– Tewari Warehousing Co. (P.) Ltd. – ORDER NO. 40/WBAAR/2018-19 – AAR West Bengal

The Applicant is in to the business supplying warehousing services &  constructing a warehouse on leasehold land, using pre-fabricated technology (warehousing system).

System is fixed by anchor bolts to a low RCC platform embedded to the ground, and it is the only civil structure. The rest of the structure, like columns, beams, rafters, wall sheets, roof shed etc. are all joined with one another by nuts and bolts, and can be easily dismantled and restructured at another location. Applicant contends, if the nature of annexation is such that an item so annexed can be removed without any damage and future enjoyment of that item in a similar capacity is not affected, such an item will not be considered to be immovable property. He refers to the apex court’s judgments in Solid & Correct Engineering Works [(2010) 252 ELT 481 (SC)] and Sirpur Paper Mills Ltd [97 ELT 3 (SC)]. Accordingly, appellant contends ITC would be eligible since they are not covered under Section 17(5)(d) – Blocked Credit, of CGST Act.

It was observed by AAR that the System refers only to the pre-fabricated structures that are used for constructing the warehouse and not to the warehouse itself. The core issue in the context of the Application is not the beneficial enjoyment of the System, but of the property of the warehouse being built. Being a storage facility, a warehouse is associated with the space available, whereas the System refers to the materials and structures used for turning the space into a covered storage facility. As technology advances, the engineering for building a factory, house, and even a bridge uses more and more pre-fabricated structures, which have obvious benefits in terms of time and cost. Such building blocks should not, however, be confused with the property being built, which is directly associated with the beneficial enjoyment of the land. It, therefore, appears that the Vendor is not supplying the floor as a pre-fabricated removable structure. The civil work undertaken is meant not only for fixing the pre-fabricated structure built upon the floor but also for developing the floor space itself. Beneficial enjoyment of the floor so inalienably attached to the land is integral to the enjoyment of the warehouse. AAR had also distinguished Uttarakhand AAR in Vindhya Telelinks Ltd.

It was upheld that applicant is constructing a warehouse that is intended to be used as a permanent structure, and associated with beneficial enjoyment of the land on which it is being built. The technology used for the construction of the warehouse involves the application of pre-fabricated structures and also civil work for supporting the pre-fabricated structure and developing the floor of the warehouse. The warehouse cannot be conceived without beneficial enjoyment of the civil structure embedded on earth. The warehouse being constructed is, therefore, an immovable property, and the input tax credit is not admissible on the inward supplies for its construction, as the credit of such tax is blocked under section 17(5) (d) of the GST Act.