Case: M/s. SRD Nutrients Private Limited Vs. Commissioner of Central Excise Guwahati

2. In order to encourage the business community to set up manufacturing units in industrially backward areas like theStates, viz. Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh as well as Sikkim, notifications were issued by the Excise Department, Government of India, exempting goods specified in the First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (other than those mentioned in the annexure to these notifications) from payment of excise duty in respect of the goods manufactured and cleared from units located in the aforesaid States. The methodology which was adopted and prescribed in these notifications was that the manufacturer was initially supposed to pay the excise duty leviable on such goods at the time of clearance as per the Tariff Act and thereafter claim the refund thereof. It was also mentioned in these notifications that exemption contained therein shall be available subject to the condition that the manufacturer first utilises whole of the CENVAT credit available to him on the last date of the month under consideration for payment of duty of goods cleared during such period and was to pay only the balance amount in cash. It is this balance amount which was refundable to him. Insofar as payment of the excise duty after availing the CENVAT credit and refund thereof subsequently is concerned, there is no dispute about the same. We are concerned with altogether different aspect which is associated with the aforesaid notification granting exemption from payment of excise duty.3. It so happened that vide Finance Act, 2004, the Education Cess and Higher Education Cess were also imposed, which are surcharge on the excise duty. These Education Cess and Higher Education Cess were also levied and collected from the manufacturers who had set up their units in the aforesaid areas, along with the excise duty. However, while refunding the excise duty paid by these manufacturers, the Education Cess and the Higher Education Cess that were paid by the manufacturers along therewith were not refunded. The dispute, thus, which arises for consideration in these appeals is as to whether the Education Cess and Higher Education Cess which were paid along with the excise duty was also liable to be refunded along with the central excise duty in terms of the exemption notifications. This is the issue which is common in all these appeals and the factual background in which the matter has travelled up to this Court is also almost the same. Therefore, for the sake of convenience, purpose would be served in tracing the factual events from Civil Appeal Nos.of 2010.4. The appellant in these appeals is M/s. SRD Nutrients Private Limited (hereinafter referred to as the `assessee). It is engaged in the manufacture and clearance of Malted Milk Food (Horlicks) using sweetened milk powder since April 12, 2008 and has set up its factory in the State of Assam. This unit is duly registered with the Central Excise Department.5. Industrial Policy dated April 01, 2007 for theStates, including the State of Assam, was announced by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion), Government of India to set up a special package for theStates to accelerate industrial development of the State. As per this package, new industrial units were entitled to 100% excise duty exemption for a period of 10 years from the date of commencement of commercial production. Pursuant to the said Industrial Policy, the Central Government issued Notification No.dated April 25, 2007 granting exemption from duties of excise levied under the Central Excise Act, 1944 (hereinafter referred to as the `Act) read with Section 3(3) of the Additional Duties of Excise (Goods of Special Importance) Act, 1957 and Section 3(3) of the Additional Duties of Excise (Textiles & Textile Articles) Act, 1978 to goods cleared from the notified areas within theStates. The said Notification provided that the assessee would be entitled to refund of duty paid other than the duty paid by way utilization of CENVAT credit under the CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004. Reproduction of the first three paragraphs of this Notification would be sufficient, which are asExemption to all goods, except as specified, cleared from Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh or Sikkim from duty paid other than by utilisation of Cenvat Credit.In exercise of the powers conferred by(1) of section 5A of the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944), the Central Government, being satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby exempts the goods specified in the First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (5 of 1986) other than those mentioned in the Annexure and cleared from a unit located in the States of Assam or Tripura or Meghalaya or Mizoram or Manipur or Nagaland or Arunachal Pradesh or Sikkim, as the case may be, from so much of the duty of excise leviable thereon under the said Act as is equivalent to the amount of duty paid by the manufacturer of goods other than the amount of duty paid by utilization of CENVAT credit under the CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004.2. In cases where all goods produced by a manufacturer are eligible for exemption under this notification, the exemption contained in this notification shall be available subject to the condition that, the manufacturer first utilises whole of the CENVAT credit available to him on the last day of the month under consideration for payment of duty on goods cleared during such and pays only the balance amount in cash.3. The exemption contained in this notification shall be given effect to in the following manner,the manufacturer shall submit a statement of the duty paid other than the amount of duty paid by utilisation of CENVAT credit under the CENVAT credit Rules, 2004, to the Assistant Commissioner or the Deputy Commissioner of Central Excise, as the case may be, by the 7th of the next month in which the duty has been paid other than the amount of duty paid by utilization of CENVAT credit under the CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004;(b) the Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise or the Deputy Commissioner of Central Excise, as the case may be, after such verification, as may be deemed by utilisation of CENVAT credit under the CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004, during the month under consideration to the manufacturer by the 15th of the next month.Provided that in cases, where the exemption contained in this notification is not applicable to some of the goods produced by a manufacturer, such refund shall not exceed the amount of duty paid less the amount of the CENVAT credit availed of, in respect of the duty paid on the inputs used in or in relation to the manufacture of goods cleared under this notification;(c)if there is likely to be any delay in the verification, Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise or the Deputy Commissioner of Central Excise, as the case may be, shall refund the amount on provisional basis by the 15th of the next month to the month under consideration and thereafter may adjust the amount of refund by such amount as may be necessary in the subsequent refunds admissible to the manufacturer.It may be mentioned at this stage that power to grant exemption from payment of excise duty is conferred upon the Central Government vide Section 5A of the Act, which authorises the Central Government to exempt generally, either absolutely or subject to such conditions to be fulfilled, before or after removal, as may be specified in the notification, excisable goods of any specified description from the whole or any part of duty of excise leviable there, if the Central Government is satisfied that it is necessary, in public interest, so to do. The notifications in question have been issued in exercise of the said power conferred by(1) of Section 5A of the Act. Thus, the central excise duty, which is payable at the rates specified in the Tariff Act, can be exempted, in respect of specified goods, wholly or partly.7. As mentioned above, the Parliament levied Education Cess by Finance (No.2) Act, 2004. Chapter VI of the said Finance Act deals with Education Cess. Sections 91 to 93 thereof are relevant and are reproduced(1) Without prejudice to the provisions of(11) of section 2, there shall be levied and collected, in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter as surcharge for purposes of the Union, a cess to be called the Education Cess, to fulfil the commitment of the Government to provide and finance universalisd quality basic education.(2) The Central Government may, after due appropriation made by Parliament by law in this behalf, utilise, such sums of money of the Education Cess levied under(11) of section 2 and this Chapter for the purposes specified in(1), as it may consider necessary.92. Definition.The words and expressions used in this Chapter and defined in the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944), the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962) or Chapter V of the Finance Act, 1994 (32 of 1994), shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in those Acts or Chapter, as the case may be.93. Education Cess on excisable goods.(1) The Education Cess levied under section 91, in the case of goods specified in the First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (5 of 1986), being goods manufactured or produced, shall be a duty of excise (in this section referred to as the Education Cess on excisable goods), at the rate of two per cent, calculated on the aggregate of all duties of excise (including special duty of excise or any other duty of excise but excluding Education Cess on excisable goods) which are levied and collected by the Central Government in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue), under the provisions of the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944) or under any other law for the time being in force.(2) The Education Cess on excisable goods shall be in addition to any other duties of excise chargeable on such goods, under the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944) or any other law for the time being in force.(3) The provisions of the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944) and the rules made thereunder, including those relating to refunds and exemptions from duties and imposition of penalty shall, as far as may be, apply in relation to the levy and collection of the Education Cess on excisable goods as they apply in relation to the levy and collection of the duties of excise on such goods under the Central Excise Act, 1944 or the rules, as the case may be.As the assessee was denied refund of the Education Cess and Higher Education Cess, he challenged the order of the Assessing Officer by filing appeal before the Commissioner of Central Excise and Customs (Appeals), Guwahati. However, these appeals were dismissed by the Commissioner and the order of the Commissioner has been upheld by the Customs Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) by the impugned judgment. Said order is the subject matter of these appeals.9. It may be pointed out at the outset that in its brief order, the Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (hereinafter referred to `Tribunal) has taken note of two of its earlier judgments which were relied upon by the appellant. These are :(i) Bharat Box Factory Ltd. v. Commissioner of C. Ex., Jammu, 2007 (214) ELT 534Surfactants Pvt. Ltd. v. Commissioner of Central Excise, Jammu, 2007 (215) ELT 55  In this judgment which was also rendered by the Delhi Bench of the Tribunal, a contrary view has been taken, viz., the Excise Department was under no obligation to refund the Education Cess and Higher Education Cess as the notification exempted only the excise duty and, therefore, it is the excise duty which was to be refunded.11. The CESTAT, by impugned judgment, has preferred to follow the view taken by the Tribunal in Jindal Drugs Ltd. case on the ground that it is later in point of time in which earlier judgment in Cyrus Surfactants Pvt. Ltd. case has also been considered.

Court's reasoning:
16. It is clear from the arguments of the counsel for the parties that divergent views are expressed by the CESTAT as well as High Courts. Even one Bench of the same Tribunal has differed from its earlier Division Bench decision. In this scenario, it becomes important as to how the Department has viewed the position regarding Education Cess and Higher Education Cess which is payable as surcharge on the excise duty, once the excise duty is exempted.No doubt, it clarified the position in relation to the exemption from payment of service tax that was given vide Notification No.dated August 06, 2007. We have gone through that Notification as well, which is pari material with Notification dated April 25, 2007. What is important is that this Circular dated April 08, 2011 refers to the judgment of the Tribunal in Balasore Alloys Ltd. v. CCE, Customs and Service Tax,) which was a decision rendered in favour of the Revenue as it was held therein that the Education Cess and Higher Education Cess would not be refunded while giving back the exempted service tax. Notwithstanding the same, the Circular mentions that the said order of the Tribunal is in consistent with the policy intention of the Government to exempt Education Cess in addition to service tax, `whole on service tax stands exempted.One aspect that clearly emerges from the reading of these two circulars is that the Government itself has taken the position that where whole of excise duty or service tax is exempted, even the Education Cess as well as Secondary and Higher Education Cess would not be payable. These circulars are binding on the Department.21. Even otherwise, we are of the opinion that it is more rational to accept the aforesaid position as clarified by the Ministry of Finance in the aforesaid circulars. Education Cess is on excise duty. It means that those assessees who are required to pay excise duty have to shell out Education Cess as well. This Education Cess is introduced by Sections 91 to 93 of the Finance (No.2) Act, 2004. As per Section 91 thereof, Education Cess is the surcharge which the assessee is to pay. Section 93 makes it clear that this Education Cess is payable on `excisable goods i.e. in respect of goods specified in the first Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985. Further, this Education Cess is to be levied @ 2% and calculated on the aggregate of all duties of excise which are levied and collected by the Central Government under the provisions of Central Excise Act, 1944 or under any other law for the time being in force.(3) of Section 93 provides that the provisions of the Central Excise Act, 1944 and the rules made thereunder, including those related to refunds and duties etc. shall as far as may be applied in relation to levy and collection of Education Cess on excisable goods. A conjoint reading of these provisions would amply demonstrate that Education Cess as a surcharge, is levied @ 2% on the duties of excise which are payable under the Act. It can, therefore, be clearly inferred that when there is no excise duty payable, as it is exempted, there would not be any Education Cess as well, inasmuch as Education Cess @ 2% is to be calculated on the aggregate of duties of excise. There cannot be any surcharge when basic duty itself is Nil.22. It is rightly pointed out by the learned counsel for the appellants that the CESTAT in the earlier two judgments given in Bharat Box Factory Ltd. and Cyrus Surfactants Pvt. Ltd. held that Education Cess and Higher Education Cess would also refundable along with excise duty and in view thereof, anotherBench of CESTAT could not take a contrary view in Jindal Drugs Ltd. Judicial discipline warranted reference of the matter to the Larger Bench which it did not do. In the impugned judgment, while preferring to follow the view taken in Jindal Drugs Ltd., the Tribunal has not given any reasons for adopting this course ofare in agreement with the aforesaid reasons accorded by the Rajasthan High Court, since it is in consonance with the legal principle enunciated by this Court. For this purpose, we may refer to the judgment in the case of Collector of Central Excise, Patna v. Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co., 1997 (92) ELT 303 (SC) In that case, issue pertained to valuation of cess which was levied @ 1/8 per cent of ad valorem `value of the central excise duty. The Court held that the calculation of 1/8 per cent ad valorem of the motor vehicle for the purposes of the levy and collection of the automobile cess must be made that was being calculated since automobile cess was to be levied and calculated as if it was excise duty. As a fortiorari, the Education Cess and Higher Education Cess levied @ 2% of the excise duty would partake the character of excise duty itself.Insofar as judgment of Calcutta High Court in Biswanath Hosiery Mills Ltd. case is concerned, we find that the same would have no bearing in the present case. In the said case, cess was payable under Section 5A of the Textiles Committee Act, 1963. After going through the provisions of Textiles Committee Act, 1963 and the Textiles Committee (Cess) Rules, 1975, the High Court found that as per the scheme of Textiles Committee Act and the rules framed therein, levy of cess was independent of excise under the Act which was a complete code containing all the provisions relating to levy, collection, exemption and application of cess. Therefore, even the legislative intendment underlying Textiles Committee (Amendment) Act and rules read with the preamble, aims and objects of the Act was clearly discernable, namely, the legislature intended to levy the cess under the Act independent of and in addition to the excise duty which was payable under the Central Excise and Salt Act, 1944.23. It is also trite that when two views are possible, one which favours the assessees has to be adopted.