No: 49 Dated: Dec, 20 2005

National Tax Tribunal Act, 2005

(Act No. 49 of 2005)

    An Act to provide for the adjudication by the National Tax Tribunal of disputes with respect to levy, assessment, collection and enforcement of direct taxes and also to provide for the adjudication by that Tribunal of disputes with respect to the determination of the rates of duties of customs and central excise on goods and the valuation of goods for the purposes of assessment of such duties as well as in matters relating to levy of tax on service, in pursuance of article 323-B of the Constitution and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Be it enacted by Parliament in the Fifty-sixth Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

CHAPTER I

PRELIMINARY

1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the National Tax Tribunal Act, 2005.

(2) It extends to the whole of India.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint:

Provided that different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of that provision.

2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a) “Bench” means a Bench of the National Tax Tribunal;

(b) “Board of Direct Taxes” means the Central Board of Direct Taxes constituted under the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963 (54 of 1963);

(c) “Board of Excise and Customs” means the Central Board of Excise and Customs constituted under the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963 (54 of 1963);

(d) “Central Excise Act” means the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944);

(e) “Central Excise Tariff Act” means the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 (5 of 1986);

(f) “Chairperson” means the Chairperson of the National Tax Tribunal;

(g) “Companies (Profits) Surtax Act” means the Companies (Profits) Surtax Act, 1964 (7 of 1964);

(h) “Customs Act” means the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962);

(i) “Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal” means the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal constituted under section 129 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962);

(j) “Customs Tariff Act” means the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 (51 of 1975);

(k) “Expenditure-tax Act” means the Expenditure-tax Act, 1987 (35 of 1987);

(l) “Gift-tax Act” means the Gift-tax Act, 1958 (18 of 1958);

(m) “Income-tax Act” means the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961);

(n) “Income-tax Appellate Tribunal” means the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal constituted under section 252 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961);

(o) “Interest-tax Act” means the Interest-tax Act, 1974 (45 of 1974);

(p) “law officer” means the Attorney-General for India, the Solicitor General of India or the Additional Solicitor General of India;

(q) “Member” means a Member of the National Tax Tribunal and includes the Chairperson; (r) “National Tax Tribunal” means the National Tax Tribunal established under section 3;

(s) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette;

(t) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(u) “Supreme Court” means the Supreme Court of India;

(v) “Wealth-tax Act” means the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 (27 of 1957);

(w) words and expressions used in this Act but not defined herein and defined in the Central Excise Act, the Central Excise Tariff Act, the Customs Act, the Customs Tariff Act (hereinafter referred to as the indirect taxes) or the rules made thereunder or in Chapter V of the Finance Act, 1994 (32 of 1994) shall have the meanings, respectively, assigned to them in the said Acts or the rules made thereunder;

(x) words and expressions used in this Act but not defined herein and defined in the Income-tax Act, the Wealth-tax Act, the Gift-tax Act, the Expenditure-tax Act, the Interest-tax Act or the Companies (Profits) Surtax Act (hereinafter referred to as the direct taxes) or the rules made thereunder shall have the meanings, respectively, assigned to them in the said Acts or the rules made thereunder.

CHAPTER II

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL TAX TRIBUNAL

3. Establishment of National Tax Tribunal.—The Central Government shall, by notification in the Official Gazette, establish with effect from such date as may be specified therein, a Tax Tribunal to be known as the National Tax Tribunal to exercise the jurisdiction, powers and authority conferred on such Tribunal by or under this Act.

4. Composition of National Tax Tribunal.—The National Tax Tribunal shall consist of a Chairperson and such number of Members as the Central Government deems fit, to be appointed by that Government, by notification in the Official Gazette.

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