LAW FOR ALL

whether the State Bank of India (SBI) and its branches, which are registered dealers under the Bengal Finance (Sales Tax) Act, 1941 (for brevity, ‘the Act’) would be liable to levy of purchase tax under Section 5(6a) of the Act for accepting the Exim Scrips (Export Import Licence) on payment of premium of 20 per cent of the face value of the scrips in compliance with the direction contained in the letter of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) dated 18th March, 1992. The authorities of the revenue as well as the Taxation Tribunal (for short, ‘the tribunal’) had held against the SBI but the Division Bench of the High Court of Calcutta in a writ petition has dislodged the said conclusion holding, inter alia, that the purchase of Exim scrips by the Bank did not attract the provisions of Section 4(6) (iii) of the Act and resultantly quashed the orders of fora below and issued consequential directions.=The Exim scrips or replenishment licences were not “goods” which were purchased by them. The intent and purpose was not to purchase the replenishment licences because the scheme was to extinguish the right granted by issue of replenishment licences. The “ownership” in the goods was never transferred or assigned to the SBI.- SBI was not liable to levy of purchase tax under the Act.=2016 Dec.http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgst.aspx?filename=44288 -COMMERCIAL TAX OFFICER & ORS. Vs. STATE BANK OF INDIA & ANR. DIPAK MISRA, SHIVA KIRTI SINGH