployed in the business of piling and other civil works in different locations/projects or whether they constituted capital assets that were being sold, generating taxable turnover. http://www.judis.nic.in 4/8 Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014
9. The case of the petitioner is that the equipment/capital assets constituted its own assets and were being deployed as per requirement at various projects sites. According to it, the movement was occasioned only for this purpose. Two transactions have been picked out by the learned counsel for the petitioner to illustrate this contention, relating to an asset transferred from Simplex Infrastructure, Cochin to its location to Chennai and back and Simplex Infrastructure Cochin to Chennai and onward to an alternate destination.
10. Learned counsel for the petitioner states that various documentary evidences have been produced in support of the position that the equipment had travelled only for the petitioners' own use, such as lorry receipts and statutory Forms evidencing delivery under the Kerala Value Added Tax Rules Form JJ (delivery notes), a certificate issued by the project office of the petitioner company declaring that the assets were being transferred for own use and a certificate issued by the companys’ Chartered Accountant to the effect that the petitioner is the owner of specified equipment, reflected ‘as on date’ in the fixed assets register maintained by the company as required in terms of the provisions of the Companies Act.
11. The reasoning of the Assessing Officer, as extracted from the order of assessment in regard to one sample transaction, is as follows:
The dealers have not filed these records before the Enforcement Officers at the time of Audit, to substantiate their claim, though the transaction was said to be held on 10.07.2010 itself. Hence, the records now produced by the dealers seems to be fabricated on a later date after the Audit was over. More over, they have not also furnished the Form F Declarations duly obtained from their Karnataka Branch for the receipt of the Machine in question. The Form F Declaration is the “Statutory Form” prescribed for the proof of record for the Stock Transfer of goods, under the CST Act.
http://www.judis.nic.in 5/8 Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014 The Certificate of the Auditor to the effect that the goods are still in their ownership is also not acceptable for the reasons explained above.
In the absence of valid records, it is treated as purchase suppression. And the machine is treated as sold in Tamil Nadu. The corresponding sale turnover will be arrived and assessed to tax under the Act. The contention of the dealer is not acceptable.'
12. According to the Officer, the supporting evidences produced by the petitioner before him were ‘fabricated’ as such evidences were not produced at the time of enforcement audit. However, he brings on record no other material to disavow or disbelieve the transactions in question. Even according to the officer the records only ‘seem’ to be fabricated and I am of the considered view that an assessment cannot be completed on the basis of a mere assumption. This is one aspect of the matter.
13. A declaration in Form F is required to establish stock transfer of goods under the CST Act. However, the production of an F form is not mandatory to establish the petitioners’ case. We are concerned with a State tax assessment where other materials are available to assist the officer in arriving at a proper conclusion regarding the true purpose abd purport of movement of goods. Thus, while a Form F would, had the same been filed in the CST assessment, support the petitioners’ stand, the absence of such Form cannot be fatal to the petitioners’ case if the petitioner is in a position to establish its case otherwise, on the basis of other evidences. The certificate of the Chartered Accountant has been rejected though unsupported no reasons have been attributed for such rejection.
14. The reasoning in the order of assessment is not cast-iron as it should be particularly, in the light of some material that has been produced by the http://www.judis.nic.in 6/8 Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014 Assessee. It is too well settled a proposition that an order of assessment that casts a substantial liability upon an assessee should contain valid and acceptable reasons for effecting modifications/additions to the returned turnover and should speak for itself, in casting such liability. In the present case, I find the order of assessment bereft of such reasoning.
15. I this set aside the impugned order and allow this writ petition. The petitioner will appear before the Assessing Officer on 1st of October, 2019 at 10.30 AM to explain its stand with evidences in support thereof. No further notice need be issued in this regard. The audited financials of the company for the years in question including balance sheet and depreciation statement shall be placed before the Assessing Officer as well. After hearing the petitioner, an order of ssessment shall be passed denovo, within a period of four (4) weeks from date of conclusion of personal hearing. Consequently, connected miscellaneous petitions are closed. No costs.
20.09.2019 Index : Yes/No Web : Yes / No Speaking Order / Non Speaking Order ska Note: Issue order copy on or before 30.09.2019.
To The Assistant Commissioner (CT) Egmore-II Assessment Circle, 88, Mayor Ramanathan Salai, Chetpet,Chennai-600031 http://www.judis.nic.in 7/8 Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014 Dr. ANITA SUMANTH, J., ska Writ Petition No.8801 of 2014 M.P.Nos.2, 3 & 4 of 2014 20.09.2019 http://www.judis.nic.in 8/8