Procedure for procurements from the Domestic Tariff Area

30. Procedure for procurements from the Domestic Tariff Area

(1) The Domestic Tariff Area supplier supplying goods to a Unit or Developer shall clear the goods, as in the case of exports, either under bond or as duty paid goods under claim of rebate on the cover of ARE-I referred to in notification number 40/2001- Central Excise (NT) dated the 26th June, 2001 in quintuplicate bearing running serial number beginning from the first day of the financial year.

(2) Goods procured by a Unit or Developer, on which Central Excise Duty exemption has been availed but without any availment of export entitlements, shall be allowed admission into the Special Economic Zone on the basis of ARE-1.

(3) The goods procured by a Unit or Developer under claim of export entitlements shall be allowed admission into the Special Economic Zone on the basis of ARE-1 and a Bill of Export filed by the supplier or on his behalf by the Unit or Developer and which is assessed by the Authorised Officer before arrival of the goods:

Provided that if the goods arrive before a Bill of Export has been filed and assessed, the same shall be kept in an area designated for this purpose by the Specified Officer and shall be released to the Unit or Developer only after completion of the assessment of the Bill of Export;

(4) A copy of the ARE-1 and/or copy of Bill of Export as the case may be, with an endorsement by the authorized officer that goods have been admitted in full into the Special Economic Zone shall be forwarded to the Central Excise Officer having jurisdiction over the Domestic Tariff Area supplier within forty-five days failing which the Central Excise Officer shall raise demand of duty against the Domestic Tariff Area supplier;

(5) Where a Bill of Export has been filed under a claim of drawback or Duty Entitlement Pass Book, the Unit or Developer shall claim the same from the Specified Officer and jurisdictional Development Commissioner respectively and in case the Unit or Developer does not intend to claim entitlement of drawback or Duty Entitlement Passbook Scheme, a disclaimer to this effect shall be given to the Domestic Tariff Area Supplier for claiming such benefits:

Provided that the Duty Entitlement Passbook Scheme may be claimed by Domestic Tariff Area Supplier from the Development Commissioner or their jurisdictional Regional Licencing Authority of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade:

(6) The Bill of Export shall be assessed in accordance with the instructions and procedures, including examination norms, laid down by the Department of Revenue as applicable to export goods:

Provided that at the time of assessment, it shall be specifically examined whether the goods are required for the authorized operations by the Unit or Developer, with reference to the Letter of Approval or the list of goods approved by the Approval Committee for the Developer.

(7) On arrival of the goods procured from the Domestic Tariff Area at the Special Economic Zone gate, the Authorized Officer shall examine the goods in respect of description, quantity, marks and other relevant particulars given in the ARE-1, invoice, Bill of Export and packing list and also as per the examination norms laid down in respect of export goods in cases where the goods are being procured under claim of an export entitlement.

(8) Drawback or Duty Entitlement Pass Book credit against supply of goods by Domestic Tariff Area supplier shall be admissible provided payments for the supply are made from the Foreign Currency Account of the Unit.

(9) A copy of the Bill of Export and ARE-I with an endorsement of the Authorized Officer that the goods have been admitted in full in the Special Economic Zone, shall be treated as proof of export.

(10) Where the goods are to be procured by a Unit or Developer from a Domestic Tariff Area supplier who is not registered with the Central Excise authorities, or is a trader or merchant exporter, the procedure under sub-rule (1) and (2) above shall apply, mutatis mutandis, except that the goods shall be brought to the Special Economic Zone under the cover of an Invoice and the ARE-1 shall not be required.

(11) The Unit or Developer may also procure goods from Domestic Tariff Area without availing exemptions, drawbacks and concessions on the basis of invoice or transport documents, issued by the supplier;

Provided that such invoices or transport documents shall be endorsed to the effect that no exemptions, drawbacks and concessions have been availed on the said supplies.

(12) Procedure for procurement from warehouse shall be as under: -

(a) where goods are to be procured from warehouse, a Unit or Developer shall file a Bill of Entry with the specified Officer;

(b) the Unit or Developer shall submit Bill of Entry assessed by the Authorized Officer to the Customs Officer in charge of the warehouse from where the Special Economic Zone Unit or Developer intends to procure the goods;

(c) the Customs Officer in charge of the warehouse shall allow clearance of the goods from the warehouse for supply to the Unit or Developer without payment of duty on the cover of ex-bond Shipping Bill and on the basis of Bill of Entry duly assessed by the Authorized Officer;

(d) where the re-warehousing certificate by way of endorsement by the Authorized Officer on the copy of ex-bond Shipping Bill is not received by the Customs Officer in charge of warehouse within forty-five days from the date of clearance of the goods from the warehouse, the Customs Officer in charge of the warehouse shall proceed to demand applicable duty from the supplier:

Provided that for procurement of goods from Nominated Agency located in Special Economic Zone, the procedure as specified by Specified Officer shall be followed and there shall be no requirement of assessment of Bill of Entry or transfer of the goods under the cover of ex-bond Shipping Bill.

(13) A Special Economic Zone Unit or Developer may also procure goods from international exhibitions held in India following the procedures under sub-rule (12).

(14) A Unit or Developer may also procure goods or services, without payment of duty from an Export Oriented Unit or Software Technology Park Unit or Bio- Technology Park Unit, by following procedures under sub-rule (12).

(15) A Unit or Developer may procure goods and services from another Unit located in the same or any other Special Economic Zone, subject to following conditions, namely:-

(i) the receiving Unit or Developer shall file Bill of Entry for home consumption with the Authorized Officer, in quintuplicate, giving description of the goods along with an invoice and packing list for assessment;

(ii) on the basis of such assessed Bill of Entry, the goods shall be allowed to be transferred to the receiving Unit or Developer under transshipment permit;

(iii) there shall be no requirement to file any additional documents or bond(s) for the purpose of transshipment of goods and the transshipment permission shall be stamped on the Bill of Entry itself;

(iv) the supplying Unit shall submit the re-warehousing certificate to the Specified Officer having jurisdiction over the supplying unit within forty five days, failing which the Specified Officer of the supplying Unit shall write to the Specified Officer having jurisdiction over the receiving Unit or Developer for demand of duty from the receiving Unit or Developer;

(v) where the supplying and receiving Units or Developer are located in the same Special Economic Zone, the provisions of sub rules (i) to (iv) shall not apply and the movement of goods shall be allowed and such transactions shall be recorded in the regular books of accounts of the receiving Unit or Developer and the supplying Unit and no Bill of Entry shall be required to be filed.

(16) Procurement of cut and polished diamonds and precious and semi precious stones from Domestic Tariff Area.- A gem and jewellery Unit may procure cut and polished diamonds and precious and semi precious stones from the Domestic Tariff Area, as per the following procedure, namely :-

(i) the parcel shall be brought into the Zone in a sealed condition by the authorized representative of the Domestic Tariff Area supplier or Customs House Agent, who shall present the invoice clearly marked original, duplicate and triplicate to the Authorized Officer at the gate;

(ii) the Authorized Officer shall register the invoice at the gate of the Special Economic Zone and endorsing the registration number on the original and duplicate copies of the Invoice and the parcel shall be allowed to be taken into the premises of the Unit and such goods shall be separately accounted for by the Unit;

(iii) the duplicate copy of the invoice with the endorsement of the Authorized officer shall be forwarded to the supplier in the Domestic Tariff Area for claiming Replenishment Licence from the Development Commissioner of the Special Economic Zone.

31. The exemption from payment of service tax on taxable services under section 65 of the Finance Act, 1994 (32 of 1994) rendered to a Developer or a Unit (including a Unit under construction) by any service provider shall be available for the authorized operations in a Special Economic Zone.

32. The exemption from levy of taxes on sale or purchase of goods, other than newspapers, under the Central Sales Tax Act, 1956 (74 of 1956) shall be available on goods meant for undertaking authorized operations by the Developer or the Unit:

Provided that the dealer selling goods in the course of inter state trade or commerce to a registered dealer under the Central Sale Tax Act, 1956 shall furnish a declaration in Form I prescribed under the Central Sales Tax (Registration and Turnover) Rules, 1957.

33. Admission of goods.- Any goods imported or procured from Domestic Tariff Area, required for authorized operations, shall be admitted into the Special Economic Zone subject to the following conditions, namely:-

(i) the goods imported or procured from Domestic Tariff Area shall be brought into the premises of Unit;

(ii) the goods, which require frequent entry into and exit from the Zone and which are not required for carrying out authorized operations shall be allowed into or out of the Special Economic Zone on the basis of general permission of the Specified Officer, who shall record the reasons for such permission;

(iii) hazardous goods may be admitted into specially designated area or installation of Special Economic Zone subject to such safeguards as may be specified by Specified Officer;