Saturday 29 March 2014

Local Body Tax Nashik Municipal corporation

Local Body Tax, popularly known by its abbreviation as LBT, is the tax imposed by the Municipal corporation in Maharashtra on the entry of goods into a local area for consumption, use or sale there on.

The tax supersedes the "octroi" system of taxing.

The powers to levy LBT are derived from section 127(2) (aaa) of the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1949. In exercise of the powers conferred by sub section (1) of Section 152T and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, the Government of Maharashtra, made rules vide Noti. No. LBT-0209/CR-65/09/UD-34, dt. 25th March 2010 namely “Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations (local body tax) Rules, 2010” (Now The Maharashtra Municipal Corporation (Local body Tax) Rules, 2010) and levied LBT in all Corporations of Maharashtra from 21.08.2012. The name of the Act is changed as The Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act (Act No. LIX of 1949). The concerned sections are sec. 152B to sec. 152 O except 152C in chapter XI–A and sec 152 P to sec 152 T in chapter XI-B. The Act is governed by Urban Development Department. It extends to the areas of Municipal Corporation. Hence if any trader is carrying on business in more than one Municipal Corporations, he has to obtain registration certificate in each such Corporation separately.

Out of 26 Municipal Corporations in Maharashtra, 25 Municipal Corporations have implemented LBT

Following is list of cities:-
Thane
Bhiwandi-Nijampur
Kalyan Dombivali
Mira Bhayander
Navi Mumbai
Ullhasnagar
Nashik
Kolhapur
Pune
PCMC
Solapur
Nagpur
Aurangabad
Nanded
Akola
Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad
Malegaon
Dhule
Parbhani
Latur
Ahmadnagar
Vasai Virar
Chandrapur
Jalgaon
Amravati

By CA Anand Mutha
anandmutha@armutha.in





Personal Penalties on Manager, Directors of company in Service Tax Law

Section 78A of Finance Act 2013 prescribes for personal penalty on employees, Directors, managers or secretary of company. The penalty provided under section 78A is in addition topenalties prescribed for the company. As per section 78A :

"Where a company has committed any of the following contraventions, namely:—

(a) evasion of service tax, or

(b) issuance of invoice, bill or, as the case may be, a challan without provision of taxable service in violation of the rules made under the provisions of this Chapter, or
Section 78A : Personal penalty in service tax law
(c) availment and utilisation of credit of taxes or duty without actual receipts of taxable service or excisable goods either fully or partially in violation of the rules made under the provisions of this Chapter, or

(d) failure to pay any amount collected as service tax to the credit of the Central Government beyond a period of six months from the date on which such payment becomes due, then any director, manager, secretary or other officer of such company, who at the time of such contravention was in-charge of and was responsible to the company for the conduct of business of such company and was knowingly concerned with such contravention shall be liable to penalty which may extend to one lakh rupees."

It must be noted that a similar section 81 which was omitted by finance Act 2004 explained company to include partnership firm and association of persons. The said section 81 also explained Director to include partners of the firm. A similar kind of explanation is missing in the presently active section 78A. Which means that the words used in the section78A viz. "company" & "Director" should strictly be understood in its literal sense.

From the reading of the section it is clear that in order to attract penalty the person in charge who may be director, employee, manager or secretary should have knowledge of the contraventions mentioned in sub-sections (a) to (d) done by the company. Hence the duty is cast of Directors, employees, managers or secretary to prove that either he was not in charge of or was not responsible for the conduct of the company or the contravention was performed without his knowledge.

It was held that No personal penalty can be imposed on the employee, if the employee acted as per the directions of the director or employer. [Commissioner of Customs, LCD, TDK v. Cyber Express (P.) Ltd. 2004 (172) ELT 388 (Delhi)

A very dangerous part of this section is that the provisions are applicable even if the specified persons disconnects himself from the company. This is the worst part that if such a situation arises then he has to fight his legal battle himself and with his own cost. This demands that the specified persons must discharge their functions with attest care in order to avoid contraventions specified in section 78A. 

Regards
CA A. R. Mutha

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