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2021 (4) TMI 1209 - HC - GSTLevy of GST - license fee granted to the Private Contractors to run parking of vehicles - HELD THAT:- The license, rental, lease amounts to supply and as per Schedule II of the Act, license to occupy the land and renting of an immovable property, are also supply of services - It is an admitted fact that all the writ petitioners are Contractors, who were granted license to run parking areas for vehicles in the Railway premises by the Southern Railway. All the writ petitioners participated in the tender process and were successful in the tender and entered into an agreement with the Southern Railway, agreeing certain terms and conditions stipulated. When there is no provision to collect the GST from the contractors on the license fee, then the terms and conditions of the agreement became null and void and therefore, the conditions imposed in the agreement would not be binding on the contractors. In this regard, the learned counsel for the petitioner relied on Section 32 of the CGST Act and sub-clause (2) to Section 32 stipulates that “no registered person shall collect tax except in accordance with the provision of this Act or the Rules made thereunder” - In the present cases, even before the introduction of the present CGST Act, the Contractors were paying the taxes based on the erstwhile Act, mainly Service Tax Act. After the implementation of the CGST Act, when there is prohibition of unauthorised collection of tax, the demand now made by the Southern Railways is in violation of the provisions of the CGST Act and therefore, the writ petitions are to be allowed. When there is a specific bar under the Act, more specifically, under Section 32, there is no reason whatsoever to make a demand for recovery of GST from the writ petitioners. Such a collection of tax is unauthorised and it is clarified that the collection of tax in such circumstances, more specifically, from the licensees are impermissible - In these cases, the respondent-Railways have treated the parking as rented out of property and therefore, the same would not fall under the provisions of the CGST Act and the writ petitioners are not liable to pay the tax. This Court is of the considered opinion that, the liability regarding tax regime is concerned, the Courts are expected to adopt strict interpretation of law. Liberal interpretation is impermissible, which can be adopted only in respect of certain welfare legislations and as far as the tax laws are concerned, it is to be borne in mind that strict interpretation of provisions are to be adopted, so as to recover taxes from the assessees by following the procedures contemplated - In the present cases, liability of the licensees are well enumerated with reference to Section 7 and Schedule II to the Act. As discussed above, when the liability is unambiguous and the nature of services are also falling within the scope of Section 7 r/w Schedule II, then there is no reason to consider the claim of the writ petitioners for invoking Section 32 of the Act. It is made very clear that the Southern Railways is liable to pay service tax for the license fee collected from the respective contractors and the respective contractors are liable to pay service tax for the collections made from the end users/customers in respect of the parking slot services. Such contractors are bound to register their name under the CGST Act, by following the procedures contemplated therein there are two services involved in the entire transactions and the first service is from the Railway to the contractors and the second service is from the contractors to the customers/end users - there are two services involved in the entire transactions and the first service is from the Railway to the contractors and the second service is from the contractors to the customers/end users. Petition dismissed.
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