Citation : 2025 Latest Caselaw 3632 Tel
Judgement Date : 21 August, 2025
THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE P.SAM KOSHY
AND
THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE
SUDDALA CHALAPATHI RAO
TRC No. 90 OF 2003
JUDGMENT:
(per Hon'ble Sri Justice P.Sam Koshy)
Heard Mr.Swaroop Oorilla, learned Special Government
Pleader for the State Tax for the petitioner and Mr. A.K.Jaiswal,
learned counsel for the respondent. Perused the record.
2. The instant is a tax revision case filed by the State assailing
the order passed by the Sales Tax Appellate Tribunal in Tribunal
Appeal No.440 of 1998 on 16.01.2022.
3. The issue involved in the instant case was primarily that of
certain excess tax collected by the petitioner to the tune of
Rs.3,12,655/-. The challenge before the Tribunal was to the
suo motu revisional powers exercised by the Revisional Authority
i.e., Deputy Commissioner (CT) vide his revisional order dated
20.04.1998. The revisional authority had reached to the conclusion
that the respondent-assessee has collected an excess tax of
Rs.3,12,655/- from the customers which was ordered to be
forefeited.
4. However, when the said revisional authority's order was put
to challenge before the Tribunal by way of Tribunal Appeal by the
respondent-assessee in Tribunal Appeal No.440 of 1998, the
Tribunal reached to the conclusion that the revisional authority has
failed to take note of the clarification and the explanation that the
respondent-assessee had made so far as the so called collection of
excess tax is concerned.
5. A bare perusal of the impugned order passed by the
Tribunal, particularly its finding part which, for ready reference, is
reproduced hereunder:
"...A perusal of this provisions indicates that a dealer should not collect towards tax from the customers more amount than what is already paid by the dealer at the time of purchase if any and also payable by him on the sales made by him. Thus, in considering whether any excess tax is collected by the dealer which is liable for forfeiture U/s. 30(c) of APGST Act, the total amount paid by him at the time of purchase and payable by him at the time of sale, both have to be taken into account and the tax collected from the customer at the time of sale should not exceed as per this provisions the amount of tax already paid by the dealer at the time of purchase and payable by him on the sales made by him, both put together. Applying this provision to the facts of the present case, the dealer categorically mentioned in his reply to the showcase notice issued by the Deputy Commissioner proposing the revision that he paid Rs.5,17,238-00 at the time of purchase of crude oil
to verious dealers and also paid Rs.2,47,328-00 the sales effected by him along with monthly A2 returns. He states further in the reply that thus the total payment made by if on both the counts i.e., on purchase and A2 returns comes to Rs. 7,64,561-00 whereas he collected only Rs.5,54,774-00 resulting in the short collection of Rs.2,09,787-00. But, the deputy Commissioner failed to refer and consider to this ples raised by the appellant in his reply to the show cause notices and erroneously took into account only what is payable by the appellant on the sale of refined oil made by him i.e., Rs. 2,42,199-00. Thus, he completely ignored provisions of Sec. 30B (2) of APGST Act which provides for taking into account the tax already paid by the dealer at that time of purchase and erroneously held that the appellant collected excess tax than what he is liable to pay. A reading of Sec. 30B(2) indicates that the dealer is entitled to collect not only sales tax payable by him on the sales made by him but also the tax already paid by him at the time of purchase. Thus, the facts and circumstances of the present case show that the appellant has not collected tax from the customers on the sales of refined oil anything excess than what he is entitled to collect and what he has collected is not excess tax as per Sec. 30(B(2) of APGST Act. Thus, we come to the conclusion that the Deputy Commissioner erred in holding that the appellant collected excess tax of Rs.3,12,655-00 and forfeited the same. Accordingly, we hold that the impugned order of revision made by the Deputy Commissioner is not proper and valid and the same is liable to be set- aside".
6. A plain reading of the aforesaid finding given by the
Tribunal would give a clear indication that the Tribunal has taken
into consideration the factual aspects which the assessee has
explained by way of response to the show cause notice and which
has not been considered in the revisional order nor has it been
deliberated or discussed upon. The Tribunal also found that the
assessee has given a reasonable explanation so far as the so called
excess collection of tax is concerned and which has not been in any
manner found to be either erroneous, false or incorrect by the
revisional authority.
7. The learned Special Government Pleader representing the
petitioner also was not in a position to give explanation as to the
finding so arrived at by the Tribunal while referring the order of the
revisional authority.
8. In view of the same, we do not find any merits in the tax
revision case and the same deserves to be and is, accordingly,
rejected. There shall be no order as to costs.
Consequently, miscellaneous petitions pending, if any, shall
stand closed.
_____________________ P.SAM KOSHY, J
_________________________________ SUDDALA CHALAPATHI RAO, J 21.08.2025 Lrkm/Nit
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