IMPORTANT POINTS
The provisions of Rule 58(20) of the KVAT Rules, which obliges an assessee to keep his Books of account only for a period of five years from the end of the assessment year in question or two years from the date of disposal of the appeal or revision arising out of such assessments or from the date of completion of any other provision under the Act connected with such assessment, appeal or revisions whichever is later. Thus, from the Scheme of the Act and Rules, there can be inferred a finality to assessment proceedings within a specified period from the end of the assessment year. The fixing of such a specified period would also be in line with the judgments that hold that in the absence of a prescribed time limit for completing assessments under the Statute, a reasonable period has to be read in, and in determining what that reasonable period should be, clues can be gathered from the other provisions under the KVAT Act and Rules.

JUDGMENT :

In these batch of writ petitions, the petitioner/assessees impugn the pre-assessment notices/assessment orders issued to them to complete assessments of escaped turnover by invoking the provisions of Section 42(3) of the Kerala Value Added Tax Act [hereinafter referred to as the “KVAT Act”]. It is the common case in all these writ petitions that the period envisaged for re-opening assessments under Section 25 of the KVAT Act had expired by the time the notices for re-opening assessments, invoking Section 42(3) of the KVAT Act, were issued to them. The petitioners therefore contend that in such cases, the Revenue cannot invoke Section 42(3) of the KVAT Act to re-open assessments that have already become final under the KVAT Act.

2. To appreciate the issue raised in these writ petitions, one has to first notice the statutory provisions under the KVAT Act. As per the Scheme of the KVAT Act, the assessment procedure commences with the filing of a return by the assessee. If the return filed by the assessee conforms to the requirement under the KVAT Act and Rules, in respect of the details of turnover to be furnished and the tax to be paid thereon, and there is no query raised by the Revenue within the period prescribed for the same, the assessment to tax is deemed completed as a self-assessment to tax by the assessee under Section 21 of the KVAT Act. If an assessee does not file a return as contemplated by the KVAT Act and Rules or files a defective return, then the assessment is completed on best judgment basis by the Revenue after following the procedure under Section 22 of the KVAT Act. In certain cases, as enumerated under Section 24 of the KVAT Act, an assessment can be completed pursuant to consideration of audit objections in relation to the details furnished by the assessee along with his returns. The assessments completed under Sections 21, 22 and 24 can still be re-opened in terms of 25 of the KVAT Act to assess such turnover as has escaped assessment to tax in an earlier assessment. The power to assess escaped turnover under Section 25 has, however, to be exercised within the period stipulated under the Act for the exercise of such power. The said period was five years from the end of the assessment year concerned till 31.3.2017, and was extended to six years from the end of the assessment year concerned thereafter.

3. Section 42 of the KVAT Act, as it stood till 12.11.2016, read as follows:

“42. Audit of accounts and certification of returns :-(1) Every dealer whose total turnover in a year exceeds rupees forty lakhs shall get his accounts audited annually by a Chartered Accountant or Cost Accountant and shall submit copy of the audited statement of accounts and certificate, in the manner prescribed.

Provided that a co-operative society registered or deemed to be registered under the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act, 1969 (21 of 1969), may in lieu of the statement and certificate mentioned above, submit a copy of the audited statement of accounts and certificate issued by the Registrar of Co-operative Societies on or before 31st day of December of the year succeeding to the year to which annual return relates.

(2) Where any dealer detects any omission or mistake in the annual return submitted by him with reference to the audited figures, he shall file revised annual return rectifying the mistake or omission along with the audit certificate. Where, as a result of such revision, the tax liability increases, the revised return shall be accompanied by proof of payment of such tax, interest due thereon under sub-section (5) of section 31, and penal interest, calculated at twice the rate specified under sub-section (5) of section 31:

Provided that this sub-section shall not apply to a dealer against whom any penal action is initiated in respect of such omission or mistake under any of the provisions of this Act.”

By a notification dated 13.11.2016, the Section was amended to insert a new sub section therein, with retrospe