Case: Commissioner of Customs Vs. Essar Steel Ltd

Customs v. Ferodo India (P) Ltd., (2008) 4 SCC 563 , this Court dealt with Rule 9(1)(e) and the Essar Gujarat judgment as follows: “22. In the alternate, it has invoked Rule 9(1)(e). This Rule 9(1)(e) cannot stand alone. It is a corollary to Rule 4. There is no finding in the present case that what was termed as royalty/licence fee was in fact not such royalty/licence fee but some other payment made or to be made as a condition prerequisite to the sale of the imported goods. It is important to bear in mind that Rule 9 refers to cost and services. Under Rule 9(1), the price for the imported goods had to be enhanced/loaded by adding certain costs, royalties and licence fees and values mentioned in Rules 9(1)(a) to 9(1)(d). It refers to “all other payments actually made or to be made as a condition of sale of the imported goods”. In the present case, the Department invoked Rule 9(1)(c) on the ground that royalty was related to the imported goods, having failed it cannot fall back upon Rule 9(1)(e) because essentially we are concerned with the addition of royalty, etc. to the price of the imported goods. Further, in the present case, the Department has accepted the transaction value of the imported goods.23. In Essar Gujarat Ltd. [ From Final Order No. 91 of 2002 dated 12-2-2002 of the Customs, Excise and Gold (Control) Appellate Tribunal, New Delhi in Appeal No. C/573/2001-A : See (2002) 142 ELT 343 (Tri); (2003) 156 ELT 62 (Tri) ; (2006) 195 ELT 206 (Tri) and (2006) 205 ELT 208 (Tri)] the buyer had entered into a contract with TIL for purchase of direct reduction iron plant (“the plant”). The entire agreement was for import of the plant. The agreement was subject to two conditions—(a) approval of GOI and (b) obtaining transfer of licence from M/s Midrex, USA. Without the licence from Midrex, the imported plant was of no use to the buyer. Therefore, it was essential to have the licence from Midrex to operate the plant. Therefore, it was held by this Court that procurement of licence from Midrex was a precondition of sale which was specifically recorded in the agreement itself. In view of specific terms and conditions to that effect in the agreement, this Court held that payments made to Midrex by way of licence fees had to be added to the price paid to TIL for purchase of the plant. There is no such stipulations in TAA in the present case. Therefore, in our view, the adjudicating authority erred in placing reliance on the judgment of this Court in Essar Gujarat Ltd. [ From Final Order No. 91 of 2002 dated 12-2-2002 of the Customs, Excise and Gold (Control) Appellate Tribunal, New Delhi in Appeal No. C/573/2001-A : See (2002) 142 ELT 343 (Tri); (2003) 156 ELT 62 (Tri) ; (2006) 195 ELT 206 (Tri) and (2006) 205 ELT 208 (Tri)]” 17. Essar Gujarat has also been distinguished in Commissioner of Customs (Port), Chennai v. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (P) Ltd., (2007) 5 SCC 371 , as follows:- “36. Therefore, law laid down in Essar Gujarat Ltd. [(1997) 9 SCC 738] and J.K. Corpn. Ltd. [(2007) 9 SCC 401 : (2007) 2 Scale 459 ] is absolutely clear and explicit. Apart from the fact that Essar Gujarat Ltd. [(1997) 9 SCC 738] was determined on the peculiar facts obtaining therein and furthermore having regard to the fact that the entire plant on “as-is-where-is” basis was transferred subject to transfer of patent as also services and technical know-how needed for increase in the capacity of the plant, this Court clearly held that the post-importation service charges were not to be taken into consideration for determining the transaction value.37. The observations made by this Court in Essar Gujarat Ltd. [(1997) 9 SCC 738] in para 18 must be understood in the factual matrix involved therein. The ratio of a decision, as is well known, must be culled out from the facts involved in a given case. A decision, as is well known, is an authority for what it decides and not what can logically be deduced therefrom. Even in Essar Gujarat Ltd. [(1997) 9 SCC 738] a clear distinction has been made between the charges required to be made for pre-importation and post-importation. All charges levied before the capital goods were imported were held to be considered for the purpose of computation of transaction value and not the post-importation one. The said decision, therefore, in our opinion, is not an authority for the proposition that irrespective of nature of the contract, licence fee and charges paid for technical know-how, although the same would have nothing to do with the charges at the pre-importation stage, would have to be taken into consideration towards computation of transaction value in terms of Rule 9(1)(c) of the Rules.38. The transaction value must be relatable to import of goods which a fortiori would mean that the amounts must be payable as a condition of import. A distinction, therefore, clearly exists between an amount payable as a condition of import and an amount payable in respect of the matters governing the manufacturing activities, which may not have anything to do with the import of the capital goods.39. Article 4 provided for additional assistance in respect of the matters specifically laid down therein. Technical assistance fees have a direct nexus with the post-import activities and not with importation of goods.40. It is also a matter of some significance that technical assistance and know-how were required to be given not as a condition precedent, but as and when the respondent makes a request therefore and not otherwise. Appendix C of the agreement relates to manufacture of local parts which evidently has nothing to do with the import of the capital goods. Appendix D again is attributable to construction of plant, production preparation, and pilot production and production model, wherewith the import of capital goods did not have any nexus.”

Decision (1 = appeal accepted, 0 = rejected): 0

Explanation:
0[ds]9. On an analysis of the technical services agreement dated 13.4.1991, it is clear that the respondent has only associated Met Chem Canada Inc. as a technical consultant. There is no transfer of know-how or patents, trademarks or copyright. What is clear is that technical services to be provided by Met Chem Canada Inc. is basically to coordinate and advise the respondent so that the respondent can successfully set up, commission and operate the plant in India. It will be noticed that coordination and advice is to take place post-importation in order that the plant be set up and commissioned in India. In fact, all the clauses of this agreement make it clear that such services are only post-importation. Clause 9 on which a large part of the agreements ranged again makes it clear that ownership of patents, know-how, copyright and other intellectual property rights shall remain vested in the technical consultant and none of these will be transferred to the respondent. The respondent becomes owner of that portion of documents, drawings, plans and specifications originally created by the technical consultant pursuant to the agreement. This again refers only to documents, drawings etc. of setting up, commissioning and operating the plant, all of which are post-importation of the plant into India.Another thing to be noticed is that a conjoint reading of the technical services agreement and the purchase order do not lead to the conclusion that the technical services agreement is in any way a pre-condition for the sale of the plant itself. On the contrary, as has been pointed out above, the technical services agreement read as a whole is really only to successfully set up, commission and operate the plant after it has been imported into India. It is clear, therefore, that clause 9(1)(e) would not be attracted on the facts of this case and consequently the consideration for the technical services to be provided by Met Chem Canada Inc. cannot be added to the value of the equipment imported to set up the plant in India.However, so far as the sum of 231 Lakh Deutsche Marks is concerned, since this was payment for engineering and technical consultancy to set up and commission the plant in India, this amount would have to be excluded. This Court held that 10% of this amount only should be added to the value of the plant as the plant had been sold abroad on an as is where is basis and needed to be dismantled abroad before it was ready for delivery in India. Obviously, therefore this 10% is attributable to a pre-import stage. Further, the amount of 22 Lakh Deutsche Marks payable for theoretical and practical training of personnel outside India again could not be added as this amount would presumably be attributable to trained personnel who would be used in the commissioning and operation of the plant, which would, therefore, be attributable to a post-importation event. Thus, properly read, the judgment in Essarcase actually supports the respondent in that the payment for engineering and technical consultancy services in India cannot be added to the value of the imported plant. Also, in the present case, there is no transfer of technology under a license. Therefore, no question arises as to whether without such license the plant to be set up in India could be operated at all. The judgment also concludes in favour of the respondent the fact that all amounts payable for training of personnel outside India cannot be added to the value of the plant.So far as the Interpretative Note to Rule 4 is concerned it is no doubt true that the Interpretative Notes are part of the Rules and hence statutory. However, the question is one of their applicability. The part of the Interpretative Note to Rule 4 relied on by the Tribunal has been couched in a negative form and is accompanied by a proviso. It means that the charges or costs described in clauses (a), (b) and (c) are not to be included in the value of imported goods subject to satisfying the requirement of the proviso that the charges were distinguishable from the price actually paid or payable for the imported goods. This part of the Interpretative Note cannot be so read as to mean that those charges which are not covered in clauses (a) to (c) are available to be included in the value of the imported goods. To illustrate, if the seller has undertaken to erect or assemble the machinery after its importation into India and levied certain charges for rendering such service the price paid therefor shall not be liable to be included in the value of the goods if it has been paid separately and is clearly distinguishable from the price actually paid or payable for the imported goods. Obviously, this Interpretative Note cannot be pressed into service for calculating the price of any drawings or technical documents though separately paid by including them in the price of imported equipments. Clause (a) in the third para of the Note to Rule 4 is suggestive of charges for services rendered by the seller in connection with construction, erection etc. of imported goods. The value of documents and drawings etc. cannot befor construction, erection, assemblyof imported goods. Alternatively, even on the view as taken by the Tribunal on this Note, the drawings and documents having been supplied to the buyer-importer for use during construction, erection, assembly, maintenance etc. of imported goods, they were relatable to post-import activity to be undertaken by the appellant. Such charges were covered by a separate contract, i.e. contract MD 301. They could not have been included in the value of imported goods merely because the value of documents referable to imported equipments and materials was mixed up with the value of those documents which were referable to equipment which was yet to be procured or imported or manufactured by the appellant; the value of the latter category of documents also being neither dutiable nor clubbable with the value of imported goods. The Tribunal has not doubted the genuineness of the contracts entered into between the appellant and SNP. Rather it has observed vide para 10.2 of its order that entering into two contracts (MD 301 and MD 302) was a legal necessity.