2016 (5) TMI 750

Head Note / Extract:
Nature of activity of Payment Gateway services provided to client in USA - Whether the place of provision of payment processing service by the applicant, is outside India in terms of Rule 3 of Place of Provision of Services Rules, 2012 - Held that:- applicant is providing this service to WWD US on his own account for a fee equal to the operating costs incurred by the applicant plus mark-up of 13% on such costs. Therefore it cannot be inferred that the applicant would be providing payment processing service to the Indian Customer, for the service rendered by WWD US to them. If that was the case, applicant would not receive any fees from WWD US in respect of payments by the Indian Customer remitted directly through International Credit Card to their service provider i.e., WWD US. But that is not the case.

Further, the definition of “intermediary” as envisaged under Rule 2 (f) of POPS does not include a person who provides the main service on his own account. In the present case, applicant is providing main service i.e. “business support services” to WWD US and on his own account. Therefore, applicant is not an “intermediary” and the service provided by him is not intermediary service. Thus, the place of provision of service would be location of recipient of service i.e. WWD US under Rule 3 of POPS. Therefore, the place of provision of payment processing service by the applicant, is outside India in terms of Rule 3 of Place of Provision of Services Rules, 2012.

Whether the services to be provided by the Applicant to WWD US that fall to be classified under Rule 3 of the Place of Provision of Services Rules, 2012 qualify as export of taxable services in terms of Rule 6A of the Service Tax Rules, 1994 (inserted vide Notification No. 36/2012-S.T. dated 20.6.2012) and therefore remain non-taxable for purpose of payment of service tax under the Finance Act - Held that:- the place of provision of service would be outside India. It is observed that in this case, provider of service i.e. the applicant, is located in India, which is the taxable territory; recipient i.e. WWD US is located in USA; the service to be provided by the applicant i.e. business support services, is not specified under Section 66D i.e. Negative List Services; applicant would receive payment for said services in convertible foreign exchange and applicant and WWD US are not merely establishments of a distinct person in accordance with item (b) of Explanation 3 of clause (44) of Section 65B of the Finance Act, 1994. As all the ingredients enlisted under Rule 6A ibid are satisfied, said service will qualify as export of taxable service.

In facts and circumstances of the case, by providing the payment processing services to WWD US, the applicant is not providing any service to the customers of WWD US in India.