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632 views • Question added Jan 20, 2012 • VAT • By CA VIPIN GARG , CA , New Delhi


Please clarify whether vat is applicable on doctors who are using medicines for treatment and bill the patents consolidated for their services..

Please clarify with proper supportings as the matter is very urgent and critical

2 Answers

answered Jan 20, 2012 by Ashish Karundia , New Delhi

Dear Vipin,

Please note that the same depends upon the intention between the parties applying the dominance nature test. In this regard, you may refer the Judgment given by the Hon'able Supreme Court in the case Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. v. Union of India reported at 2006 (002) STR 0161 (S.C.) = 2006 (3) SCC 1 wherein the Apex Court observed that
"42. All the sub-clauses of Article 366(29-A) serve to bring transactions where one or more of the essential ingredients of a sale as defined in the sale of Goods Act, 1930 are absent, within the ambit of purchase and sales for the purposes of levy of sales tax. To this extent only is the principle enunciated in Gannon Dunkerley Ltd. (sic modified). The amendment especially allows specific composite contracts viz. works contracts [sub-clause (b)]; hire-purchase contracts [sub-clause (c)], catering contracts [sub-clause (e)] by legal fiction to be divisible contracts where the sale element could be isolated and be subjected to sales tax.
"44. Of all the different kinds of composite transactions the drafters of the Forty-sixth Amendment chose three specific situations, a works contract, a hire-purchase contract and a catering contract to bring them within the fiction of a deemed sale. Of these three, the first and third involve a kind of service and sale at the same time. Apart from these two cases where splitting of the service and supply has been constitutionally permitted in sub-clauses (b) and (f) of clause (29-A) of Article 366, there is no other service which has been permitted to be so split. For example, the sub-clauses of Article 366(29-A) do not cover hospital services. Therefore, if during the treatment of a patient in a hospital, he or she is given a pill, can the Sales Tax Authorities tax the transaction as a sale? Doctors, lawyers and other professionals render service in the course of which can it be said that there is a sale of goods when a doctor writes out and hands over a prescription or a lawyer drafts a document and delivers it to his/her client? Strictly speaking, with the payment of fees, consideration does pass from the patient or client to the doctor or lawyer for the documents in both cases.
45. The reason why these services do not involve a sale for the purposes of Entry 54 of List II is, as we see it, for reasons ultimately attributable to the principles enunciated in Gannon Dunkerley case, namely, if there is an instrument of contract which may be composite in form in any case other than the exceptions in Article 366(29-A), unless the transaction in truth represents two distinct and separate contracts and is discernible as such, then the state would not have the power to separate the agreement to sell from the agreement to render service, and impose tax on the sale. The test therefore for composite contracts other than those mentioned in Article 366(29-A) continues to be: Did the parties have in mind or intend separate rights arising out of the sale of goods? If there was no such intention there is no sale even if the contract could be disintegrated. The test for deciding whether a contract falls into one category or the other is to as what is "the substance of the contract". We will, for the want of a better phrase, call this the dominant nature test."

In light of the above, it can be said no sales tax can be levied on the medicine sold during the course of providing service. However, the implications may differ as pointed out by the Apex Court in the above mentioned judgment.

Hope the above suffice.


answered Feb 19, 2012 by Mrattunjay , New Delhi

Please refer ashish reply along with actual situation


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PANKAJ BANSAL

20-Jan-2012 , 05:44:14 pm

there is no VAT applicable on hospital.

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CA VIPIN GARG

21-Jan-2012 , 10:59:44 am

Thanku So much Ashish and have a nice day....

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