No.VAT/MMB-1006/152/Adm-3(Adm-6) Mumbai, dt. 31.07.2008 The Hon’ble High Court has dismissed the Writ petition No. 2000 of 2007 and allied petitions regarding Form 704. The date for filing of Form 704 was extended by the High Court to 30th June 2008. Accordingly, a trade circular cited at reference 13 was issued and the date for filing of Form 704 in respect of the year 2005-06 and 2006-07 was extended to 30th June 2008.

As expressly mentioned in Section 22, the primary object of business audit is to promote compliance with law. Business audit is a device with the Department to ascertain and ensure compliance of laws that are implemented by the Department. At a practical level, the object of audit is to ascertain the correctness of returns and to identify inadequacies in returns, if any when checked against the books of account and the circumstances of the business. If the returns are not filed then, the audit officer is expected to quantify the liability of the dealer and enforce recovery. (Trade Cir. No. 25 T of 2008)

Doctors, lawyers and other professionals —both salaried and self-employed— may now have to pay a higher professional tax. Acceding a long-pending demand of the state governments, the Centre has decided to raise the ceiling on professional tax from Rs 2,500 to Rs 7,500 per annum. The Union Cabinet is expected to take up the proposal on Thursday.

MVAT Audit Due date extended to 31St July 2008 for Financial Year 20005-06 and 2006-07. 1. The Hon’ble High Court has dismissed the Writ petition No. 2000 of 2007 and allied petitions regarding Form 704. The date for filing of Form 704 was extended by the High Court to 30th June 2008. Accordingly, a trade circular cited at reference 13 was issued and the date for filing of Form 704 in respect of the year 2005-06 and 2006-07 was extended to 30th June 2008.

After much bickering with states, the finance ministry today reduced the central sales tax (CST) rate on inter-state sales from 3 per cent to 2 per cent with effect from June 1.The ministry notified the rate-cut to the states despite differences on compensating them for losses of about Rs 13,000 crore in 2008-09 because of the cut. CST was cut from 4 per cent to 3 per cent on April 1, 2007. It was to be reduced to 2 per cent on April 1, 2008, and phased out by March 2010.

Following an agreement between the Central Government and the State Governments, the rate of Central Sales Tax was reduced from 4 per cent to 3 per cent in this financial year. It is now proposed to reduce the rate to 2 per cent from April 1, 2008. Consultations are underway on the compensation for losses, if any, and once agreement is reached the new rate will be notified. I am also happy to report that there is considerable progress in preparing a roadmap for introducing the Goods and Services Tax with effect from April 1, 2010.

Changes in MVAT RETURN FILING – TL in Previous Year TR in previous Year Periodicity Form & Due Date Tax Liability (TL) Tax Refund (TR) 1) upto Rs. 1 lakh upto Rs. 10 Lacs Half Yearly 231/21 days 2) upto Rs. 10 lacs upto Rs. 1 crore Quarterly 231/21 days 3) More than 10 Lacs More Than Rs. 1 Crore Monthly 231/21 days

Trade Cir. No. 5 T of 2008 A Trade Circular No. 1T of 2008 dt. 25.1.2008 had been issued explaining the procedure for issuance of statutory forms under the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956. In that circular, a procedure had been set down for the use of applicants of declaration forms under the Central Sales Tax Act. As per that circular, the dealers were required to show proof of filing of returns and payments from 1.4.2005 onwards till the last return/payment due from them on the date of application. The dealers were also required to furnish information in the format provided for in the said circular.

Imagic Creative (P.) Ltd. v. Commissioner of Commercial Taxes Payments of service tax as also the VAT are mutually exclusive. Therefore, they should be held to be applicable having regard to the respective parameters of service tax and the sales tax as envisaged in a composite contract as contradistinguished from an indivisible contract. It may consist of different elements providing for attracting different nature of levy. It was, therefore, difficult to hold that in a case of instant nature, sales tax would be payable on the value of the entire contract, irrespective of the element of service provided. The approach of the assessing authority, thus, appeared to be correct.

WHETHER the charges collected towards the services for evolution of prototype conceptual design (i.e. creation of concept), on which service tax had been paid under the Finance Act, 1994 as amended from time to time is liable to tax under the Karnataka Value Added Tax Act, 2003 is the question involved in this appeal before the Supreme Court.