Excise valuation abatement is limited to duty on the goods cleared, not duties on inputs or components.

Section 4 of the Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944 confines abatement from the wholesale cash price to the duty payable on the excisable goods cleared. Duties paid on raw materials or components used in manufacture are not deductible from the assessable value, because the provision does not extend to indirect duty incidence on inputs. The broader claim that all ascertainable duty paid at earlier stages must be excluded was rejected as beyond the statutory scope, and the petitioners' valuation challenge failed.

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Issues: Whether, for valuation under section 4 of the Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944, abatement from the wholesale cash price extends only to the duty payable on the article cleared or also to duty paid on its components and raw materials.

Analysis: Section 4 governs the method of arriving at the assessable value of an excisable product by reference to the wholesale cash price, with abatement limited to the duty payable on the article being cleared. The provision does not permit deduction of duties that may have been paid on raw materials or components used in the manufacture of the finished excisable goods. The broader contention that every ascertainable duty incidence is deductible was rejected as inconsistent with the scope of the section.

Conclusion: The abatement under section 4 is confined to the duty payable on the goods cleared and does not extend to duty paid on inputs or components; the petitioners' claim failed.

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