Emami Agrotech Ltd vs Commissioner-Kolkata(Port) on 14 November, 2024
Therefore, SWS is required to be quantified @ 10% with reference
to specified duties of customs, which are not only levied but also
collected by the Ministry of Finance. In the facts of the present
case, it is not in dispute that the Appellant had imported goods by
availing the benefit of Notification No. 24/2015 and Notification
No. 25/2015 ('the said notifications') and fulfilled the conditions
thereunder. It is the case of the Appellant that under the said
notifications issued in exercise of the powers to grant exemption
under Section 25 of the Customs Act, 1962, BCD stands
exempted albeit subject to the condition inter alia of a debit to the
MEIS/SEIS scrip (as the case may be) of the BCD leviable on the
goods but for the exemption. Since there is no actual collection of
BCD in view of the exemption, the Appellant argues that no SWS
can be levied and collected with reference to notional BCD under
Section 110(3) of the Finance Act, 2018 extracted (supra). The
contention of the revenue, on the other hand, is that debit of BCD
to the scrip under the said notifications is an alternate mode of
payment and not an exemption perse so as to justify the
computation of SWS. However, we find that BCD amount is
conspicuously reflected as "zero" in the BOEs filed availing the
said notifications, which is not in consonance with the contention
of the revenue that BCD is collected in case of goods imported
under the said notifications The Hon'ble Supreme Court in the
Somaiya Organics Case (supra) has held in no un-certain terms
20
Customs Appeal Nos.75431,75432,75267-75268,
75269-75279, 75295-75314, 75315-74334,
75280 -75294, 75352-75364, 75335-75351,
75433-75440/2020,75849/2023,75151/2024
75835-75846/2023, 76145/2024, 75821,75823-75827,
75829-75834, 75847-75848/2023, 76146,76147/2024,
75134-75146,75159, 75161 -75174,75177-75192,75253-
75266/2020
that the expression "collection" in the context of tax laws would
mean "physical realization of tax" where as in the instant case,
the Appellate Commissioner has himself accepted at para 28 of
the impugned orders that no money representing BCD goes to the
exchequer under the said notifications meaning thereby that the
test of "physical realization of lax is clearly not met and the debit
of BCD to the scrip is at best a notional collection of tax when the
said notifications are read in entirety. Moreover, a similar
condition of debit to the duty credit scrips as prevalent in the
notifications operationalizing the DEPB scheme and the Target
Plus Scheme had fallen for consideration of various High Courts
and Tribunal in the following cases in the context of levy and
collection of EC imposed by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2004: