Education Cess Ambiguity Clarified, FA 1994 Provision will Continue to Apply

[Service Tax Circular No. 160 dated 29^th June 2012]

Subject: Applicability of provisions of the Finance Act, 2004 relating to education cess and the Finance Act, 2007 relating to secondary and higher education cess.

There has been some doubt regarding the applicability of provisions of the Finance Act, 2004 relating to education cess and the Finance Act, 2007 relating to secondary and higher education cess as the concerned Acts make reference to section 66 of the Finance Act, 1994, which shall cease to have effect from July 1, 2012. In this connection, as also in general, you may kindly refer to the sub-section (1) of section 8 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 which reads as under:

“Where this Act, or any Central Act or Regulation made after reference to the commencement of this Act, repeals and re-enacts, with or without modification, any provision of a former enactment, then references in any other enactment or in any instrument to the provision so repealed shall, unless a different intention appears, be construed as references to the provisions so re-enacted.”

Thus any reference to section 66 of the Finance Act, 1994 shall be construed as reference to the newly re-enacted provision i.e. section 66B of the same Act. Despite the stated position of law, the matter has been settled by the issue of Removal of Difficulties Order No. 2/2012 dated 29.06.2012.

2. This circular may be communicated to the field formations and service tax assessees through Public Notice/Trade Notice. Hindi version would follow.

F.No.334/1/2012-TRU