2025 (12) TMI 451 - AT - Service Tax

Extended limitation under proviso to Section 73(1) fails without proof of suppression in airline ticketing commission dispute

M/s VS Travels Solutions Versus Commissioner of Central Excise & CGST, Meerut-I

The Tribunal held that invocation of the extended period under the proviso to Section 73(1) of the Finance Act, 1994 was unsustainable, as the Revenue ... Invocation of the extended period of limitation under the proviso to Section 73(1) of the Finance Act, 1994 - SCN issued on 21.04.2022 - suppression of facts willfully with intent to evade payment of service tax or not - HELD THAT:- There are no allegation or the finding to show that there was any deliberate act of suppression on the part of the appellant with intent to evade payment of taxes. Appellant was received certain commission from the airlines against sale of the tickets, part of the commission was distributed by the appellant to its sub-agent and on the part amount they paid the service tax. This fact has not been disputed either by the Original Authority or by the Appellate Authority - it is evident that appellant had a bonafide belief that they were required to pay service tax only on the amount retained by them as commission and not on the entire amount received. They were discharging the service tax on the amount retained. The appellant was discharging service tax on the part of the commission received RE show cause notice as authorities below have recorded that the value of service indicated in ST-3 return has not part of the relied upon documents. To establish this fact, neither there is any discussion in ST-3 return nor in the impugned order, when appellant was paying service tax by way of the details of challans for payment of service tax as recorded in the impugned order and it is observed that he had paid the service tax against the challans in July, 2016 and in the Month of April, 2017. If appellant was depositing service tax as is evident, the same amount would not have been reflected in the ST-3 returns being not made relied upon document in the present proceedings, there are no merits in invocation of extended period of limitation for making this demand. Hon’ble Supreme Court has in the case of Uniworth Textiles Ltd. [2013 (1) TMI 616 - SUPREME COURT] held that 'Hence, on account of the fact that the burden of proof of proving mala fide conduct under the proviso to Section 28 of the Act lies with the Revenue; that in furtherance of the same, no specific averments find a mention in the show cause notice which is a mandatory requirement for commencement of action under the said proviso; and that nothing on record displays a willful default on the part of the appellant, we hold that the extended period of limitation under the said provision could not be invoked against the appellant.' The demand needs to be set aside on the issue of limitation itself - Appeal allowed. 1. ISSUES PRESENTED AND CONSIDERED (1) Whether the invocation of the extended period of limitation under the proviso to Section 73(1) of the Finance Act, 1994, for demand of service tax for 2016-17 was valid in the facts of the case. (2) Whether the ingredients of 'fraud, collusion, wilful misstatement, suppression of facts or contravention with intent to evade payment of service tax' were either properly alleged in the show cause notice or established in the orders, so as to sustain the extended period, interest and penalties under Sections 75, 78 and 70 of the Finance Act, 1994. 2. ISSUE-WISE DETAILED ANALYSIS Issue (1) & (2): Validity of invocation of extended period of limitation under Section 73(1) proviso; requirement of suppression / intent to evade; effect on demand, interest and penalties Legal framework (as discussed) (a) Section 73(1) of the Finance Act, 1994, prescribing the normal limitation period for issuance of show cause notice where service tax has not been levied/paid or has been short-levied/short-paid. (b) Proviso to Section 73(1) of the Finance Act, 1994, permitting extension of the limitation period to five years where non-payment/short payment of service tax is 'by reason of fraud, collusion, wilful misstatement, suppression of facts or contravention of any provisions of the Act or rules with intent to evade payment of service tax'. (c) Discussion by the adjudicating authority and the first appellate authority on the text and scope of the proviso, and their conclusion that non-declaration in ST-3 returns constituted suppression of facts justifying extended period. (d) Reliance placed by the Tribunal on the principles laid down by the Supreme Court in Uniworth Textiles Ltd. regarding: (i) the meaning of 'wilful'; (ii) burden on the Revenue to prove mala fide conduct; and (iii) need for specific and explicit averments in the show cause notice when invoking an extended limitation provision. Interpretation and reasoning (i) The Tribunal noted that the demand for 2016-17 (ultimately confined by the appellate authority to October 2016-March 2017) was raised through a show cause notice dated 21.04.2022, i.e. beyond the normal limitation period, and was sustainable only if the extended period under the proviso to Section 73(1) was validly invoked. (ii) The first appellate authority had treated non-declaration of the full taxable value in ST-3 returns, later surfaced from income-tax/TDS data, as a 'clear and deliberate act of suppression of facts' with intent to evade payment of tax, and on that basis upheld invocation of the extended period, while dropping the demand for April-September 2016 as time-barred even under the extended period. (iii) The Tribunal examined the show cause notice, the order-in-original, and the order-in-appeal, to identify whether there were concrete allegations and findings of 'deliberate suppression' or 'wilful' conduct with intent to evade. It found that:     (a) The show cause notice merely asserted that the appellant had 'suppressed the fact of not paying Service Tax...with intent to evade', in general terms, by relying on the fact that the discrepancy was detected from data shared by the Income Tax Department.     (b) The order-in-original reproduced the statutory language of the proviso to Section 73(1) and stated, in a general way, that extended period was correctly invoked, but did not record specific, case-based reasoning or evidence to establish fraud, collusion, wilful misstatement, suppression of facts, or contravention with intent to evade.     (c) There was no discussion establishing any deliberate act of concealment or mens rea; no concrete material was cited to show that the appellant intended to evade tax, beyond the mere non-reflection of income in ST-3 returns. (iv) The Tribunal recorded the undisputed factual position that:     (a) The appellant was receiving commission from airlines on sale of tickets.     (b) Part of such commission was shared with sub-agents; service tax was paid only on the portion retained by the appellant.     (c) The authorities below themselves noted that the appellant had paid service tax through challans, inter alia in July 2016 and April 2017; these payments were appropriated against the demand.     (d) The value shown in ST-3 returns was not treated as a relied-upon document in the proceedings, and there was no clear analysis correlating returns and payments. (v) On these facts, the Tribunal inferred that the appellant was acting under a bona fide belief that service tax was payable only on the portion of commission retained by it, not on the entire amount received and then partly passed on to sub-agents. The consistent discharge of service tax on the retained portion, through declared challans, supported the inference of bona fides and negated a presumption of deliberate tax evasion. (vi) Applying the ratio of Uniworth Textiles Ltd., the Tribunal emphasized:     (a) The expression 'wilful' implies a specific intent to do what the law forbids or to omit what the law requires; mere error, misunderstanding or wrong interpretation does not suffice.     (b) The burden to prove mala fide conduct and the circumstances justifying extended period lies on the Revenue; serious allegations such as fraud, collusion, wilful misstatement or suppression demand proof of a high order.     (c) The show cause notice must contain specific and explicit averments indicating which precise ground in the proviso (fraud, collusion, wilful misstatement, suppression of facts, or contravention with intent to evade) is alleged, and the factual basis for such allegation, to enable the assessee to meet the case. (vii) On examining the record against these standards, the Tribunal held that:     (a) The show cause notice and orders were couched in general statutory language, without concrete, case-specific particulars or evidence of wilful misstatement, active concealment or intent to evade.     (b) The conduct of paying service tax on the retained portion of commission and filing returns, coupled with absence of clear findings of deliberate evasion, is more consistent with a bona fide misappreciation of tax liability than with fraud or suppression.     (c) Mere difference between income-tax data/TDS records and ST-3 declarations, by itself, without proof of deliberate concealment and intent, is insufficient to lawfully invoke the extended period. (viii) Consequently, the foundational requirement for the exercise of extended limitation under the proviso to Section 73(1) was held to be absent. The Tribunal therefore found 'no merits in invocation of extended period of limitation for making this demand'. Conclusions (a) The extended period of limitation under the proviso to Section 73(1) of the Finance Act, 1994, was not validly invoked, as neither the show cause notice nor the adjudication and appellate orders contained specific, substantiated allegations or findings of fraud, wilful misstatement, suppression of facts, or contravention with intent to evade payment of service tax. (b) The appellant's payment of service tax on the retained portion of commission and the bona fide belief regarding the taxable value, as discerned from the record, negate any inference of deliberate suppression or intent to evade, and therefore disentitle the Revenue from resorting to the extended limitation period. (c) In the absence of a valid invocation of extended limitation, the demand of service tax for the period in dispute, issued through show cause notice dated 21.04.2022, is barred by limitation. (d) As the entire demand is unsustainable on the ground of limitation, the consequential levy of interest under Section 75 and penalties under Sections 78 and 70 of the Finance Act, 1994, also cannot survive. (e) Without entering into the merits of taxability or valuation, the Tribunal set aside the demand, interest and penalties, and allowed the appeal on the short ground of limitation alone.