TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2024 (1) TMI 387
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....the appellant at the outset submits that the whole case of the department is that when Notification No. 04/2006-CE was available to the appellant, which is the absolute notification. The appellant was supposed to clear the goods under said notification hence, there is a liability of 5% amount of value of exempted goods under such notification. 2.1 She submits that this Tribunal in the appellants own case taken a clear view that the Notification No. 04/2006-CE (Sr. No 54 and 59) is conditional one. Therefore, there is no compulsion on the appellant to avail such notification. Accordingly, on the basis of exemption Notification No. 04/2006-CE, the department cannot insist for payment of 5% under Rule 6(i) of Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004. She also placed reliance on the following judgments: CESTAT Order No. FO/11450-11451/2023 dated 07.07.2023- Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Period: April, 2010 to March 2011) Sangji Industries - 2008-TIOL-844-CESTAT-AHM Share Medical Care-2007 (209) ELT 321 (SC) Indian Petro Chemicals- 1997 (92) ELT 13 (SC) H.C.L. Limited- 2001 (130) ELT 405 (SC) 3. Shri Tara Praksah, Learned Deputy Commissioner (AR) appearing on behalf of the revenue reitera....
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....ription specified in column (3) of the Table below read with the relevant List appended hereto, as the case may be, and falling within the Chapter, heading or sub-heading or tariff item of the First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (5 of 1986) (hereinafter referred to as the Central Excise Tariff Act), as are given in the corresponding entry in column (2) of the said Table, from so much of the duty of excise specified thereon under the First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, as is in excess of the amount calculated at the rate specified in the corresponding entry in column (4) of the said Table and subject to the relevant conditions specified in the Annexure to this notification, and the Condition number of which is referred to in the corresponding entry in column (5) of the Table aforesaid. Explanation.- For the purposes of this notification, the rates specified in column (4) of the said Table are ad valorem rates, unless otherwise specified. S. No. Chapter or heading or sub-heading or tariff item of the First Schedule Description of excisable goods Rate Condition No 54. 28, 29 or 30 The bulk drugs or formulations specified in List 3 Nil - 59. ....
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....uts shall not be denied to job worker referred to in rule 12AA of the Central Excise Rules, 2002, on the ground that the said inputs are used in the manufacture of goods cleared without payment of duty under the provisions of that rule. Explanation 1. - For the purposes of this rule, exempted goods or final products as defined in clauses (d) and (h) of rule 2 shall include non-excisable goods cleared for a consideration from the factory. Explanation 2. - Value of non-excisable goods for the purposes of this rule, shall be the invoice value and where such invoice value is not available, such value shall be determined by using reasonable means consistent with the principles of valuation contained in the Excise Act and the rules made there under. Explanation 3. - For the purposes of this rule, exempted services as defined in clause (e) of rule 2 shall include an activity, which is not a 'service' as defined in section 65B(44) of the Finance Act, 1994 [provided that such activity has used inputs or input services]. Explanation 4. - Value of such an activity as specified above in Explanation 3, shall be the invoice/agreement/contract value and where such value is not available, ....
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....puts or input services. Explanation 3. - For the purposes of this sub-rule and sub-rule (3A),- (a) "non-exempted goods removed" means the final products excluding exempted goods manufactured and cleared upto the place of removal; (b) "exempted goods removed" means the exempted goods manufactured and cleared upto the place of removal; (c) "non-exempted services" means the output services excluding exempted services.] [(3A) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [(4) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [(5) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (6) The provisions of sub-rules (1), (2), (3) and (4) shall not be applicable in case the excisable goods removed without payment of duty are either - [(i) cleared to a unit in a special economic zone or to a developer of a special economic zone for their authorised operations; or] (ii) cleared to a hundred per cent. export-oriented undertaking; or (iii) cleared to a unit in an Electronic Hardware Techno....
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....e in India to a place outside India.] (8) For the purpose of this rule, a service provided or agreed to be provided shall not be an exempted service when :- (a) the service satisfies the conditions specified under rule 6A of the Service Tax Rules, 1994 and the payment for the service is to be received in convertible foreign currency; and (b) such payment has not been received for a period of six months or such extended period as maybe allowed from time-to-time by the Reserve Bank of India, from the date of provision :] [Provided that if such payment is received after the specified or extended period allowed by the Reserve Bank of India but within one year from such period, the service provider shall be entitled to take the credit of the amount equivalent to the CENVAT credit paid earlier in terms of sub-rule (3) to the extent it relates to such payment, on the basis of documentary evidence of the payment so received.] From the above rule it can be seen that the demand of an amount under Rule 6(3) of Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004 shall arise only in case where the input or input service is commonly used in the manufacture of dutiable and exempted goods. As opined by us herein ....
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....ond in terms of provisions of the Central Excise Rules, 2002." 11. The only difference between the Rules of 2002 and 2004 is that while in case of 2002 rules, exception clause contained in sub-rule (5) of Rule 6 was applicable in case of only exempted goods, while exception clause contained in sub-rule (6) of Rule 6 of 2004 rules, applies both to exempted goods, as also goods subject to duty, because the term used in sub-rule (6) is " excisable goods" and not "exempted goods", as was the case in Rules of 2002. 12. Reference has been made hereinabove to the Rules of 2002, as also 2004, because from the record, it cannot be made out which rules should be applicable. Rules of 2002 were applicable in respect of inputs or capital goods received in the factory after 1st day of March, 2002. They remained in force till the Rules of 2004 came into force. Rules of 2004 are applicable in respect of inputs received by the manufacturer after 10th day of September, 2004. Since finished leather was exported between August, 2004 and March, 2005 and it was not clear as to when the inputs were received, so reference has been made to both the sets of rules. As already noticed, the provisions of b....
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....iable and were exported, credit for CENVAT could not be claimed in respect of input of those goods, at least under the aforesaid exception clause. To overcome this kind of anomalous situations, exception clause contained in sub-rule (6) of Rule 6 of CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004 has been made applicable to all excisable goods. 18. Learned counsel for the appellant argued that term 'excisable goods' used in sub-rule (6) of Rule 6 of 2004 Rules, meant only dutiable goods. Submission has been noticed only to be rejected. 19. A Division Bench of Bombay High Court in 2009 (235) E.L.T. 614 (Bom.), Repro India Ltd. v. Union of India, while dealing with a similar situation and interpreting the provisions of Rule 6(5) of CENVAT Credit Rules, 2002 and Rule 6(6) of CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004, has held that expression " excisable goods" is wider than the expression " exempted goods", as it includes both dutiable as also exempted goods. 20. In view of the above discussion, we hold that an assessee, manufacturing goods chargeable to nil duty, is eligible to avail CENVAT credit paid on the inputs under the exception clause to Rule 6(1), as contained in Rule 6(5) of CENVAT Credit Rules, 2002 and ....
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....it export of specified goods subject to safeguards, conditions and limitations. In the notification issued under Rule 13, the Government has specified all excisable goods to be eligible for export under bond in terms of Rule 13. The Notification does not make any distinction between the dutiable and exempted goods nor debars the exempted goods from export under Rule 13. Exempted goods are excisable as having been manufactured and covered under Schedule to CETA 1985 and as such are eligible to be exported under Rule 13. As per the Board's Circular No. 471/37/99-CX dated 20-7-99, even the manufacturers of goods attracting nil rate of duty or wholly exempted goods can obtain registration under Rule 174 for the purpose of exporting their goods. Obviously, such manufacturer can, after obtaining registration as permitted vide aforesaid circular, export their goods only under bond in terms of Rule 13 and not in terms of Rule 12 as such goods cannot be exported on payment of duty and rebate claimed under Rule 12." Thus the Ministry of Finance vide letter dated 8th November, 2001 has specifically clarified that even the exempted goods can be cleared for export under bond in terms of Rul....
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....ns of the Central Excise Rules, 2002." The petitioners had manufactured both dutiable and exempted final product (packaged software and printed books respectively). The petitioner has taken credit on input used in the manufacture of dutiable as well as exempted final products. If the exempted products are exported outside India the provisions of Rule 6(6)(v) of the Cenvat Credit Rules are applicable. Therefore, the bar provided under Rule 6(1) and the liability created under Rule 6(3)(b) of the Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004 are not attracted. By denying to the petitioner from exporting the printed books under bond what the respondents want to do is in fact to levy 10% on the sale price of the printed books in terms of Rule 6(3)(b) of the Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004. In our opinion this is wholly impermissible. The provisions as now contained in Rule 6 of the Credit Rules, 2004 were contained in Rules 57C and 57CC of the Central Excise Rules, 1944 as they stood prior to 1st April, 2000. From 1st April, 2000 till 30th June, 2001 similar provisions were contained in Rule 57AD of the Central Excise Rules, 1944. In the context of these Rules circular dated 8th November, 2001 of the Minist....
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....axation of levying duty on inputs as also on the final product. If, however, the exempted final product is exported it calls for a special relaxation/dispensation to make the goods of the country internationally competitive. As an illustration suppose a final product like tractor is otherwise exempted from excise duty even for domestic consumption and such tractors are exported. The various inputs like engines, etc., used in the tractor may have suffered excise duty. The intention is not to export taxes but only to export the goods. If the inputs like engine going into the manufacture of export commodity namely tractors are subject to excise duty, the Indian manufacturer of tractors becomes internationally uncompetitive. This appears to be the object behind the Government enacting special scheme to ensure that the duty is not levied even on inputs going to the export products. Rule 6(6)(v) has been consciously and expressly enacted with the specific objective to ensure that duty is not levied even on inputs going to the export products. This method of adjustment, both from the point of Government and the assessee is to allow the assessee to take Cenvat credit on the inputs used i....
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.... 9th September, 2004 under Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004. We may reproduce Rule 6(5) of the Cenvat Credit Rules, 2002 which reads as follows :- "(5) The provisions of sub-rule (1), sub-rule (2), sub-rule (3) and sub-rule(4) shall not be applicable in case the exempted goods are either - (i) cleared to a unit in a free trade zone; or (ii) cleared to a unit in a special economic zone; or (iii) cleared to a hundred per cent export oriented undertaking; or (iv) cleared to a unit in an Electronic Hardware Technology Park or Software Technology Park; or (v) supplied to the United Nations or an international organization for their official use or supplied to projects funded by them, on which exemption of duty is available under notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) No. 108/95-CentraI Excise, dated the 28th August, 1995, number GSR 602(E) dated the 28th August, 1995; or (vi) cleared for export under bond in terms of the provisions of the Central Excise Rules, 2002." We may reproduce Rule 6(6) of the Cenvat Credit Rules, 2002, which read as under :- "The provisions of sub-rules (1), (2), (3) and (4) shall not be applicable....
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....ch a situation also, Rule 6(6) of Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004 used the expression 'excisable goods' which is wider to include both dutiable as well as exempted goods. 10. In our opinion therefore, the petition will have to be allowed. The Petitioners are entitled to remove the goods on furnishing the bond as set out in Annexure 16 in Form B-1 of the Central Excise Manual. Rule made absolute accordingly. There shall be no order as to costs." 4.5 As regards the goods cleared for export under bond it is undisputed that the appellant have consciously cleared the goods under Bond/ LUT. The LUT has been accepted by the department officers, the export consignments have been assessed accepting the clearances under Bond/LUT. In such case in terms of Rule 6(6)(v) of Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004 the provision of sub Rules (1),(2),(3) and (4) shall not be applicable in cases the goods removed without payment of duty, therefore in case of goods cleared under Bond/LUT also the demand under Rule 6(3) of Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004 will not sustain. The contention of the revenue is that during the relevant time under the Notification No. 42/2001-CE(NT) dated 26.06.2001 there was condition (1) (iv) of....
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....rejudice to the above findings, we further find that in any case Cenvat credit cannot be denied on the inputs in case the finished goods wherein such inputs were used, exported out of country. Various mechanisms were provided for giving relief of input duty such as drawback, procurement of input without payment of duty under Notification No. 43/2001-CE(NT), rebate of duty of inputs, in terms of Rule 18 of Central Excise Rule 2012, refund of Cenvat of input used in export goods in terms of Rule 5 of Cenvat Credit Rules. Under all this scheme government has ensured that the input used in the manufacture of export goods should not suffer duty or if at all any duty is paid the same should be refunded. In other words, in the overall policy for export of goods, neither the duty on inputs nor the duty of finished goods should be exported. With these objective if the demand under Rule 6(3) is made, all these schemes which is with the objective that no duty should be charged on input will be defeated. For this reason also the duty paid on the inputs which is used in export goods cannot be demanded under Rule 6(3) of Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004. As the whole exercise is revenue neutral, for th....