SERVICE TAX TRADE NOTICE NO. 03/2001                                   Dt.01.03.2001

 Sub.: Service Tax - Levy of Service Tax on certain new services - Regarding.

          Vide clause 130 of the Finance Bill, 2001, Service Tax is proposed to be levied on the services mentioned below.  The levy will come into force from a date to be notified by the Central Government under clause 130, after the Finance Bill receives the assent of the President.  The relevant portions of the Finance Bill, governing the proposed definitions of various terms in connection with introduction of the new levies is given below:  (The definitions already in force are not reproduced).

1.     Scientific or Technical consultancy.

2.     Photography.

3.     Holding of convention.

4.     Leasing of circuits by telegraph authority.

5.     Communication through telegraph.

6.     Communication through telex.

7.     Facsimile communiucation (Fax)

8.     Online informaion and database access and retrieval.

9.     Video tape production.

10. Sound recording.

11. Broadcasting.

12. Insurance auxiliary services.

13. Banking an d other Financial servies.

14. Port services.

15. Service or repairing of automobiles.

SECTION 65 OF THE FINANCE ACT 1994.

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, -

(1) "actuary" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (1) of section 2 of the Insurance Act, 1938.

(8) "authorised service station" means any service station, or centre, authorised by any automobile  manufacturer to carry out any service or repair of any automobile manufactured by such manufacturer.

(9) "banking" and "banking company" shall have the meaning assigned to them in clauses (b) and (c) of Section 5 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, respectively.

(10) "banking and other financial services" means, the following services provided by a banking company or a financial institution including a non-banking financial company, namely-

i)                   financial leasing services including equipment leasing and hire purchase by a body corporate;

ii)                 credit card services;

iii)               merchant banking services;

iv)              securities  and foreign exchange(forex) broking;

v)                asset management including portfolio management, all forms of fund management, custodial depository and trust services, but does not include cash management;

vi)              advisory and other auxiliary financial services including investment and portfilio reasearch and advice , advice on mergers and acquisitions and advice on corporate restructuring and strategy; and

vii)            provision and transfer of information and data processing.

(12)         "body corporate", shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (7)of section 2 of the Companies Act, 1956;

(13)         "broadcasting" has the meaning assigned to it in  clause (c) of section 2 of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act,1990

(17)        "computer network" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (j) of sub-section (1) of Section 2 of the Information Technology Act,2000;

(19)          "convention' means a formal meeting of assembly which is not open to the general public and does not include a meeting or assembly the principal of which is to provide any type of amusement, entertainment or recreation;

(23)        "data" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (o) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Information Technology Act,2000;

(24)        "electronic form" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (r) of sub section (1) of section 2 of the Information Technology Act, 2000;

(25)         " facsimile" (FAX) means a form of telecommunication by which fixed graphic images, such as printed texts  and pictures are scanned and the information converted into electrical signals for transmission over the telecommunication system;

(26)        "financial institution" has the meaning assigned to it in clause © of section 45-I of the Reserve Bank of India Act,1934;

(29)            "information" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (b) of sub section (1) of section 2 of the Information Technology Act,2000;

(30)            "Insurance Agent" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (10) of section 2 of the Insurance Act,1938;

(31)             "insurance auxiliary service" means any service provided by an actuary, an intermediary or insurance intermediary or an insurance agent in relation to general insurance business and includes risk assessment , claim settlement, survey, and loss assessment;

(32)            "intermediary or insurance intermediary" has the meaning assigned to it in sub clause(f) of clause (1) of section 2 of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Act, 1999;

(35)               "leased circuit"  means a dedicated link provided between two fixed locations for exclusive use of the subscriber and includes a speech circuit, data circuit or a telegraph circuit;

(36)               "magnetic storage  device" includes wax blanks, discs or blanks, strips or films for the purpose of original sound recording;

(44)                 " non banking financial company" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (f) of section 45-I of the Reserve Bank of India, 1934;

(45)                 "on line information and data base access or retrieval" means providing data or information, retrievable or otherwise, to a customer, in electronic form  through a computer network;

(47)   "photography" includes still photography, motion picture photography, laser photography, aerial photography and fluorescent photography;

(48) "photography studio or agency" means any professional photographer or a commercial concern engaged in the business of rendering service relating to photography;

(50) "port" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (q ) of section  of the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963;

(51) "port services" means any service rendered by a port, in any manner, in relation to a vessel or goods;

(60) "scientific or technical consultancy" any advice, consultancy or scientific or technical assistance, rendered in any manner, either directly or indirectly, by a scientist or a technocrat or any science or technology institution or organisation, to a client, in one or more disciplines of science or technology;

(66) "sound recording" means recording of sound on a magnetic storage device and editing thereof, in any manner;

(67) "sound recording studio or agency" means any commercial concern engaged in the business of rendering any service relating to sound recording;

 (72) "taxable service" means any services provided -

              (za) to a client, by a scientist or technocrat or any science or technology institution or organisation, in relation to scientific or technical consultancy;

             (zb) to a customer, by a photography studio or agency in relation to photography, in any manner;

             (zc) to a client, by any commercial concern in relation to holding of convention, in any manner;

             (zd) to a subscriber, by the telegraph authority in relation to a leased circuit;

             (ze) to a subscriber, by the telegraph authority in relation to a communication through telegraph;

             (zf) to a subscriber, by the telegraph authority in relation to a communication through telex;

             (zg) to a subscriber, by the telegraph authority in relation to a facsimile communication;

             (zh) to a customer, by a commercial concern, in relation to online information and data base access or retrieval or both in electronic form, through computer network, in any manner;

             (zi) to a client, by a video production agency in relation to video tape production, in any manner;

             (zj) to a client, by a sound recording studio or agency in relation to any kind of sound recording;

             (zk) to a client, by a broadcasting agency or organisation in relation to broadcasting, in any manner;

             (zl) to a policy holder by an actuary or intermediary or insurance intermediary or insurance agent, in relation to insurance auxiliary services;

             (zm) to a customer, by a banking company or financial institution, including a non banking financial company, in relation to banking and other financial services;

             (zn) to any person, by a port, in relation to port services, in any manner;

             (zo) to a customer, by an authorised service station, in relation to any service or repair of automobiles, in any manner;

 

             and the term "service provider" shall be construed accordingly.

(73) "telegraph" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (1) of section 3 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885;

(75) "telex" means a typed communication by using teleprinters through telex exchanges;

(81) "vessel" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (z) of section 2 of the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963;

(82) "video production agency" means any professional videographer or any commercial concern engaged in the business of rendering services relating to video-tape production;

(83) " video-tape production" means the process of any recording of any programme, event or function on a magnetic tape and editing thereof, in any manner;

 SECTION 66 OF THE FINANCE ACT 1994

 (5)       With effect from the date notified under section 130 of the Finance Act, 2001, there shall be levied a service tax at the rate of five percent of the value of the taxable services rendered to in sub-clauses (za), (zb), (zc), (zd), (ze), (zf), (zg), (zh), (zi), (zj), (zl), (zm), (zn) and (zo) of clause (72) of section 65 and collected in such manner as may be prescribed".

 SECTION 67 OF THE FINANCE ACT 1994

 (67) For the purposes of this chapter, the value of any taxable service shall be the gross amount charged by the service provider for such services rendered by him.

              Explantion:  For the removal of doubt it is hereby declared that the value of taxable service, as the case may be, includes-

(a)   the aggregate of commission or brokerage charged by a broker on the sale or purchase of securities including the commission or brokerage paid by the stock broker to any sub-broker;

(b)  the adjustments made by the telegraph authority from any deposits made by the subscriber at the time of application for telephone connection or pager or facsimile or telegraph or telex or for leased circuit;

(c)   the amount of premium charged by the insurer from the policy holder;

(d)  the commission commission received by the air travel agent from the airline;

(e)   the commission received by an actuary or intermediary or insurance intermediary or insurance agent from the insurer; and

(f)    the reimbursement received by the authorised service station from manufacturer for carrying out any service of any automobile manufactured by such manufacturer;

 but does not include -

 (a)   initial deposit made by the subscriber at the time of application for telephone connection or pager or facsimile or telegraph or telex or for leased circuit;

(b)  the cost of unexposed photography film, unrecorded magnetic tape such other storage devices if any, sold to the client during the course of providing the service; and

(c)  the cost of parts or accessories, if any, sold to the customer during the course of service or repair of automobiles.;

It may be noted that the levy will  come into force only from the date to be notified by the government, after the Finance Bill, 2001 receives the assent of the President.

(Issued from File C.No.IV/16/304/2001 S.Tax)

                                                                               Sd/----

(M. JAYARAMAN)

                                                                               COMMISSIONER

                                                                                    CHENNAI III