No Service Tax On Buying Or Selling Of Space In Print Media, Receiving Incentives On Meeting Targets: CESTAT

CESTAT (Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal) held that no service tax is leviable on the buying or selling of space in print media and on receiving incentives for meeting targets. The tribunal reasoned that the activity of selling advertising space is akin to the sale of goods and not a service. Furthermore, incentives received for achieving sales targets are directly linked to this non-service activity and hence also fall outside the purview of service tax.