Agent discharge of service tax liability affirmed: agent payment treats provider's obligation as discharged, barring further adjudication.
The service provider's tax obligation may be discharged by an appointed agent because section 65(7) of the Finance Act defines the assessee to include an agent; when an agent pays the service tax on the provider's behalf, the provider's liability is treated as discharged and subsequent show-cause adjudication is not warranted.

Service tax payment under wrong head still discharges liability; misclassification does not negate tax payment responsibility.
Payment of service tax under an incorrect service classification does not, by itself, prevent the tax liability from being regarded as discharged; the essential consideration is that tax was remitted on behalf of the taxable activity, so recording the remittance under a different accounting head ordinarily cannot be used to deny satisfaction of the service tax demand.

Cash-basis service tax: optional payment on receipt for small providers and payment-trigger rules under reverse charge.
Individuals and partnership firms below a prescribed turnover threshold in the previous financial year may opt to pay service tax on taxable services in the current year on a cash-receipt basis for supplies up to that threshold, with tax due in the month or quarter in which payment is received. Under the reverse charge mechanism, the service recipient may also discharge tax on a payment-received basis, but if payment is not made within a specified period after the invoice date the point of taxation shifts to the date immediately following that period.

Departmental circulars conflicting with statutory law lack binding effect and cannot constrain judicial interpretation or review.
A departmental circular that furnishes an interpretation contrary to the provisions of law does not bind courts and cannot determine legal rights or obligations; administrative instructions must conform to statutory text, and a circular antagonistic to the statute is ineffective in judicial proceedings, as exemplified by the 1979 circular addressed in the authorities.

Binding precedent: administrative circulars cannot override the Court's authoritative interpretation; courts must apply that law.
Administrative circulars cannot prevail over the law laid down by the highest court; courts and tribunals must apply the Court's authoritative interpretation. A protective rule preserved benefits already granted under exemption notifications from reopening, but did not permit adjudicative bodies to follow circulars in preference to the Court's decision where entitlement was contested and proceedings were pending.

Binding effect of government circulars: administrative clarifications do not bind courts or quasi judicial authorities and cannot create estoppel.
Government circulars and clarifications represent administrative understanding of statutory provisions and do not bind courts or quasi judicial authorities; they cannot create an estoppel against the statute and do not prevent recovery of tax lawfully leviable despite prior communications to taxpayers.

Service elements in works contracts taxable when classifiable under construction or erection services, not limited to a new label.
Service elements within a composite works contract that correspond in nature to Commercial or Industrial Construction Service, Construction of Complex Service or Erection, Commissioning or Installation Service are taxable under those service heads; such service elements need not be classified exclusively under the subsequently inserted sub clause, and levy under the existing defined service categories is proper based on the substantive character of the activities.

Resident firm classification for advance ruling expands eligible applicants under service tax advance ruling framework.
Notification declares resident firm as a class of persons eligible for advance rulings under section 96A of the Finance Act, 1994 for service tax. It defines "firm" to include partnerships under the Indian Partnership Act, limited liability partnerships (including those without a company partner), sole proprietorships, and One Person Companies, and links the term "resident" to the meaning in the Income-tax Act as applicable to a resident firm.