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2024 (8) TMI 399

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....titutions; the appellants were to be reimbursed marketing  and operating expenses and management fee calculated at 10% of the  expenses. On the basis of an inquiry conducted, the Department was of  the opinion that as the appellant is rendering services which culminate  prior to the proceeding of Indian students for study in Australia, the  services are very much rendered in India and therefore, the same cannot  be held as export of service and the appellants are liable to pay service  tax under the category of "Business Auxiliary Service" under Section  65(105) (zzb) read with Section 65 (19) of the Finance Act, 1994 for the  period up to 30.06.2012; for the period from 01.07.2012, the appellants  are required to pay service tax in terms of Section 66B of the Finance  Act, 1994; a Show Cause Notice dated 22.10.2014, covering the period  2009-10 to 2013-14 was issued to the appellants; similarly, a statement  under Section 73 (1A) dated 03.05.2016, alleging that the services  rendered by the appellants are Intermediary Services and as such the  appellants are liable to pay service tax and they are not eligib....

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....ssioner of Service Tax, Mumbai-VI  Commissionerate v. M/S. A.Τ.Ε. Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. - 2018 (8) G. S. T. L. 123 (Bom.)   • The Commissioner Service Tax-VII v. M/s. Blue Star Ltd  - 2018-TIOL-1976-HC-MUM-ST. • IBM India Pvt. Ltd. v. Commissioner of Central Excise  and Service Tax - 2020 (34) G.S.T.L. 436 (Tri. - Bang.)   • M/s Paul Merchants Ltd. v. CCE, Chandigarh - 2012  (12) TMI - 424 - CESTAT New Delhi (LB) 3. Learned Counsel submits as regards the period 27.02.2010 to  30.06.2012 that the Export of Service Rules were amended w.e.f. 27.02.2010 whereby the condition prescribed under Rule 3(2)(a) of  Export of Service Rules, 2005 to the extent that service be provided from  India and used outside India was omitted; he submits that  consequentially, in order to qualify as export, the only condition which is  required to be satisfied in terms of Rule 3(1)(iii) read with Rule 3(2) of  Export of Service Rules, 2005 was that the service receiver should be  located outside India and consideration for such service should be  received in foreign exchange; in the i....

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.....). • M/s Sunrise Immigration Consultants Private Limited v.  CCE & ST, Chandigarh - 2018 (5) TMI 1017-CESTAT  Chandigarh. • Genpact India Pvt. Ltd. and Others v. Union of India - 2021 (2) TMI 816 - Punjab and Haryana High Court. • M/s Medway Educational Consultant P. Ltd v.  Commissioner, CGST Commissionerate, Delhi-West - 2024 (3) TMI 1178 (Tri. Del.) • M/s Valmiki Consultants Pvt Ltd v. Commissioner of  Customs, Central Tax, Hyderabad - 2018 (11) TMI  1085 - CESTAT Hyderabad. • M/s Study Overseas Global (P) Ltd. v. CST Delhi - 2017  (5) TMI 887 - CESTAT New Delhi. 5. Learned Counsel submits also that Circular No.159/15/2021-GST  dated 20.09.2021 clarified that sub-contracting of a service is not an intermediary service; the Circular further clarifies that there is no change  in the scope of intermediary services in the GST Regime vis-à-vis the Service Tax Regime. He relies on Genpact India Pvt. Ltd. - 2023 (68)  GSTL 3 (P&H) and M/s Ernst & Young Ltd. - 2023 (3) TMI 1117-Delhi High Court. 6. Learned Counsel further submits that services provided by the &nbsp....

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....;necessary to enable SGIPL to provide the services to SingTel,  whereas in the instant case, the appellant is clearly appointed as an  agent of their principals. • Medway Educational Consultant Pvt. Ltd. (supra) and Valmiki  Consultants Pvt. Ltd. (supra); in these cases, the appellant was providing services directly to their clients i.e. colleges or  universities, who were paying commission to the appellant,  whereas in the instant case, the appellant is facilitating their  principal in the provision of main service. • Genpact India (P) Ltd. (supra); in this case, the assessee was  providing services directly to the third parties located outside India and as per the terms of master services, sub-contracting  agreement various services were to be provided by the petitioner  on a principal-to-principal basis; whereas in the instant case, the  appellant is providing facilitation to its principal OCA under an agreement and the OCA was providing main service to the colleges. 8. Learned Authorized Representative takes us to different provisions  of the Statute concerning the definition of "Intermediary" a....

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....rcelor France which is situated outside India and Arcelor India  receives consideration in convertible foreign exchange. The service provided by Arcelor India is, therefore, delivered outside India and used  outside India as is the requirement under the 2005 Export Rules prior to  01.03.2007 and Arcelor India provides services from India which are used  outside India as is the requirement after 01.03.2007. It cannot, therefore, be doubted that Arcelor India provides "export of service" as  contemplated under rule 3 of the 2005 Export Rules". We find that the arguments of the appellants are acceptable as the contract entered into  by the appellants was with M/s OCA who in turn had entered into contract  with Australian institutions/ universities for canvassing and procuring  admission of the students. M/s OCA has engaged the appellants to help  their work in India. In pursuit of the same, the appellants have contacted  the students in India; explained the procedures of admission; helped in  filling up the forms and payment of fees directly to the Australian  universities. There is no contract between either the foreign univ....

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....iably meant  the location of the recipient. It was clarified that the  words 'accrual of benefit' was not restricted to mere  impact on the bottom-line of the person who pays for  the service. It had to be given a harmonious  interpretation in the context where the effective use  and enjoyment of the service has been obtained. 49. The position becomes even clearer in the post  July 2012 period during which the POPS Rules  2012 apply. As already noted, provision of  telecommunication services does not have a specific  rule and so Rule 3 of the POPS Rules, which is the  default option, applies. In terms thereof, the place of  provision of telecommunication service shall be the  location of the recipient of service. 50. The decision of larger Bench of CESTAT in Paul  Merchants Ltd v. CCE, Chandigarh (supra) may be  referred to at this stage. The period with which the  dispute in that case related to was between 1st July,  2003 and 30th June, 2007. It involved, therefore, the  interpretation of the ESR 2005 as amended and  applicable during the said period. There the....

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....he instant case. The main service is rendered by M/s OCA to  the foreign universities and the appellant helps M/s OCA as far as the  Indian students are concerned; neither the appellant nor M/s OCA  charged any amount from the Indian students. Therefore, in the circumstances, as submitted by the learned Counsel for the appellants,  the appellants can at best be held to be the sub-contractor or the sub-agent of M/s OCA and not an intermediary between the India students  and the universities or the Indian students and M/s OCA. 14. We find that Circular No.159/15/2021-GST dated 20.09.2021  issued by CBIC envisages that in respect of Intermediary Services, there should be a minimum of three parties and two distinct supplies i.e. main  supply and ancillary supply; it also clarifies that a person involved in supply of main supply on principal-to-principal basis to another person  cannot be considered as supplier of Intermediary Service. In the instant case, the appellants and M/s OCA are rendering the same service i.e.  helping the students get admission in Australian universities and the appellants are rendering the same main service as M/....

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....ng consideration for the same. Insofar as  recruitment of students in India is concerned, IDP  Australia has created the appellant as a fully owned  subsidiary, and has sub-contracted the work to the  appellant. Nothing has been brought on record in the  show cause notice or in the order to show that the  appellant has a direct contract with the foreign  universities. There is nothing on record to show that  the appellant is liasioning or acting as intermediary  between the foreign universities and IDP Australia. All  that is evident from the records is that the appellant is  providing the services which have been sub-contracted  to it by M/s IDP Australia. As a sub-contractor, it is  receiving commission from the main contractor for its  services. The main contractor - IDP Australia, in turn,  is receiving commission from the foreign universities  who pay a percentage of the tuition fee to IDP  Australia. From the records, we find that Revenue has  not established that the appellant is acting as an  intermediary between M/s IDP Australia and the foreign universities, as alleged or held i....