The term -Goods- for the purpose of central excise

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Guest

The word “goods” has not been defined under the Central Excise Act. Article 366(12) of the Constitution defines ‘goods’ as ‘goods that include all materials, commodities and articles’.

Sale of Goods Act defines that “Goods” is every kind of movable property other than actionable claims and money; and includes stocks and shares, growing crops, grass and things attached to or forming part of the land which are agreed to be severed before sale or under the contract of sale.

The word “goods”, for purpose of levy of Excise duty, must satisfy two requirements

i.e. (a) they must be movable and (b) they must be marketable.

Goods must be movable - They must be movable. Thus, immovable property or property attached to earth is not ‘goods’ and hence duty cannot be levied on it.

Goods must be Marketable - The item must be such that it is capable of being bought or sold. This is the test of ‘Marketability’. The goods must be known in the market. Unless this test of marketability is satisfied, duty cannot be levied as these will not be goods. It was held that to become ‘goods’ an article must be something which can ordinarily come to market to be bought and sold.

Actual sale is not necessary - Marketability is an essential ingredient in order to be dutiable. Marketability is a decisive test for dutiability. It only means ‘saleable’ or ‘suitable for sale’. It need not in fact be marketed. The article should be capable of being sold to consumers, as it is - without anything more. -

Mere mention in Tariff is not enough - Mere mention of an item in tariff is not enough. Simply because a certain article falls within the schedule (of Central Excise Tariff), it would not be dutiable if the article is not ‘goods’ known to the market.

Duty leviable on captive consumption - Since excise is a duty on manufacture, duty is leviable even if goods are consumed within the factory and not sold. However, the goods must be marketable in the condition in which they are manufactured and further consumed within the factory.

Everything that is sold is not 'marketable' - 'Marketability' implies regular market for a product.

Occasional, stray or distress sales do not mean that the product is 'marketable'.

Marketability to be decided on the basis of the state in which it is produced - The commodity which is sought to be made liable to excise duty must be a commodity that is marketable as it is, and not a commodity that may, by further processing, be made marketable

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Guest

What are “Goods” - Some examples will clarify the legal position.

Gas, Steam etc. - Gas and Steam are goods as it is a tangible property. It is marketable. It is held that ‘steam is ‘goods’ as it can be weighted, measured and marketed.

Electricity – In case of electrical energy, generation or production coincides almost instantaneously with its consumption. Sale, supply and consumption takes place without any hiatus. - - Electricity is movable property though it is not tangible. It is ‘goods’

Drawing, designs etc. are goods – Drawing and designs relating to machinery or technology are ‘goods’, even if payment is made for technical advice or information technology, which is intangible asset.

Machinery - Will be ‘goods’ if it is in marketable condition at the time of removal from factory of manufacture, even if subsequently, it is to be fastened to earth.

Waste and scrap not goods if not marketable - Carbide sludge arising in manufacture of acetylene gas is not marketable and hence not liable to

Waste and scrap excisable only if mentioned in CETA - The waste and scrap will not be ‘excisable goods’ unless they are specified in CETA. it was held that waste termed as 'dust collector fine' emerging during grinding is merely an industrial waste and even if it fetches some price, it is not 'excisable goods' as there is no tariff entry in CETA.

What are not “Goods” - Some examples where the product was held as not ‘goods’ are illustrated here.

Goods having very short life are not ‘goods’, if not marketable in that short period – Yeast having short shelf life is not ‘goods’ when there is no proof about its marketability, even if the product is specified in

Immovables are not ‘goods’ - Articles which are attached to earth are not goods as goods means a movable property.

Excisability of plant & machinery assembled at site - Plant and Machinery or structure assembled and erected at site cannot be treated as 'goods' for the purpose of Excise duty, if it is not marketable and movable.

The word ‘goods’ applies to those which can be brought to market for being bought and sold, and it is implied that it applies to such goods as are movable. Goods erected and installed in the premises and embedded to earth cease to be goods and cannot be held to be excisable goods. –

Assembly at site is not manufacture, if immovable product emerges it was held that if an article has to be assembled, erected and attached to the earth at site and if it is not capable of being sold as it is, without anything more, it is not 'goods'. Erection and installation of a plant is not excisable.

'The marketability test requires that the goods as such should be in a position to be taken to market and sold. If they have to be separated, the test is not satisfied'. Thus, if machinery has to be dismantled before removal, it will not be goods.

Following is also clear - (a) Duty cannot be levied on immovable property (b) If plant is so embedded to earth that it is not possible to move it without dismantle, no duty can be levied. (c) If machinery is superficially attached to earth for operational efficiency, and can be easily removed without dismantling, duty is leviable (d) Turnkey projects are not dutiable, but individual component/machinery will be dutiable, if marketable.

Guest

Excisable Goods

Other essential requirement is that the goods must be ‘excisable’. Section 2(d) of Central Excise Act defines Excisable Goods as ‘Goods specified in the Schedule to Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 as being subject to a duty of excise and includes salt’. ‘Goods’ includes any article, material or substance which is capable of being bought and sold for a consideration and such goods shall be deemed to be marketable

Thus, unless the item is specified in the Central Excise Tariff Act as subject to duty, no duty is leviable.

Goods ‘excisable’ even if exempt from duty - ‘Excisable goods’ do not become non-excisable goods merely because they are exempt from duty by an exemption notification.

Goods not included in CETA are ‘non-excisable goods’ - Some goods like wheat, rice, cut flowers, horses, soya beans etc. are not mentioned in Central Excise Tariff at all and hence they are not ‘excisable goods’, though they may be ‘goods’. These are ‘non-excisable goods’. Similarly, ‘waste and scrap’ will be ‘excisable goods’ only if specifically mentioned in CETA

Mere mention in CETA not enough - Mere mention in the Excise Tariff will not attract duty, unless these are ‘goods’ i.e. unless test of marketability is satisfied.

Further, the ‘excisable goods’ are liable to duty only if they are ‘manufactured’ or ‘produced’.

Goods excisable even if duty is nil – If by virtue of an exemption notification, the rate of duty is reduced to NIL, the goods specified in the tariff would still be regarded as excisable goods on which NIL rate of duty was payable.

Goods removed under bond are not 'exempted goods'- Under Central Excise, the term 'exempted goods' has specific meaning. 'Exempted goods' means those exempted under notification issued u/s 5A of CEA. Goods removed under bond without payment of duty are neither goods 'exempt from duty' nor 'goods chargeable to Nil rate of duty'.

Goods manufactured in SEZ are ‘excluded excisable goods’– Duty is leviable on all excisable goods (except goods manufactured or produced in Special Economic Zone). Thus, goods manufactured or produced in SEZ are ‘excisable goods’ but no duty is leviable, as charging section 3(1) excludes those goods. Thus, the goods manufactured in SEZ are not ‘exempted goods’. They can be termed as ‘excluded excisable goods’.

Meaning of 'Goods which have suffered duty' - In some cases, the wording used is 'goods which have suffered duty / tax'. In such case, it has been held that actual payment of tax / duty is necessary. Goods cannot be said to have 'suffered tax' when no tax is paid.

However, if goods are classified as per rules of classification as complete machine as per legal fiction, but actually components or sub-assemblies are imported, its assembly in India will amount to manufacture and excise duty will be payable.