INTRODUCTION AUTHORITY FOR ADVANCE RULINGS CENTRAL EXCISE

Advance rulings enable foreign investors to know in advance into certainty their indirect tax duty liability on production and manufacture of goods in India.

2. Relevant provisions for obtaining an advance ruling are contained in Chapter IIIA in the Central Excise Act, 1944;

2.1. The Central Excise (Advance Rulings) Rules, 2002 notified vide notification Nos. 28/2002-C.E. (N.T.) dated 23rd August, 2002 and amended vide notification Nos. 59/2003-C.E. (N.T.) dated 23rd July, 2003 and notification Nos. 16/2007-C.E. (N.T.) dated 6th March, 2007 provide for the format to be used for filing application.

2.2. Procedure Regulations of the Authority (AARUL CESTAT) have also been notified vide notification No. 1/2005-AAR dated 7th Jan., 2005.

3. The scheme of Advance Rulings allows a non-resident investor setting up a joint venture in India in collaboration with a non-resident or a resident; or a resident setting up a joint venture in India in collaboration with a non-resident; or a wholly owned subsidiary Indian company, of which the holding company is a foreign company; or a joint venture in India; or a resident falling within any such class or category of persons as notified by the Government of India in this behalf , to seek in advance, a ruling from the Authority for Advance Rulings.

4. Advance rulings can be sought in respect of -

(a) Classification of goods under the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985;

(b) Principles of valuation under the Central Excise Act, 1944;

(c) Applicability, of notifications issued in respect of duties under the Central Excise Act, 1944 and Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 and any duty chargeable under any other law for the time being in force in the same manner as duty of Central Excise leviable under the Central Excise Act.

(d) Admissibility of input-tax credit under Central Excise law.

(e) Determination of the liability to pay duties of excise on any goods under this Act.

5. The relevant provisions are as follows;-

PROVISIONS OF CENTRAL EXCISE ACT, 1944 ON ADVANCE RULINGS 

CHAPTER IIIA OF CENTRAL EXCISE ACT, 1944 

ADVANCE RULINGS

SECTION 23A.Definitions. In this Chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, -

(a)activity means production or manufacture of goods and includes any new business of production or manufacture proposed to be undertaken by the existing producer or manufacturer, as the case may be;

(b)advance ruling means the determination, by the authority of a question of law or fact specified in the application regarding the liability to pay duty in relation to an activity proposed to be undertaken, by the applicant;

(c)applicant means -

(i) (a) a non-resident setting up a joint venture in India in collaboration with a non-resident or a resident; or

(b) a resident setting up a joint venture in India in collaboration with a non-resident; or

(c) a wholly owned subsidiary Indian company, of which the holding company is a foreign company, or which, as the case may be, proposes to undertake any business activity in India;

(ii)a joint venture in India; or

    (iii)   a resident falling within any such class or category of persons, as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf, and which or who, as the case may be, makes application for advance ruling under sub-section (1) of section 23C;

Explanation. For the purposes of this clause, joint venture in means a contractual arrangement whereby two or more persons undertake an economic activity which is subject to joint control and one or more of the participants or partners or equity holders is a non-resident having substantial interest in such arrangement.

(d)application means an application made to the Authority under sub-section (1) of section 23C;

(e) Authority means the Authority for Advance Rulings, constituted under sub-section (1), or authorised by the Central Government under sub-section (2A), of section 28F of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962)];

(f)non-resident, Indian company and foreign company shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in clauses (30), (26) and (23A) of section 2 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961). 

SECTION 23B.Vacancies, etc., not to invalidate proceedings. No proceeding before, or pronouncement of advance ruling by, the Authority under this Chapter shall be questioned or shall be invalid on the ground merely of the existence of any vacancy or defect in the constitution of the Authority. 

SECTION 23C.Application for advance ruling. (1) An applicant desirous of obtaining an advance ruling under this Chapter may make an application in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed, stating the question on which the advance ruling is sought.

(2)The question on which the advance ruling is sought shall be in respect of, -

(a)classification of any goods under the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (5 of 1986);

(b) applicability of a notification issued under sub-section (1) of section 5A having a bearing on the rate of duty;

(c) the principles to be adopted for the purposes of determination of value of the goods under the provisions of this Act;

(d) notifications issued, in respect of duties of excise under this Act, the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (5 of 1986) and any duty chargeable under any other law for the time being in force in the same manner as duty of excise leviable under this Act;

(e) admissibility of credit of service tax paid or deemed to have been paid on input service or excise duty paid or deemed to have been paid on the goods used in or in relation to the manufacture of the excisable goods.

(f) determination of the liability to pay duties of excise on any goods under this Act.

(3)The application shall be made in quadruplicate and be accompanied by a fee of two thousand five hundred rupees.

(4)An applicant may withdraw an application within thirty days from the date of the application.  

SECTION 23D.Procedure on receipt of application. (1) On receipt of an application, the Authority shall cause a copy thereof to be forwarded to the Commissioner of Central Excise and, if necessary, call upon him to furnish the relevant records :

Provided that where any records have been called for by the Authority in any case, such records shall, as soon as possible, be returned to the Commissioner of Central Excise.

(2)The Authority may, after examining the application and the records called for, by order, either allow or reject the application :

Provided that the Authority shall not allow the application where the question raised in the application is, -

(a)already pending in the applicants case before any Central Excise Officer, the Appellate Tribunal or any Court;

(b)the same as in a matter already decided by the Appellate Tribunal or any Court :

Provided further that no application shall be rejected under this sub-section unless an opportunity has been given to the applicant of being heard :

Provided also that where the application is rejected, reasons for such rejection shall be given in the order.

(3)A copy of every order made under sub-section (2) shall be sent to the applicant and to the Commissioner of Central Excise.

(4)Where an application is allowed under sub-section (2), the Authority shall, after examining such further material as may be placed before it by the applicant or obtained by the Authority, pronounce its advance ruling on the question specified in the application.

(5)On a request received from the applicant, the Authority shall, before pronouncing its advance ruling, provide an opportunity to the applicant of being heard, either in person or through a duly authorised representative.

Explanation. - For the purposes of this sub-section, authorised representative shall have the meaning assigned to it in sub-section (2) of section 35Q.

(6)The Authority shall pronounce its advance ruling in writing within ninety days of the receipt of application.

(7)A copy of the advance ruling pronounced by the Authority, duly signed by the Members and certified in the prescribed manner shall be sent to the applicant and to the Commissioner of Central Excise, as soon as may be, after such pronouncement. 

SECTION 23E.Applicability of advance ruling. (1) The advance ruling pronounced by the Authority under section 23D shall be binding only -

(a)on the applicant who had sought it;

(b)in respect of any matter referred to in sub-section (2) of section 23C;

(c)on the Commissioner of Central Excise, and the Central Excise authorities subordinate to him, in respect of the applicant.

(2)The advance ruling referred to in sub-section (1) shall be binding as aforesaid unless there is a change in law or facts on the basis of which the advance ruling has been pronounced. 

SECTION 23F.Advance ruling to be void in certain circumstances. (1) Where the Authority finds, on a representation made to it by the Commissioner of Central Excise or otherwise, that an advance ruling pronounced by it under sub-section (6) of section 23-D has been obtained by the applicant by fraud or misrepresentation of facts, it may, by order, declare such ruling to be void ab initio and thereupon all the provisions of this Act shall apply (after excluding the period beginning with the date of such advance ruling and ending with the date of order under this sub-section) to the applicant as if such advance ruling had never been made.

(2)A copy of the order made under sub-section (1) shall be sent to the applicant and the Commissioner of Central Excise. 

SECTION 23G.Powers of Authority. (1) The Authority shall, for the purpose of exercising its powers regarding discovery and inspection, enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath, issuing commissions and compelling production of books of account and other records, have all the powers of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908).

(2)The Authority shall be deemed to be a civil court for the purposes of section 195, but not for the purposes of Chapter XXVI of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), and every proceeding before the Authority shall be deemed to be a judicial proceeding within the meaning of sections 193 and 228, and for the purpose of section 196, of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860). 

SECTION 23H.Procedure of Authority.  The Authority shall, subject to the provisions of this Chapter, have power to regulate its own procedure in all matters arising out of the exercise of its powers under this Act.

MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(Department of Revenue)

Notification No.28/2002-Central Excise (NT)
New Delhi, the 23^rd August,2002

CENTRAL EXCISE  (ADVANCE RULINGS)  RULES, 2002 

G.S.R.594 (E).- In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 37 read with sub-sections (1) and (3) of section 23C, sub-section (7) of section 23D of the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely :

1. Short , extent and commencement .

(1)These rules may be called the Central Excise (Advance Rulings) Rules, 2002.

(2)They extend to the whole of India

(3)They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

2. Definitions- In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a)"Act" means the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944).

(b)Authority means the Authority for Advance Rulings(Central Excise, Customs and Service Tax) constituted under section 28F of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962).

(c)Form -Application for Advance Rulings (Central Excise) means the form appended to these rules.

(a) "Act" means the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944).

(b)“Authorityâ€? means the Authority for Advance Rulings(Central Excise, Customs and Service Tax) constituted under section 28F of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962).

(c)"Form -Application for Advance Rulings (Central Excise)'€? means the form appended to these rules.

(d)Words and expressions used and not defined herein but defined in the Act shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Act.

3.Form and manner of application.

(1)An application for obtaining an advance ruling under sub-section(1) of section 23C of the Act shall be made in Form Application for Advance Rulings (Central Excise).

(2)The application referred to in sub-rule (1), the verification contained therein and all relevant documents accompanying such application shall be signed,-

(a)in the case of an individual, by the individual himself, or where the individual is absent from India, by the individual concerned or by some person duly authorized by him in this behalf; and where the individual is a minor or is mentally incapacitated from attending to his affairs, by his guardian or by any other person competent to act on his behalf;

(b)in the case of Hindu undivided family, by the Karta of that family and, where the Karta is absent from India or is mentally incapacitated from attending his affairs, by any other adult member of that family;

(c)in the case of company or local authority, by the principal officer thereof authorized by the company or the local authority, as the case may be, for such purpose;

(d)in the case of a firm, by any partner thereof, not being a minor;

(e)in the case of an association, by any member of the association or the principal officer thereof; and

(f)in the case of any other person, by that person or some person competent to act on his behalf.

(3)Every application shall be filed in quadruplicate and shall be accompanied by a fee of two thousand five hundred rupees.

4.Certification of copies of the advance rulings pronounced by the Authority A copy of the advance ruling pronounced by the Authority for Advance Rulings and duly signed by the Members to be sent to each of the applicant and to the Commissioner of Central Excise, under sub-section (7) of section 23D of the Act shall be certified to be true copy of its original by the Commissioner, Authority for Advance Rulings, or any other officer duly authorized by the Commissioner, Authority for Advance Rulings, as the case may be.

FORM- AAR (CE-I)

[Application for Advance Ruling (Central Excise)]

(See rule 3 of the Central Excise (Advance Rulings) Rules, 2002)

BEFORE THE AUTHORITY FOR ADVANCE RULINGS

(CENTRAL EXCISE, CUSTOMS AND SERVICE TAX)

NEW DELHI

(Form of application for seeking Advance Ruling under section 23C of the Central Excise Act,1944)

Application No.of.

 (Applicants signature) 

VERIFICATION

          I, ____________________ (name in full and in block letters), son/daughter/wife of ___________________ do hereby solemnly declare that to the best of my knowledge and belief what is stated above and in the annexure(s), including the documents are correct. I am making this application in my capacity as ___________________ (designation) and that I am competent to make this application and verify it.  

2.         I also declare that the question (s) on which the advance ruling is sought is/are not pending in my case before any Central Excise Authority, Appellate Tribunal or any Court. 

3.         Verified this.day..of.200   at .

(Applicants signature)

 ANNEXURE I 

Statement of the relevant facts having a bearing on the question(s) on which the advance ruling is required  

Place ..  

Date

(Applicants signature)

ANNEXURE II 

Statement containing the applicant"s interpretation of law and/or facts, as the case may be, in respect of the questions(s) on which advance ruling is required  

Place ..

Date

(Applicants signature)

Notes: