CENTRAL Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has issued clarification vides Circular No. 158/9/ 2012–ST dated. 8th May, 2012 on the rate of service tax applicable wherein invoices were raised before 1st April 2012 and the payments shall be after 1st April 2012 in case of the 8 specified services provided by individuals or proprietary firms or partnership firms, to which Rule 7 of Point of Taxation Rules 2011 was applicable and services on which tax is paid under reverse charge under section 68(2) of the Finance Act.
The current Section 44AB of the IT Act has been challenged by the Appellant on behalf of the Income Tax Practitioners. The Appellant contends that the Income Tax Practitioners should be entitled to be authorized representatives and that they are excluded for auditing accounts which violates their Fundamental Rights, specifically Article 14 and 19 of the Constitution.
