Refund of accumulated Input tax credit to fabric manufacturer and fabric processor in textile sector on account of inverted duty structure has been disallowed initially. Such dis-allowance was in pursuant to power vested under section 54(3), department issued Notification No. 5/2017-Central tax (Rate) dated 28th June, 2017 wherein it specified list of items on which no refund will be allowed on ground of inverted duty structure.
There after some major circular and notification have been issued by department to allow refund of ITC to fabric manufacturer and textile job worker on account of inverted duty structure.
Accordingly, the latest CBIC has issued a circular no. 94/12/2019-GST dated 28th March 2019 to clarify various refund-related issues faced by fabric manufacturer and textile job worker.
List of all relevant circulars and notification in this case.
*inserted in the month of sep 2017, # inserted in the month of Nov 2017
Notification no. 5/2017 was further amended by N/No. 20/2018-Central tax (Rate) dated 26th July, 2018 which provided list of certain items on which refund on account of inverted duty structure was allowed on inward supplies received with effect from 1st August, 2018. However, refund was available subject to condition that accumulated Input Tax Credit ("ITC") lying unutilised in balance on 31st July, 2018 on inwards supplies received upto 31st July, 2018 shall lapse.
Notification No. 20/2018-Central Tax (Rate) dated 26th July, 2018 inserted following text to Notification No. 5/2017
Provided that,
(i) nothing contained in this notification shall apply to the input tax credit accumulated on supplies received on or after the 1st day of August, 2018, in respect of goods mentioned at serial numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6A, 6B, 6C and 7 of the Table below; and
(ii) in respect of said goods, the accumulated input tax credit lying unutilised in balance, after payment of tax for and upto the month of July, 2018, on the inward supplies received up to the 31st day of July 2018, shall lapse.".
Alongwith notification No. 20/2018, department also issued circular
56/30/2018-GST dated 24.08.2018 wherein clarification was provided with respect to provisions for lapsing of input tax credit accumulated on account of inverted duty structure on fabric for period upto 31st July 2018 as per notification no- 20/2018 dt. 26th July 2018.
Clarification provided in the circular about Refund of ITC to fabric manufacturer was as follows:
In pursuant to notification no. 20/2018, registered persons made an attempt to claim refund on account of inverted duty structure for the month of August, 2018 or any such month in which reversal has been made ("relevant period").
However, when registered person filed application for refund in form GST RFD-01A for the relevant period under heading "Refund claim of unutilized ITC on account of accumulation due to inverted tax structure”, such registered person was not able to claim refund of entire amount due to validation check on GST portal.
Such validation prevented the amount of ITC claimed in form GST RFD-01A from being higher than ITC availed in GSTR-3B minus value of ITC reversed of such relevant period as per the circular on Refund of ITC to fabric manufacturer.
E.g. Mr. A was required to reverse ITC to the extend of INR 1,00,000 as per notification 20/2018. In the month of August, 2018, Mr. A was eligible to claim ITC of INR 5,00,000. Accordingly, while filing GSTR-3B for the month of August, 2018, Mr. A claimed ITC of INR 5,00,000 and made reversal of INR 1,00,000. Mr. A is eligible to claim refund of INR 5,00,000 due to inverted duty structure, however, he was allowed to enter upto INR 4,00,000 in refund application in form GST RFD-01A due to validation check.
As this is one time issue which will arise while filing refund application of the period in which registered person has made reversal as per notification no. 5/2018, department allowed registered person to file refund application for such period in form GST RFD-01A under category "Any other" instead of “refund of unutilized ITC on account of accumulation due to inverted tax structure”.
Registered person is required to accompany refund application with all statements, declarations, clarifications, undertaking and any other document which are statutorily required to submit while filing application under " refund claim of unutilized ITC on account of accumulation due to inverted tax structure".
Upon receipt of such refund application, proper officer will himself compute the admissible refund amount as per formula given under Rule 89(5) of Central Goods and Service Tax Rules, 2017 ("CGST Rules") in the manner provided under circular No. 56/33/2018-GST dated 04.09.2018.
Post computation of refund amount if proper officer is satisfied that applicant has submitted all required documents and he is entitled to claim refund then he will request the taxpayer to debit such amount in his electronic credit ledger through form GST DRC-03.
Upon debit of such amount in electronic credit ledger, proper officer shall grant the refund amount through order in form GST RFD-06.
All refund application in form GST RED-01A on account of inverted duty structure for subsequent period should be filed under category " refund of unutilized ITC on account of accumulation due to inverted tax structure"
Department has clarified that if registered person has not yet made reversal as per notification no. 20/2018 then he is required to make such reversal in form GST DRC-03 instead of GSTR-3B.
GST DRC-03 is an intimation given for payment made on voluntarily basis or payment made against show cause notice or statement.
If registered person fails to make necessary reversal by the due date of GSTR-3B for the month of August, 2018 then he would be liable to pay interest as per section 50(1) of CGST Act on amount reversed belatedly.
Interest shall be computed for the period starting form due date for filing of GSTR-3B for the month of August, 2018 till the date of reversal of ITC either through GSTR-3B of subsequent period or through GST DRC-03, as the case may be.
If registered person makes reversal of ITC after due date of filing of GSTR-3B for the month of August, 2018, he will still be entitled to claim refund of GST on account of inverted duty structure for the period from 01.08.2018. However, refund will be granted post reversal of ITC either through GSTR-3B of any subsequent period or through GST DRC-03 alongwith payment of applicable interest.