Document Fragment View

Matching Fragments

1.(f) From 01.07.2017, the entire indirect Tax regime in the country underwent a major reform with the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax ("GST") which thereby introduced the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (for short "CGST Act"), the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (for short "IGST Act") and the Sikkim Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017. Section 174 of the CGST Act repealed the Central Excise Act, 1944 with certain exceptions and vide Notification No.21/2017-C.E., dated 18.07.2017, the Respondent No.1 rescinded Notifications No.20/2007-C.E., dated 25.04.2007 and 56/2003-C.E., dated 25.06.2003.

12.(i) The Petitioner, in the instant Writ Petition, is aggrieved by the alleged curtailment of 100 per cent Excise duty exemption granted vide the earlier Policies of the Government, which underwent a sea change under the new Tax regime in 2017. That, the 100 per cent Excise duty exemption by way of refund availed by the Petitioner prior to the Tax Reform of 2017, was curtailed by the Respondents under the GST regime through the Budgetary Support Schemes reducing the benefits earlier granted inasmuch Sun Pharma Laboratories Ltd. vs. Union of India and Others as the Budgetary Support for specified goods manufactured by the eligible Unit is 58 per cent of CGST and 29 per cent of IGST paid through debit in cash ledger account maintained by the Unit after full utilization of the input Tax Credit of the Central Tax and Integrated Tax. The Petitioner in W.P.(C) No.41/2015, W.P.(C) No.08/2017, W.P.(C) No.27/2017 and W.P.(C) No.40 of 2017 had in sum and substance, the same grievances. Promissory Estoppel has been agitated previously, as also in this Writ Petition. In W.P.(C) No.41/2015, the challenge to the impugned Notifications therein was for the reason that the benefit of exemption was sought to be reduced to the prescribed percentage of value addition amount i.e. 56 per cent applicable to pharmaceutical products mentioned in the respective Notifications and applicable Chapter. In the instant Petition, it is contended that the amount of Budgetary Support under the Scheme for specified goods manufactured by the eligible Unit is specified as the sum total of 58 per cent of the Central Tax paid through debit in cash ledger account maintained by the Unit after full utilization of the input Tax Credit of the Central Tax and Integrated Tax and 29 per cent of the Integrated Tax paid through debit in cash ledger account maintained by the Unit after full utilization of the input Tax Credit of the Central Tax and Integrated Tax. That, hence the Excise duty Exemptions availed by the Petitioner by way of refund in the pre GST regime, for both the Units were curtailed by the Respondent No.1 through the Budgetary Support Policy thereby reducing the benefit granted to the Petitioner, as the Petitioner is not allowed to take refund of full amount of CGST paid from electronic cash ledger and the refund of 50 per cent of the IGST paid from electronic cash Sun Pharma Laboratories Ltd. vs. Union of India and Others ledger. In fact, it was the submission of Learned Counsel for the Petitioner in I.A. No.02 of 2019, before this Court, that the subject matter in the SLP(s) supra dealt with the same issue as in the instant Writ Petition. It is relevant to notice that the Order of this Court, dated 17.09.2019, in the said I.A., reads inter alia as follows;