2014 (5) TMI 138 - CESTAT NEW DELHI

Demand of service tax - Goods transport agency - expenditure on transportation of sugarcane from the cane collection centers to their sugarcane mills - Held that:- admittedly no consignment notes have been issued. The fortnightly bills cannot be treated as consignment notes, as a consignment note issued by Goods Transport Agency represent its liability to transport the consignment handed over to it to the destination and deliver the same to the consignee and merely a bill issued for transportation of goods cannot be treated as Consignment Note. The fact of non issue of consignment to M/s. Nandganj is admitted in the Show Cause Notice itself - The transportation of goods by individual truck owners without issue of consignment note, GR s & billties etc. as prescribed in Rule 4B of the Service Tax Rules, would be simple transportation and not the service of Goods Transport Agency which involves not only undertaking the transportation of the goods handed over to it but also undertaking delivery of the goods to the consignee and also temporary storage of the goods till delivery.

When the transports did not issue consignment notes or GRs or Challans or any documents containing the particular as prescribed in Explanation to Rule 4B of the Service Tax Rules, 1994, the Transporters cannot be called ‘Goods Transport Agency’ and, hence, in these cases, the service of transportation of sugarcane provided by the transporters would not be covered by Section 65(105)(zzp). In view of this we hold that there will be no service tax liability on the appellant sugarcane mills, as they have not received the service from a Goods Transport Agency. In view of this the impugned orders are not sustainable and the same are set aside - Decided in favour of assessee.