The petitioner's denial of refund of input tax credit debited as...

The petitioner's denial of refund of input tax credit debited as a pre-deposit was challenged. The court held that the non-inclusion of freight and pumping charges collected by the petitioner from customers into the taxable value of Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) supplied cannot be grounds for denying refund. The pre-deposit amount debited in returns for the Assessment Years 2015-2016 under the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax regime cannot be denied refund invoking a circular, as the substantial questions of law have been answered in favor of the petitioner. The Commercial Tax Department cannot deny refund after accepting pre-deposit through debit in VAT Returns and considering Revision Orders. u/s 142(6)(a) and (b) of the Tamil Nadu Goods and Services Tax (TNGST) Act, 2017, the pre-deposit amounts must be refunded. The impugned intimations invoking the circular and denying refund are quashed, and the respondents are directed to refund the amount to the petitioner within thirty days.