Former skipper Sourav Ganguly has got a clean chit in an old service tax case. The Customs Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has set aside a service tax liability.
As per the detail of the case the dispute was over a tax liability of Rs 1.51 crore. The issue was whether a celebrity prompts only a brand that cannot be construed as brand endorsement.
Kolkata CESTAT while giving a clean chit to Sourav Ganguly, set aside Service tax liability amounting INR 1.51 crores (approx.) against him, specifying that in case if the brand name/house mark is promoted by a celebrity, without reference to any specific product or services, the service would not be classified under business auxiliary services and hence not taxable under Service tax law during that time.