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1992 (8) TMI 72 - SC - CustomsWhether the concession or exemption from auxiliary duty under Notification No. 41/80 can be claimed only in respect of goods which are partially or wholly exempt by virtue of Notification No. 35/79? Held that:- The parts in the present case as well as the principal article of which they are part are both assessable to basic duty at the same rate. Since the duty payable on the part, even without invoking the notification, is not in excess of the duty payable on the article, the assessee cannot be said to have got a partial or complete exemption of basic duty by virtue of Notification No. 35/79. Consequently, the assessee cannot claim any benefit under Notification No. 41/80. This interpretation no doubt leads to an anomaly in marginal cases. If the rate of duty on the part had been 41%, the assessee would have been entitled to a complete exemption from auxiliary duty. On the other hand, if the rate of duty on the part had only been 39% or 40%, he would have to pay the auxiliary duty because the Notification does not apply to it in terms. Counsel, however, submits that such anomalies are inevitable in the case of provisions of this type and that, in taxing matters, it is imperative to concentrate on the language of the statute or the relevant statutory instrument. If the wording clearly imposes a tax or gives a relief, that should be given effect to. If the wording does not justify either the imposition or the relief, it should not be extended merely on the ground that there may be some unintended anomaly as a consequence of the interpretation or that the equities of the situation require a more liberal interpretation. It seems absurd to say that when the part suffers a basic duty of 40% and the whole a duty of 40%, there will be a countervailing duty but that there will be no such duty where the basic duty on the part is 41% or more but reduced to 40% because of the 1977 notification. The correct position appears to be that the purpose and purport of the 1979 notification is to ensure that, in respect of the articles listed therein, the part should not suffer a higher duty than the whole. The 1980 notification likewise exempts this category of articles, which enjoy the benefit of the same or less duty on the part than that on the whole, from auxiliary duty. Appeal dismissed.
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