Case Law Details
Builders Association of Navi Mumbai Vs Union of India (Bombay High Court)
Any lease or letting out of a building, including commercial, industrial or residential complex for business, either wholly or partly is a supply of service. It is settled law that such provisions in a taxing statute would have to be read together and harmoniously in order to understand the nature of the levy, the object and purpose of its imposition. No activity of the nature mentioned in the inclusive provision can thus be left out of the net of the tax. Once this law, in terms of the substantive provisions and the Schedule, treats the activity as supply of goods or supply of services, particularly in relation to land and building and includes a lease, then, the consideration therefor as a premium/one-time premium is a measure on which the tax is levied, assessed and recovered. We cannot then probe into the legislation any further.
We are concerned here with the GST Act and the tax on supply of goods and services. It is not disputed that the position of the CIDCO for the purpose of orderly planning and development will be of no assistance in the sense while developing a new township, the objective of the planning authority is not to earn money, but to develop the area so that the purpose of setting up a township is achieved by more people wanting to live in the area in lieu of the various amenities provided in the area. The CIDCO is one such authority. It is entirely for the legislature, therefore, to exercise the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 7 of the GST Act and issue the requisite notification. Absent that notification, merely going by the status of the CIDCO, we cannot hold that the lease premium would not attract or invite the liability to pay tax in terms of the GST Act.
It is entirely for the legislature, therefore, to exercise the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 7 of the GST Act and issue the requisite notification. Absent that notification, merely going by the status of the CIDCO, we cannot hold that the lease premium would not attract or invite the liability to pay tax in terms of the GST Act.
In the passing, we are of the opinion that the High Court of Judicature of Allahabad, while considering the demand, not arising out of the GST, but under the Finance Act in relation to the services of renting of immovable property of Greater Noida, has rightly arrived at the conclusion that the same was a taxable service and on the consideration received, the service tax could have been levied and demanded. Once we agree with the reasoning of the Division Bench, then, we do not feel it necessary to reproduce the paragraphs in the Division Bench judgment. We are not in agreement with the learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioners that the demand is contrary to law or unfair, unjust and unreasonable in any manner.
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