Circular No. 185/17/2022 - Central Tax, (CGST Circular)

Attention is invited to sub-section (2) of section 75 of Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (hereinafter referred to as “CGST Act”) which provides that in cases where the appellate authority or appellate tribunal or court concludes that the notice issued by proper officer under sub-section (1) of section 74 is not sustainable for reason that the charges of fraud or any willful-misstatement or suppression of facts to evade tax have not been established against the person to whom such notice was issued (hereinafter called as “notice”), then the proper officer shall determine the tax payable by the notice, deeming as if the notice was issued under sub-section (1) of section 73.

2. Doubts have been raised by the field formations seeking clarification regarding the time limit within which the proper officer is required to re-determine the amount of tax payable considering notice to be issued under sub-section (1) of section 73, specially in cases where time limit for issuance of order as per sub-section (10) of section 73 has already been over. Further, doubts have also been expressed regarding the methodology for computation of such amount payable by the notice, deeming the notice to be issued under sub-section (1) of section 73.

3. In order to clarify the issue and to ensure uniformity in the implementation of the provisions of law across the field formations, the Board, in exercise of its powers conferred by section 168(1) of the CGST Act, hereby clarifies the issues as under:

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73 read with sub-section (10) of section 73 of CGST Act.

Thus, only the amount of tax short paid or not paid, or input tax credit wrongly availed or utilized, along with interest and penalty payable, in terms of section 73 of CGST Act relating to such financial years can be re-determined, where show cause notice was issued within 2 years and 9 months from the due date of furnishing of annual return for the respective financial year.

Similarly, the amount of tax payable on account of erroneous refund along with interest and penalty payable can be redetermined only where show cause notice was issued within 2 years and 9 months from the date of erroneous refund.

• In case, where the show cause notice under sub-section (1) of section 74 was issued for tax short paid or tax not paid or wrongly availed or utilized input tax credit beyond a period of 2 years and 9 months from the due date of furnishing of the annual return for the financial year to which such demand relates to, and the appellate authority concludes that the notice is not sustainable under sub-section (1) of section 74 of CGST Act thereby deeming the notice to have been issued under sub-section (1) of section 73, the entire proceeding shall have to be dropped, being hit by the limitation of time as specified in section 73.

Similarly, where show cause notice under sub-section (1) of section 74 of CGST Act was issued for erroneous refund beyond a period of 2 years and 9 months from the date of erroneous refund, the entire proceeding shall have to be dropped.

• In cases, where the show cause in terms of sub-section (1) of section 74 of CGST Act was issued for tax short paid or not paid tax or wrongly availed or utilized input tax credit or on account of erroneous refund within 2 years and 9 months from the due date of furnishing of the annual return for the said financial year, to which such demand relates to, or from the date of erroneous refund, as the case may be, the entire amount of the said demand in the show cause notice would be covered under redetermined amount.

• Where the show cause notice under subsection (1) of section 74 was issued for multiple financial years, and where notice had been issued before the expiry of the time period as per sub-section (2) of section 73 for one financial year but after the expiry of the said due date for the other financial years, then the amount payable in terms of section 73 shall be re-determined only in respect of that financial year for which show cause notice was issued before the expiry of the time period as specified in sub-section (2) of section 73.

4. It is requested that suitable trade notices may be issued to publicize the contents of this Circular.

5. Difficulty, if any, in implementation of this Circular may please be brought to the notice of the Board. Hindi version would follow.

(Sanjay Mangal)

Principal Commissioner (GST)