Saturday, April 4, 2015

Marker and highlighter are 'pens' and exempt under Rajasthan Sales Tax Act, 1994; eraser and carbon paper are stationery and taxable


a)The assessee was engaged in the business of manufacturing (i) Marker or highlighter, (ii) Carbon paper, (iii) Stamp pad and ink of stamp pad (iv) Covert (eraser).

b)The assessing authority held that

a.Marker or highlighter would fall in the category of stationery, liable to be taxed at the rate of 4 per cent.

b.Carbon paper, Stamp pad, ink of stamp pad and Covert (eraser) would fall in the general category and liable to be taxed at the rate of 10 per cent.

c)The first appellate authority held that

a.Marker or highlighter would fall within the definition of a pen and, therefore, no tax was leviable thereon.

b.Other three items would fall within the category of stationery and were liable to be taxed at the rate of 4 per cent/8 per cent. d)The Rajasthan Tax Board sustained the order of the first appellate authority.

e)Revenue argued that marker/highlighter was only for the purpose of highlighting a portion or marking a portion for the benefit of a reader; one could not write words or figures with marker/highlighter as a pen could do and therefore, it could not fall within the category of 'pen'.

High Court held in favour of assessee as under:

1)Earlier, the category for classification of goods under Rajasthan Sales Tax Act, 1994 was 'all types of fountain pens, ball pens and accessories thereof' and afterwards it was exchanged to 'all types of pens including parts and accessories thereof, drawing materials and poster colours'. Therefore, the scope of pen was enlarged and marker or highlighter fell within the meaning of a pen. By highlighter or marker one could certainly write. Though the flow by writing from marker or highlighter might not be to that extent, but it was definitely instrument of writing. The Apex Court in the assessee's own case, titled as Camlin Ltd. v. CCE 2009 (11) VAT 28, observed that the fountain pens, marker pens, croquill lettering pens, sketch pens, etc. were definitely the instruments of writing.

2)The other category was 'all kinds of paper, stationery, greeting/wedding and other printed cards'. Therefore, the other three items, namely, Carbon paper, Stamp pad and ink of stamp pad and Covert (eraser) would fall within the category of stationery. The sales tax enactment was one which touched the common man and his everyday life. Therefore, the terms in the said enactment must be in the manner in which the common man would understand them.

3)In common parlance (i) Carbon paper, (ii) Stamp pad and ink of stamp pad and (iii) Covert (eraser) could certainly be called to be the items of stationery. These items would be available in a stationery shop alone. If one had to purchase such items, one would have to go to a shop of stationery only to get those items rather than from a textile or a grocery shop. Therefore, all these items formed part of stationery items and could not be termed as failing within the general category.

4)In view of the aforesaid, the order of the Tax Board deserved to be upheld - Assistant Commissioner, Anti Evasion, Rajasthan-I v. Camlin Ltd. (2015) 55 taxmann.com 369 (Rajasthan).