In pursuance of a show-cause notice dated 15.12.03, the Deputy Collector (Adjudication), Lahore passed Order-in- Original No. 227/05 dated 30.07.05 creating an undue tax demand and liability of Rs. 3162333/- under Section 36(1) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, together with additional tax and penalty as determined vide the aforesaid order. The complainant filed appeal against the aforesaid O-l-O before Collector of Appeals, Lahore who, contrary to the decision of the President of Pakistan, rejected the appeal, which amounted to 'maladministration'. The show-cause notice, O- l-O and Order-in-Appeal were ultra vires and against the principles of natural justice. Superior Courts had held that without completion of pre requisites of a show-cause notice, the notice was vague, In the present case show-cause notice was vague as it did not disclose the names of suspect units from which the complainant had allegedly purchased goods on so-called fake invoices. Thus show- cause notice was not, issued as per requirement of law. Reliance was placed on C.P.L.A No.1968/2002 Supreme Court of Pakistan and Sales Tax Appeal No.131/2002 decided by the Appellate Tribunal, Islamabad. The Adjudication Authority passed the impugned O-l-O after lapse of more than one year and five months in violation of the provisions of Section 36(3) of the Sales Tax Act, t990. The O-l-O was time- barred. Reliance was placed on FTO's judgment in Complaint No. 805/03, representation against which was also rejected by the President of Pakistan. The Collector of Appeals rejected complainant's appeal by stating that the time specified in Section 36 of the Sales Tax Act was not mandatory but directory. He, therefore, defied the findings of the FTO and the order of President of Pakistan. The complainant had filed claim of refund but the D.C (Adjudication) directed the complainant to deposit an amount of Rs.3162333/- alongwith additional tax and penalty whereas the refund was not sanctioned to the complainant. When the complainant claimed refund none of the suppliers were included in the list of suspect units. Now only one unit was included in the list of suspect units. The suppliers' names were not mentioned in the show-cause notice nor was there any evidence that the invoices were fake. The D.C (Adjudication) ignored findings of the FTO in Complaint No. 848/02. The superior Courts had held that no charges could be levelled against anyone without verification of facts and proper investigation. All the suppliers were operating in the market during January, 2003 to May, 2003. The complainant had been maintaining proper records. The Adjudication Officer failed to examine the available evidence and erred in determining the liability. The impugned O-l-O was time- barred and needs to be set aside. The O-l-O passed by the D.C (Adjudication) and the Order-in-Appeal No. 38/ST/06 dated 02.02.06 passed by Collector of Appeals may be set aside in the interest of justice.
2. In reply, the Collector of Sales Tax, Lahore has submitted that FTO's jurisdiction was ousted in terms of Section 9(2) of the FTO Ordinance, 2000 as legal remedies of appeal were available to the complainant, It could have filed appeal against Collector of Appeals' order before the Appellate Tribunal. Show-cause notice was issued on 15.12.3 and the case was decided on 30.07.05. The provisions of Section 36(3) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 Were directory and not mandatory. The superior Courts had held that even if certain provisions or instructions were 'not complied with, duty and taxes were to be paid. Evaded duty and taxes had to be recovered. A number of hearing opportunities were provided to the complainant before deciding the case. The case was decided after due process of law. The complainant had made purchases from suspected units. Almost 26 hearings were notified by the Adjudication Authority. The order was passed beyond 90 days due to un-avoided able reasons such as non- appearance of complainant's AR on different dates or due to adjournments sought by the complainant. The complainant's suppliers were not engaged in physical purchase and supply of goods. They issued fake invoices. The complainant had filed the present complaint six months after it had the notice of matter alleged in the complaint. The complaint was, therefore, not made within time as stipulated in Section 10(3) of the FTO Ordinance, 2000. Lt may be disposed of as hit by time limitation.
3. In his reply, the Collector of Appeals has submitted that the Order-in-Appeal was not barred by time. The complainant had argued that impugned O-l-O was hit by time limitation in terms of Section 36(3) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 in the light of judgment of the Honourable FTO, upheld by the President of Pakistan but the case was decided by the Adjudication Authority beyond 90 days due to unavoidable factors like complainant's non-appearance at different dates of hearing and owning to adjournments sought by it and due to frequent transfers and postings of Adjudication Officers. Ample opportunities of defence were provided to the complainant. The complainant was not condemned unheard. The Appellate Tribunal had, in various judgments (M/s. Sandal Dye Stuff Industries v. The Collector of Sales Tax, Faisalabad and Additional Collector of Sales Tax Adjudication and M/s. Sufi Restaurant v. Collector of Customs, Sales Tax and Central Excise (Appeals)], held that the provisions of Section 36(3) of the Act were directory and not mandatory.
Even if the O-l-O was not passed within the stipulated time period the complainant could not be permitted to claim and receive refund fraudulently. The superior Courts had held that liability to pay duty and taxes did not quash if time limitation was not adhered to. In the instant case, the tax fraud was obvious as discussed in para. 6 of the O-l-O dated 30.07.05. The FTO in different identical cases directed Sales Tax Collectorate to verify physical transfer of goods through audit of record (Complaint No.593/04). Complainant's suppliers were included in the list of suspected units. Show- cause notice invoked sub-section (1) and (2) of Sections 36 and Section 11 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 for. Assessm ent and recovery of tax. No 'maladministration' was committed. The Order-in-Appeal may be declared as legal.
4. During the hearing, the AR confirmed that the complainant had not filed any appeal against Collector of Appeals' order. He reiterated .The arguments advanced in the written complaint, emphasizing that the impugned O-l-O was hit by time limitation as it was passed after the expiry of 90 days as prescribed in Sections 36(3) and 11(4) of the Sales Tax Act,. 1990. Even the Collector of Appeals ignored complainant's pleas regarding time limitation. As for respondents' plea that complaint had filed complaint six months after it had the notice of the matter, the AR submitted that the complainant had filed appeal against the impugned O-LO before Collector of Appeals, who passed his order on 02.02.06. Since the complaint was filed against Collector of Appeals' order on 28.03.06, upholding an illegal and time-barred O-l-O, the same was filed within time; hence it was not time-barred. Both the O-l-O and Order-In-Appeal may be cancelled.
5. The DR submitted that the complaint was not maintainable as per the provisions of Section 9(2)
(b) of the FTO Ordinance, 2000. The provisions of Section 36(3) were directory and not mandatory.
The DR reiterated on behalf of Collector of Appeals the arguments advanced by the Collector of Appeals' in the parawise comments submitted by him. The DR confirmed that in this case no extension was obtained/granted by the competent authority either under Section 36(3) or Section 11(4) or Section 45 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990.
6. At the next date of hearing, the AR submitted that yarn and canvas were purchased by the complainant from seven units legitimately. The 0-1-0 was passed on 30.07.05 whereas in the case of two suppliers namely M/s. Naqsh-e-Lasani Spinning Industries and M/s. S.M.II Textile Mills NOCs were issued by the respondents on 12.02.04 and 03.07.4 deleting their names from the list of suspect units yet the Adjudication Authority did not give benefit on that account. The other four units were only suspect units and one unit namely M/s. Javed Textile was merely under- suspension. At the time the purchases were made, none of the units was included in the negative list or suspect list or were declared suspect because the purchases were made during the period from January, 2003 to May, 2003 when the units were registered with the Sales Tax Department.
7. The DR submitted that the audit was finalized and contravention report was issued on 05.12.03. At that time all units were in the negative list. The AR stated that the contravention report was dated 05.12.03. The units were not in the negative list at the time when the complainant made the purchases.
8. The arguments of the two sides and records of the case have considered and examined. This complaint has been filed against Collector of Appeals' order dated 02.02.06, upholding a time- barred O-l-O No. 227/05 dated 30.07.5 passed by the Deputy Collector. The complaint was filed in the FTO Secretariat on 28.03.06.
As such it does not attract the provisions of Section 10(3) of the FTO Ordinance, 2000. According to sub-section (3) of Section 36 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, the According to sub-section (3) of Section 36 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, the competent authority after considering the objections of the person served with a notice to show-cause under sub-sections (1) or (2) of Section 36 of the Act can determine the amount of tax or charge payable. The Proviso of the aforesaid section reads as under:- "Provided that order under this section shall be made within ninety days of issuance of show- cause notice or within such extended period as [Collector or as the case may be the Collector (Adjudication)] may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, fix, provided that such extended period shall in no case exceed ninety days"
The Proviso to Section 11 (4) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 reads as under:- "Provided that order under the insertion shall be made within ninety days of issuance of show- cause notice or within such extended period as an officer of Sales Tax may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, fix, provided that such extended period shall in no case exceed ninety days".
9. Lt is observed that in the present case show- cause notice, was issued on 15.12,2003, the case was decided by the D.C on 30.07.05 after the expiry of 11(4) and 36(3) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990.
Admittedly, no extension in the period for deciding the case was ever obtained/granted. The D.C's order is, therefore, hit by time limitation as provided in the aforesaid sections of the Act and is liable to be annulled.
10. Lt was held by the FTO in Complaint No. 805/03, involving sales tax liability, that "in the instant case show-cause notice was issued on 16.06.2002 and Order-in- Original was passed on 13.05.03 after about 11 month of the issuance of notice which is clearly hit by time limitation as provided in law. Maladministration is therefore established". The FTO, therefore, recommended in that case that the competent authority should cancel the O-l-O. The department represented against the aforesaid FTO's decision before the President of Pakistan. The President was pleased to reject the representation of the department vide order dated 07.05.05, paragraphs 3 and 4 of which are reproduced below:
3. "The department contends that the time limit under Section 36(3) ibid, was merely directory and not mandatory. The contention does not seem to be valid. Where inaction on the part of a public functionary within the prescribed time is likely to affect the rights of a citizen the prescription of time is deemed directory but where a public functionary is empowered to create liability against a citizen only within the prescribed time it is mandatory. The FTO's decision must be sustained.
4. Accordingly, the President has been pleased to reject the representation of the department".
11. In the present case also., a liability has been created against the complainant inasmuch as it had been directed to deposit sales tax alongwith additional tax and penalty as adjudged vide O-l- O No. 227/2005 dated 30.07.05. The aforesaid O-l-O was passed after expiry of the mandatory period of 90 days of the issuance of the show- cause notice and was hit by time limitation as provided in Sections 11(4) and 36(3) of the Act. The' respondents contend that the Appellate Tribunal had in various judgments held that the time limit prescribed in the proviso to subsection
(3) of Section 36 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 was not mandatory. With due deference to the decisions of the Honourable Appellate Tribunal, this is to point out that the President of Pakistan is the highest authority under the FTO Ordinance XXXV of 2000. His decision is binding in all proceedings under the aforesaid Ordinance. The President has already held vide Presidential Order dated 07.05.05, passed on departmental representation against FTO's findings in Complaint No. 805/03, referred to above, that the time limit in cases where a public functionary is empowered to create liability against the citizen only within the prescribed time limit, is mandatory. Adjudication Officer's failure to decide the case within the time prescribed in law amounts too maladministration.
12. Respondents' argument that the complainant delayed the proceedings in deciding the case by not appearing at hearings and by seeking adjournments is not tenable, In the first place, the complainant's AR contends that there was nothing on record to establish that delay in deciding the case was caused by the complainant. Even otherwise; the provisions of law were quite clear: the adjudication of the case had to be finalized within the prescribed time limitation. The Adjudication Authority should have abided by it. If the complainant was delaying the proceedings, as alleged by the respondents, or was not appearing at the hearings or was seeking adjournments the authority could have neutralized the so-called delaying tactics by disallowing adjournments sought by the complainant or in the event of non-appearance at hearings it could well have easily decided the case on the basis of available records so as to enable itself to adhere to the prescribed time limit within which the case had to be decided and thus to remain on the right side of law.
13. The Collector of Appeals before whom the complainant had agitated the issue of time limitation failed to consider complainant's plea of time limitation as laid down in Section 36(3) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 and also did not consider FTO's findings in Complaint No. 805/03 sustained by Presidential Order dated 07.05.05. Clearly, the O-l-O passed in this case is hit by time-bar as provided in law and is, therefore, void and illegal. Accordingly, the Order-In- Appeal No. 38/ST/06 dated 02.02.06 is also not legally sustainable as it failed to (i) hold the O-l-O passed by the D.C as barred by time despite complainant's pleas on that account and (ii) provide justice to the complainant. Respondents' contention that the FTO's jurisdiction did not extend in the case is misplaced. This forum is fully competent to investigate cases involving 'maladministration'.
Maladministration is established. Accordingly, it is recommended that the Revenue Division direct the competent authority to:
(i) Re-open impugned O-l-O No. 227/05 dated 30.07.5 and Order-In-Appeal No.38/ST/06 dated 02.02.06 under the provisions of Section 45A of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 and annul the C.L. 103 aforesaid O-l-O, as being hit by time limitation as provided in law, as well as annul the Order- In- Appeal for illegally upholding the aforesaid time-barred 0-1-0 and may proceed in accordance with the provisions of law.
(ii) Compliance be reported within 30 days of the receipt of this order.