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 23rd
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)âAuthorityâ? 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.
1. |
Details of Applicant |
|
|
(i)
Full name |
|
(ii)
Complete address |
|
(iii)
Telephone number( with STD/ISD code) |
|
(iv)
Fax number (with STD/ISD code) |
|
(v)
E-mail address |
|
(vi)
Postal address ( to be provided if different from (ii) above)
|
|
2. |
Status of the
Applicant(Tick whichever is applicable) |
|
i. |
(i) a non-resident setting up a joint venture in
India in collaboration
with,- |
|
ii. |
(a)
a non-resident; or |
|
iii. |
(b)
with a resident;
|
|
iv.
| (ii)
a resident setting up a joint venture in
India
in collaboration with a non-resident; |
|
v.
|
(iii)
a wholly owned subsidiary Indian company, of which the holding company
is a foreign company; |
|
vi.
|
(iv)
a joint venture in India;
|
|
|
viii.
(v)
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(mention notification number). |
|
3. |
Basis for claim as a
proposed joint venture
[ref. 2(i) & (ii) above] (furnish copy of following).
|
|
|
(a)
Memorandum of Understanding; or
|
|
|
(b)
Letter of Intent; or |
|
|
(c)
Articles of Association etc.; or |
|
|
(d)
Any other document. |
|
4. |
Details of proposed
joint venture
|
|
|
(i)
Full name |
|
|
(ii)
Complete address |
|
|
(iii)
Telephone number( with STD/ISD code) |
|
|
(iv)
Fax number (with STD/ISD code) |
|
|
(v)
E-mail address |
|
|
(vi)
Postal address( to be filled if different from (ii) above) |
|
5. |
Details of
resident/non-resident party other than the applicant forming the Joint
Venture |
|
|
(i)
Full name |
|
|
(ii)
Complete address
|
|
|
(iii)
Telephone number( with STD/ISD code)
|
|
|
(iv)
Fax number (with STD/ISD code)
|
|
|
(v)
E-mail address
|
|
|
(vi)
Postal address( to be filled if different from (ii) above)
|
|
6. |
In case of a wholly
owned Indian Subsidiary Company furnish the following details:-
|
|
A. |
(i)
Name of Foreign holding company |
|
(ii)
Complete address |
|
(iii)
Telephone number( with STD/ISD code) |
|
(iv)
Fax number (with STD/ISD code) |
|
(v)
E-mail address |
|
(vi)
Postal address ( to be provided if different from (ii) above)
|
|
B. |
Percentage of Foreign holding in the Indian Subsidiary Company. |
|
7. |
In case of a joint
venture [ref. 2(iv) above] |
|
|
(i)
The persons forming the joint venture/ constitution of joint venture. |
|
|
(ii)
Status of constituent persons, i.e. resident/non-resident. |
|
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(iii)
Existing activities if any. |
|
8. |
Nature of activity
proposed to be undertaken. |
|
9. |
Present status of
activity.
|
|
10. |
Registration number of
the applicant as mentioned at serial number 1 under rule 9 of the
Central Excise Rules, 2002 (if any). |
|
11. |
Permanent Account
Number (Income Tax) of the applicant (if any). |
|
12. |
Question of Law or fact
on which Advance Ruling required (Tick whichever is applicable and
provide details against ticked item):- |
|
|
(i) classification of goods under the Central Excise
Tariff Act, 1985( 5 of 1986); |
|
|
(ii) applicability of a notification issued
under sub-section (1) of section 5A of the Central Excise Act,1944,
having a bearing on the rate of duty;
|
|
|
(iii) the principles to be adopted for the purposes of
determination of value of the goods under the provisions of this Act; |
|
|
(iv) notifications issued, in respect of duties of
excise under the Central Excise Act,1944, the 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 excise leviable under this Act; |
|
|
(v) admissibility of credit of excise duty paid or deemed
to have been paid on the goods in or in relation to the manufacture of
the excisable goods (CENVAT); |
|
|
(vi) determination of liability to pay duties of excise
under this Act. |
|
13. |
Statement of relevant
facts having a bearing on the question(s) raised. |
|
14. |
Statement containing
the applicants interpretation of law and/or facts, as the case may be,
in respect of the aforesaid question(s) (i.e. applicants view point and
submissions on issues on which the advance ruling is sought). |
|
15. |
Whether the question(s)
raised is pending in the applicants case before any officer of Central
Excise, Appellate Tribunal or any Court of Law? If so, provide details. |
|
16. |
Whether a similar
matter as raised in the question(s) by the applicant has already been
decided by the Appellate Tribunal or any Court? |
|
17. |
Concerned
Commissioner(s) of Central Excise having jurisdiction in respect of the
question referred at serial number 12. |
|
18. |
List of
documents/statement attached, (attach the list on a separate sheet, if
necessary. |
|
19. |
Particulars of account
payee demand draft enclosed with the application |
|
(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:
1. |
The
application must be filled in English or Hindi, in quadruplicate. |
2. |
The application must be accompanied by an account payee
demand draft of Indian Rupees two thousand five hundred drawn in favour of
Authority for Advance Rulings(Central Excise, Customs & Service Tax),
payable at New Delhi. Particulars of the draft should be entered in the
column pertaining to item number 19. |
3. |
The number and year of receipt of the application will be
filled in by the office of the Authority for Advance Rulings. |
4. |
If the space provided for answering any item in the
application is found insufficient, separate sheets may be used for this
purpose. Each sheet must be signed at the bottom by the applicant. |
5. |
In reply to item number 2 the applicant must state its
status i.e. whether an individual, Hindu undivided family firm, company,
firm association of persons, wholly owned subsidiary, Joint Venture or any
other person. |
6. |
For item number 5, the reply must be given in the context
of the provisions regarding "residence" in India, non resident, Indian
Company, and Foreign Company as per the Income Tax Act, 1961(43 of
1961). |
7. |
In reply to item number 9, the applicant must state the
present status of the business activity in respect of which advance ruling
has been sought i.e. the stage to which it has progressed. |
8. |
Regarding item number 12, the question(s) should be based
on the activity proposed to be under taken; hypothetical questions will
not be entertained. |
9. |
In respect of item number 13, the applicant must state in
detail the relevant facts and also disclose the nature of proposed
activity and the likely date and purpose of the proposed activity(s).
Relevant facts reflected in document submitted along with the application
must be included in the statement of facts and not merely incorporated by
reference. |
10. |
For item number 14, the applicant must clearly state his
interpretation of law or facts in respect of the question(s) on which the
advance ruling is being sought. |
11. |
The application, the verification appended thereto, the
Annexures to the application and the statements and documents accompanying
the Annexures 1 and 2 must be signed on each page by the applicant. |