West Bengal Sales Tax Act, 1954

The respondent firm, M/s Prakash Trading Corporation, sold goods both on its own account and as a commission agent for 24 disclosed principals. The Commercial Tax Officer assessed sales tax under Section 6‑B of the Bengal Finance (Sales Tax) Act, 1941 on the firm’s total turnover, including the commission sales. The We…

The case concerned dealers of iron and steel who, under the Bengal Finance (Sales Tax) Act, 1941, were required to transport goods with a declaration signed by the consignor as mandated by Rule 89A(2). The dealers contended that the rule unfairly placed the burden of producing the declaration on them while sellers were…

The appellant, K.C.D. Pvt. Ltd., bought whole black pepper and whole turmeric in West Bengal, ground them into powder, and sold the powder. It argued that under the West Bengal Sales Tax Act, 1954, the powdered forms are the same goods as the whole forms, already taxed at the first point of sale, and therefore not liab…

The appellant, a small‑scale fruit‑processing unit, claimed exemption from West Bengal sales tax on the basis of Notification No. 1428‑FT dated 26‑May‑1994, asserting that its investment in plant and machinery was below Rs.5 lakhs after accounting for depreciation. The assessing authority held that the investment excee…

Sun Oil Company Ltd., a registered dealer and small‑scale industry, obtained a certificate under Section 4‑AA of the West Bengal Sales Tax Act, 1954 exempting it from "tax" for the period 14‑Jan‑1980 to 14‑Jan‑1985. Despite this, the company was assessed a turnover tax under Section 4‑AAA for part of the assessment yea…

The appellants imported cigarettes, stored them in a bonded warehouse in West Bengal and sold them to the master of a foreign‑going ship as ship stores without paying customs duty. They claimed the sales were "in the course of import" and therefore exempt from West Bengal sales tax under the 1954 and 1994 Acts. The Cou…

The appellants, Mis Black Diamond Beverages and others, challenged the inclusion of freight or delivery charges in the definition of "sale price" under Section 2(d) of the West Bengal Sales Tax Act, 1954. They argued that the statute only included packaging charges and that, because Section 2(h) of the Bengal Finance (…

The appellants, Calcutta Jute Manufacturing Co. and others, were assessed a turnover tax under Section 6‑B of the Bengal Finance (Sales Tax) Act, 1941 after their challenge to the provision’s constitutional validity was rejected. While they paid the tax, the West Bengal government later introduced Section 10‑A imposing…

The Supreme Court examined the validity of purchase‑tax provisions in the sales‑tax statutes of Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Bombay, which imposed tax on goods purchased for manufacture when the finished goods were dispatched out of the state without a sale. Dealers challenged these provisions on the gro…