10th September, 2004

             In exercise of the powers conferred by section 37 of the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944) and section 94 of the Finance Act, 1994 (32 of 1994) and in supersession of the CENVAT Credit Rules, 2002 and the Service Tax Credit Rules, 2002, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely:-

1. Short title, extent and commencement.- (1) These rules may be called the CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004.

(2) They extend to the whole of India:

Provided that nothing contained in these rules relating to availment and utilization of credit of service tax shall apply to the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

(3) They shall come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

2. Definitions.- In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) "capital goods" means:-

(A) the following goods, namely:-

(i) all goods falling under Chapter 82, Chapter 84, Chapter 85, Chapter 90, heading No. 68.02 and sub-heading No. 6801.10 of the First Schedule to the Excise Tariff Act;

(ii) pollution control equipment;

(iii) components, spares and accessories of the goods specified at (i) and (ii);

(iv) moulds and dies, jigs and fixtures;

(v) refractories and refractory materials;

(vi) tubes and pipes and fittings thereof; and

(vii) storage tank,

used-

(1) in the factory of the manufacturer of the final products, but does not include any equipment or appliance used in an office; or

(2) for providing output service;

(B) motor vehicle registered in the name of provider of output service for providing taxable service as specified in sub-clauses (f), (n), (o), (zr), (zzp), (zzt) and (zzw) of clause (105) of section 65 of the Finance Act;

(b) "Customs Tariff Act" means the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 (51 of 1975);

(c) "Excise Act" means the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944);

(d) "exempted goods" means excisable goods which are exempt from the whole of the duty of excise leviable thereon, and includes goods which are chargeable to "Nil" rate of duty;

(e) "exempted services" means taxable services which are exempt from the whole of the service tax leviable thereon, and includes services on which no service tax is leviable under section 66 of the Finance Act;

(f) "Excise Tariff Act" means the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (5 of 1986);

(g) "Finance Act" means the Finance Act, 1994 (32 of 1994);

(h) "final products" means excisable goods manufactured or produced from input, or using input service;

(ij) "first stage dealer" means a dealer, who purchases the goods directly from,-

(i) the manufacturer under the cover of an invoice issued in terms of the provisions of Central Excise Rules, 2002 or from the depot of the said manufacturer, or from premises of the consignment agent of the said manufacturer or from any other premises from where the goods are sold by or on behalf of the said manufacturer, under cover of an invoice; or

(ii) an importer or from the depot of an importer or from the premises of the consignment agent of the importer, under cover of an invoice;

(k) "input" means-

(i) all goods, except light diesel oil, high speed diesel oil and motor spirit, commonly known as petrol, used in or in relation to the manufacture of final products whether directly or indirectly and whether contained in the final product or not and includes lubricating oils, greases, cutting oils, coolants, accessories of the final products cleared along with the final product, goods used as paint, or as packing material, or as fuel, or for generation of electricity or steam used in or in relation to manufacture of final products or for any other purpose, within the factory of production;

(ii) all goods, except light diesel oil, high speed diesel oil, motor spirit, commonly known as petrol and motor vehicles, used for providing any output service;

Explanation 1.- The light diesel oil, high speed diesel oil or motor spirit, commonly known as petrol, shall not be treated as an input for any purpose whatsoever.

Explanation 2.- Input include goods used in the manufacture of capital goods which are further used in the factory of the manufacturer;

(l) "input service" means any service,-

(i) used by a provider of taxable service for providing an output service; or

(ii) used by the manufacturer, whether directly or indirectly, in or in relation to the manufacture of final products and clearance of final products from the place of removal,and includes services used in relation to setting up, modernization, renovation or repairs of a factory, premises of provider of output service or an office relating to such factory or premises, advertisement or sales promotion, market research, storage upto the place of removal, procurement of inputs, activities relating to business, such as accounting, auditing, financing, recruitment and quality control, coaching and training, computer networking, credit rating, share registry, and security, inward transportation of inputs or capital goods and outward transportation upto the place of removal;

(m) "input service distributor" means an office of the manufacturer or producer of final products or provider of output service, which receives invoices issued under rule 4A of the Service Tax Rules, 1994 towards purchases of input services and issues invoice, bill or, as the case may be, challan for the purposes of distributing the credit of service tax paid on the said services to such manufacturer or producer or provider, as the case may be;

(n) "job work" means processing or working upon of raw material or semi-finished goods supplied to the job worker, so as to complete a part or whole of the process resulting in the manufacture or finishing of an article or any operation which is essential for aforesaid process and the _expression "job worker" shall be construed accordingly;

(o) "notification" means the notification published in the Official Gazette;

(p) "output service" means any taxable service provided by the provider of taxable service, to a customer, client, subscriber, policy holder or any other person, as the case may be, and the expressions ‘provider’ and ‘provided’ shall be construed accordingly;

Explanation.- For the removal of doubts it is hereby clarified that if a person liable for paying service tax does not provide any taxable service or does not manufacture final products, the service for which he is liable to pay service tax shall be deemed to be the output service.

(q) "person liable for paying service tax" has the meaning as assigned to it in clause (d) of sub-rule (1) of rule 2 of the Service Tax Rules, 1994;

(r) "provider of taxable service" include a person liable for paying service tax;

(s) "second stage dealer" means a dealer who purchases the goods from a first stage dealer;

(t) words and expressions used in these rules and not defined but defined in the Excise Act or the Finance Act shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in those Acts.

3. CENVAT credit.- (1) A manufacturer or producer of final products or a provider of taxable service shall be allowed to take credit (hereinafter referred to as the CENVAT credit) of -

(i) the duty of excise specified in the First Schedule to the Excise Tariff Act, leviable under the Excise Act;

(ii) the duty of excise specified in the Second Schedule to the Excise Tariff Act, leviable under the Excise Act;

(iii) the additional duty of excise leviable under section 3 of the Additional Duties of Excise (Textile and Textile Articles) Act,1978 ( 40 of 1978);

(iv) the additional duty of excise leviable under section 3 of the Additional Duties of Excise (Goods of Special Importance) Act, 1957 ( 58 of 1957);

(v) the National Calamity Contingent duty leviable under section 136 of the Finance Act, 2001 (14 of 2001);

(vi) the Education Cess on excisable goods leviable under section 91 read with section 93 of the Finance (No.2) Act, 2004 (23 of 2004);

(vii) the additional duty leviable under section 3 of the Customs Tariff Act, equivalent to the duty of excise specified under clauses (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v) and (vi);

(viii) the additional duty of excise leviable under section 157 of the Finance Act, 2003 (32 of 2003);

(ix) the service tax leviable under section 66 of the Finance Act; and

(x) the Education Cess on taxable services leviable under section 91 read with section 95 of the Finance (No.2) Act, 2004 (23 of 2004), paid on-

(i) any input or capital goods received in the factory of manufacture of final product or premises of the provider of output service on or after the 10th day of September, 2004; and

(ii) any input service received by the manufacturer of final product or by the provider of output services on or after the 10th day of September, 2004,including the said duties, or tax, or cess paid on any input or input service, as the case may be, used in the manufacture of intermediate products, by a job-worker availing the benefit of exemption specified in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue), No. 214/86- Central Excise, dated the 25th March, 1986, published in the Gazette of India vide number G.S.R. 547 (E), dated the 25th March, 1986, and received by the manufacturer for use in, or in relation to, the manufacture of final product, on or after the 10th day of September, 2004.

Explanation.- For the removal of doubts it is clarified that the manufacturer of the final products and the provider of output service shall be allowed CENVAT credit of additional duty leviable under section 3 of the Customs Tariff Act on goods falling under heading 9801 of the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1), the manufacturer or producer of final products shall be allowed to take CENVAT credit of the duty paid on inputs lying in stock or in process or inputs contained in the final products lying in stock on the date on which any goods manufactured by the said manufacturer or producer cease to be exempted goods or any goods become excisable.

(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1), in relation to a service which ceases to be an exempted service, the provider of the output service shall be allowed to take CENVAT credit of the duty paid on the inputs received on and after the 10th day of September, 2004 and lying in stock on the date on which any service ceases to be an exempted service and used for providing such service.

(4) The CENVAT credit may be utilized for payment of –

(a) any duty of excise on any final product; or

(b) an amount equal to CENVAT credit taken on inputs if such inputs are removed as such or after being partially processed; or

(c) an amount equal to the CENVAT credit taken on capital goods if such capital goods are removed as such; or

(d) an amount under sub rule (2) of rule 16 of Central Excise Rules, 2002; or

(e) service tax on any output service:

Provided that while paying duty of excise or service tax, as the case may be, the CENVAT credit shall be utilized only to the extent such credit is available on the last day of the month or quarter, as the case may be, for payment of duty or tax relating to that month or the quarter, as the case may be:

Provided further that the CENVAT credit of the duty, or service tax, paid on the inputs, or input services, used in the manufacture of final products cleared after availing of the exemption under the following notifications of Government of India in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue),-

(i) No. 32/99-Central Excise, dated the 8th July, 1999 [G.S.R. 508(E), dated 8th July, 1999];

(ii) No. 33/99-Central Excise, dated the 8th July, 1999 [G.S.R. 509(E), dated 8th July, 1999];

(iii) No. 39/2001-Central Excise, dated the 31st July, 2001 [G.S.R. 565 (E), dated the 31st July, 2001];