’BCCI to pay service tax for recording matches’

New Delhi, January 7: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will have to pay the service tax for recording the cricket match which is used for live telecast by the contracting sports channels as the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the plea challenging the levying of the service tax on it. “If it (recording of match for live telecast) is not a service tax matter then what it can be,” asked the apex court bench of Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice AK Sikri as BCCI counsel sought to assail the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribul (CESTAT) order upholding the levying of service tax. The CESTAT while upholding the levying of the service tax to the tune of Rs.18 crore for the period from 2006 to 2010, had said recording of match for live telecast was a production activity. The CESTAT order was passed on August 28, 2014. IANS