16. Registration M VAT ACT
CHAPTER IV
16. Registration
(1)No dealer shall, while being liable to pay tax under this Act, be engaged in the business as a dealer, unless he possesses a valid certificate of registration as provided by this Act:
Provided that, the provisions of this sub-section shall be deemed not to have been contravened, if the dealer having applied, within the prescribed time, for such registration as provided in this section, is engaged in such business:
Provided further that, if any dealer, holds the certificate of registration granted under the Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959, which is effective or valid immediately before the appointed day, it shall not be necessary for him to apply for a fresh certificate under this section so long as the said certificate is not duly cancelled under this Act:
Provided also that, a dealer holding an effective certificate of registration or, as the case may be, a licence granted before the appointed day, under any laws other than the Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1959, shall, notwithstanding the fact that he is holding such effective certificate be required to apply for grant of certificate of registration under this section.
(2)Every dealer, required by sub-section (1) to possess a certificate of registration or one who voluntarily desires to get registered shall apply in the prescribed manner to the prescribed authority for grant of such registration.
Provided that, in the case of an application made by a person who voluntarily desires to get registered, the certificate of registration shall not be granted unless the applicant has deposited an amount of Rs.25,000/- in the Government Treasury as advance towards the tax, interest or penalty, if any, that may become due. The amount so deposited may be adjusted against the tax payable according to the return required to be filed in the year in which the registration is granted or in the succeeding year. The amount of deposit in excess of the amount due from him, by way of tax, interest or penalty, if any, shall be refunded as provided in section 50 or, as the case may be, section 51.
(The above proviso is added by the Maharashtra Act No. XXV of 2007 Dt. 06.08.2007 )
(3) If the prescribed authority, after scrutiny of the application and after such inquiry as it deems fit, is satisfied that the application for registration is in order and the prescribed conditions , if any, are fulfilled, shall register the applicant and issue to him a certificate of registration in the prescribed form:
Provided that, the prescribed authority, on finding that the application is not complete or that the information or documents prescribed for grant of registration certificate have not been furnished, or, (…..) the prescribed conditions are not fulfilled, may, after giving the applicant a reasonable opportunity of being heard, reject the application for reasons to be recorded in writing.
(4) The Commissioner may, after considering any information furnished under any of the provisions of this Act or otherwise received, amend from time to time, any certificate of registration.
(5) A person or a dealer who has got himself registered shall be liable to pay tax during the period in which his registration certificate is effective, notwithstanding the fact that subsequently it is found that no registration certificate was necessary in his case.
(6) Where,—
(a) any business, in respect of which a certificate of registration has been issued under this section, has been discontinued or otherwise disposed of, or has been transferred or the place of such business is changed to a different local area, or
(For the above sub-section 6 (a) the following sub-section 6 (a) is inserted by the Maharashtra Act No. XXXII of 2006 Dt. 05.08.2006 )
(a) any business, in respect of which a certificate of registration has been issued under this section, has been discontinued or otherwise disposed of, or has been transferred
(b) the turnover of sales or the turnover of purchases of a registered dealer who has become liable to pay tax under section 3 has during any year not exceeded the relevant limit specified in sub-section (4) of section 3,
then in the case covered by clause (a), the dealer shall apply in the prescribed manner and within the prescribed time, for cancellation of his registration to the Commissioner, and in the case covered by clause (b), the dealer may apply, in the prescribed manner, for cancellation, of his registration to the Commissioner; and thereupon the Commissioner may, after such inquiry as he deems fit and subject to the rules, cancel the registration with effect from such date including any date earlier to the date of the order of cancellation as he considers lit having regard to the circumstances of the case. The registration certificate cancelled under this sub-section shall be returned to the Commissioner within the prescribed time:
Provided that, where the Commissioner is satisfied that any business in respect of which a certificate has been issued under this section has been discontinued or disposed of or the place of such business is changed to a different local area, and the dealer has failed to apply under clause (a) as aforesaid for cancellation of registration, the Commissioner may, after giving the dealer a reasonable opportunity of being heard, cancel the registration with effect from such date as he may fix to be the date in accordance with the rules, if any, from which the business has been discontinued or disposed of or changed to a different local area, as the case may be:
(For the above para the following para is inserted by the Maharashtra Act No. XXXII of 2006 Dt. 05.08.2006 )
Provided that, where the Commissioner is satisfied that any business in respect of which a certificate has been issued under this section has been discontinued or disposed of and the dealer has failed to apply under clause(a) as aforesaid for cancellation of registration, the Commissioner may, after giving the dealer a reasonable opportunity of being heard, cancel the registration with effect from such date as he may fix to be the date in accordance with the rules, if any, from which the business has been discontinued
Provided further that, where the Commissioner is satisfied that any person who has voluntarily got himself registered has not commenced business within six months from the date of registration, the commissioner may, after giving the dealer a reasonable opportunity of being heard, cancel the registration certificate with effect from such date as he may fix in accordance with the rules.
(The above proviso is added by the Maharashtra Act No. XXV of 2007 Dt. 06.08.2007 )
Provided also that, the cancellation of a certificate of registration on an application or otherwise shall not affect the liability of the dealer to pay the tax including any penalty, amount forfeited and interest due for any period ending on or before .the date of cancellation whether such tax including any penalty, amount forfeited and interest is assessed before the date of cancellation but remains unpaid, or is assessed thereafter.
(In the above proviso for the word “Provided further that” the words “Provided also that” are substituted by the Maharashtra Act No. XXV of 2007 Dt. 06.08.2007 )
Explanation. —For the purposes of this section, local area means the area to which the Post and Telegraph authorities have assigned a Postal Index Number (PIN).
(The above explanation is deleted by the Maharashtra Act No. XXXII of 2006 Dt. 05.08.2006 )
(7) The Commissioner shall, by such date as he may notify in the Official Gazette, prepare a list of all registered dealers and may amend the list, from time to time. Any person may make an application in the prescribed form to the Commissioner for a certified copy of any extract from the list and thereupon the Commissioner, shall furnish a copy of the extract to the applicant.
(8) Save as otherwise provided in sub-section (9), a certificate of registration granted under this section and any certificate that may he granted under this Act, shall be personal to the dealer or person to whom it is granted, and shall not be transferable.
(9) Where a registered dealer,—
a. effects a change in the name of his business, or
b. is a firm, and there is a change in the constitution of the firm without dissolution thereof, or
c. is a trustee of a trust, and there is change in the trustees thereof, or
d. is a guardian of a ward, and there is a change in the guardian or termination of guardianship, or
e. is a Hindu Undivided Family and there is a change of
Karta, or
f. is a private limited company which is converted into a public limited company,
then, merely by reason of occurrence of any of the changes aforesaid, it shall not be necessary for the dealer, or the firm with the changed constitution, or the new trustees, or new guardian or the ward or the new Karta or the public limited company to apply for a fresh certificate of registration and on information being furnished in the manner required by section 18, the certificate of registration shall, where necessary. be amended and any other certificate granted under the Act, rules or notifications shall also continue to be valid and be amended where necessary with effect from the appropriate date.
