<h2><strong>1. Role of the Tea Board in the Tea Auction System</strong></h2><ul><li>The <strong>Tea Board of India</strong> operates an <strong>electronic auction system</strong> for tea trading across the country.</li><li>It <strong>manages payment collections and settlements</strong> for tea sales.</li><li>The Tea Board <strong>falls under the definition of an Electronic Commerce Operator (ECO)</strong> and is thus <strong>liable to collect TCS</strong> under <strong>Section 52 of the CGST Act</strong>.</li></ul><hr><h2><strong>2. Participants in the Tea Auction System</strong></h2><p>The main participants in the <strong>tea auction system</strong> include:</p><ol><li><strong>Sellers</strong> – Tea producers who sell tea through auctions.</li><li><strong>Auctioneers</strong> – Brokers who conduct the auction on behalf of sellers.</li><li><strong>Buyers</strong> – Entities purchasing tea via the auction platform.</li></ol><hr><h2><strong>3. How Payments Work in the Tea Auction System</strong></h2><ul><li><strong>Buyers pay a consolidated amount</strong> into an <strong>escrow account</strong> maintained by the Tea Board.</li><li>The <strong>escrow account covers:</strong><ul><li>The <strong>value of the tea</strong> purchased.</li><li>The <strong>brokerage fees</strong> charged by auctioneers.</li><li>The <strong>charges imposed by the Tea Board</strong> on sellers, auctioneers, and buyers.</li></ul></li><li>The <strong>Tea Board then disburses payments</strong>:<ul><li><strong>To sellers (tea producers)</strong> for the supply of tea.</li><li><strong>To auctioneers</strong> for the brokerage services provided.</li></ul></li><li><strong>Tea Board does not pay auctioneers for the supply of tea.</strong> Their payments are strictly for brokerage services.</li></ul><hr><h2><strong>4. Clarification on TCS Collection by the Tea Board</strong></h2><ul><li>The <strong>Tea Board sought clarification</strong> on <strong>whether they should collect TCS from sellers, auctioneers, or both</strong>.</li><li>The <strong>CBIC clarified</strong> that TCS must be collected as follows:<ol><li><strong>From sellers (tea producers) on the net value of tea supplied.</strong></li><li><strong>From auctioneers on the net value of brokerage services provided.</strong></li></ol></li></ul><hr><h2><strong>5. Trade Notices & Implementation</strong></h2><ul><li>The <strong>CBIC has instructed tax authorities</strong> to issue trade notices for awareness.</li><li>Any <strong>challenges in implementation</strong> should be reported to CBIC.<a href="https://cms.plasament.com/storage/shubham-pathak/circular-no-74.pdf">circular-no-74</a><br><br> </li></ul>