Reversal of excess ITC availed under WGST Act: Calcutta HC sets aside Order confirming Penalty [Read Order]

The Calcutta High Court set aside the order confirming penalty Reversal of Income Tax Credit (ITC) availed under West Bengal Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (WBGST Act). Suncraft Energy Private Limited And Another, the appellant had impugned the order passed by the Assistant Commissioner of State Tax, Ballygunge Charge, the Respondent No. 1 by which the first respondent reversed the input tax credit availed by the appellant under the provisions of West Bengal Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (WBGST Act). The 4th respondent is a supplier of the appellant who provided supply of goods and services to the appellant who had made payment of tax to the fourth respondent at the time of effecting such purchase along with the value of supply of goods/ services. However, in some of the invoices of the said supplier was not reflected in the GSTR 2A of the appellant for the Financial Year 2017-18. The first respondent issued notices for recovery of the input tax credit availed by the appellant and the grievance of the appellant is that without conducting any enquiry on the supplier namely, the fourth respondent and without effecting any recovery from the fourth respondent, the first respondent was not justified in proceeding against the appellant. It is The appellant stated that they have fulfilled all the conditions as stipulated under Sub-section (2) of Section 16 and they also paid the tax to the fourth respondent, the supplier and a valid tax invoice has been issued by the fourth respondent for installation and commission services and the appellant had made payment to the fourth respondent within the time stipulated under the provisions of the Act. Thus, grievance of the appellant is that despite having fulfilled all the conditions as has been enumerated under Section 16(2) of the Act, the first respondent erred in reversing the credit availed and directing the appellant to deposit the tax which has already been paid to the fourth respondent at the time of availing the goods/ services. The allegation was that the appellant had submitted that the fourth respondent has not shown the Bill in GSTR 1 and hence the appellant is not eligible to avail the credit of the input tax as per Section 16(2) of the WBGST Act, 2017 as the tax charged in respect of such supply has not been actually paid to the Government. The show cause notice does not allege that the appellant was not in possession of a tax invoice issued by the supplier registered under the Act. There is no denial of the fact that the appellant has received the goods or services or both. The first respondent without resorting to any action against the fourth respondent who is the selling dealer has ignored the tax invoices produced by the appellant as well as the bank statement to substantiate that they have paid the price for the goods and services rendered as well as the tax payable there on, the action of the first respondent has to be branded as arbitrarily. Therefore, before directing the appellant to reverse the input tax credit and remit the same to the government, the first respondent ought to have taken action against the fourth respondent the selling dealer and unless and until the first respondent is able to bring out the exceptional case where there has been collusion between the appellant and the fourth respondent or where the fourth respondent is missing or the fourth respondent has closed down its business or the fourth respondent does not have any assets and such other contingencies, straight away the first respondent was not justified in directing the appellant to reverse the input tax credit availed by them. A division bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya set aside the writ petition and set aside the order passed by the first respondent namely the Assistant Commissioner, State Tax, Ballygaunge Charge, with a direction to the appropriate authorities to first proceed against the fourth respondent and only under exceptional circumstance as clarified in the press release issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), then and then only proceedings can be initiated against the appellant. Support our journalism by subscribing to Taxscan premium. Follow us on Telegram for quick updates