Thursday, 19 March 2015
Non-refundable membership fees received by a club has to be taxed by spreading it over membership pe
Tribunal can't adjudicate appeal on merits when issue relates to pre-deposit
Provisions of Sec. 167B providing taxability at maximum marginal rate isn't applicable to a society
CLB isn't conferred with jurisdiction under Cos Act to adjudicate upon validity of allotment of shar
Effect of forex fluctuation not to be considered for computing operating margins of comparable
Margin earned by assessee in high seas sale couldn't be regarded as 'commission' for levying service
In order to set aside sale of liquidating-Co's assets, liquidator was left with only remedy to appro
5 months delay in issuing sec. 158BD notice after recording of satisfaction by AO wasn't fatal to bl
Number Of Ports For Import Of New Vehicles Increased To 14
Government has increased the number of ports from 12 to 14 through which new vehicles can be imported -- a move which would help in reducing pressure on ports and transactions cost of companies.
"Two new customs ports - Kattupalli Port and APM Terminals, Pipavav Port - are being added to the list of 12 existing ports/ICDs (inland container depot), thereby taking the total number of ports/ICDs to 14, for importing new vehicles," Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification.
New vehicles are imported through eight seaports, three airports -- Mumbai Air Cargo Complex, Delhi Air Cargo, Chennai Airport -- and three ICDs -- Telegaon Pune, Tughlakabad and Faridabad.
The eight seaports include Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ennore, Cochin and Kattupalli.India, a major hub of automobile manufacturing in the world, mainly imports high-end vehicles and parts.
The number of commercial and passenger vehicles imported into the country is small in number.According to a media report, during the April-November period, 1,210 trucks and buses were imported into India.
Source:business-standard.com
No confiscation of excess/short stocks and no penalty under rule 25, if charge of evasion not invoke
Demand couldn't be confirmed just because assessee had mentioned wrong description of goods mistaken
Textiles Ministry Worried Over Jute Import From Bangladesh
Rising jute import from Bangladesh is a matter of concern and the issue has been taken up with Commerce Ministry, Textiles Minister Santosh Gangwar said in Lok Sabha today.
"Jute from Bangladesh is coming. We can stop it. We have taken up the matter with Commerce Ministry. The import is rising every year and it is a matter of concern," he said replying to questions.
Gangwar said jute sector plays an important role in India's economy, especially in the eastern parts, and supports the livelihood of around 40 lakh families.
The exports are to the tune of Rs 1800 cr annually. He said his ministry is also in talks with Agriculture Ministry to give more incentives to farmers producing and using quality seeds.
Gangwar lamented that he has not received any positive reply from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over his ministry's suggestions for encouraging the industry in the state, which produces over 80 percent of jute.
Three out of six mills in the state are closed and the Centre also needs cooperation from the state to remove encroachment from there.
Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com
Lg May Hike Prices Of New Imported Mobile Handsets
South Korean major LG Electronics is contemplating hiking the prices of new handset models it will import into India due to the revised duty structure announced in the recent budget that has swung in favour of component imports compared to finished product imports for mobile devices.
Since the company currently imports finished handsets, it will be paying higher duty than earlier while other manufacturers like Karbonn, Micromax, Lava, Samsung and others, who import components, accessories and assemble them in India, have been offered a duty rebate.
Amit Gujral, marketing head, LG Mobile India, said they were evaluation the impact of the duty on their mobile handsets and would soon take a call on it.
"As of date, we have not increased it (prices of mobile handsets) but since we import all our devices from our headquarters in South Korea we will get impacted by the new duty structure. New (mobile handset) models that will come in, depending on the segmentation we will share its load (higher cost) with consumers or we might absorb it," he said.
In a bid to promote its Make In India programme and local manufacturing of mobile devices like cell phones and tablets, the government in the last month's union budget, revised the excise duty structure for mobiles handsets to 1% without CENVAT credit or 12.5% with CENVAT credit. The duty structure for mobiles was 6% with CENVAT credit earlier. This will give impetus to local mobile manufacturers.
Gujral said the company may look at starting local manufacturing if the economies of scales would permit. The South Korean behemoth currently has one plant each in Pune and Greater Noida for manufacturing white goods products.
"For us to talk about local manufacturing is different from other players because we don't have to look at setting up a new plant. We already have two giant plants for which goods and we can start mobile handset manufacturing there. For us it that will happen when there is economies of scale. It will be a mix of export and local consumption. So, we have to work out the feasibility of the same. We are not saying no but we are not even prepared to say yes," he said.
Its South Korean rival Samsung is already producing 90% of the mobile handsets sold in the country at its plants in Noida and Tamil Nadu, and is reportedly looking to set up a third one in Uttar Pradesh.
Finnish telecom major Nokia had to shut down mobile handset plant in Tamil Nadu as it is embroiled in a tax dispute with the state government, which has slapped a Rs 2,400-crore notice on it for evading tax on mobile handsets sold in the domestic market.
Simultaneously, it is involved in a legal tangle, where the apex court has ordered it to produce a Rs 3,500-crore guarantee before transferring its plant to Microsoft, which recently acquired its handset division. Other major players like Micromax, Karbonn, Lava, Intex and others are also producing their handsets in local market.
Source:dnaindia.com
Edible Oil Imports To Cross 1.25 Cr Tonnes In Marketing Year ’14-15
With edible oil imports increasing by 22.7 per cent in the first four months of the current oil marketing year, India’s total edible oil imports are expected to be around 1.25 crore tonnes due to lower production estimates, an expert said here on Thursday.
Edible oil imports in the first four months of the current oil marketing year, from November 2014 to February 2015, rose by 22.7 per cent from 34.2 lakh tonnes to 41.9 lakh tonnes, data from the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEAI) shows.
Production of nine oilseeds during 2014-15 is estimated at 2.98 crore tonnes according to the second advance estimates of the Government of India. This shows a drop of around 9.7 per cent compared to 3.27 crore tonnes of production during 2013-14, according to final official estimates. These oilseeds include groundnut, castorseed, sesamum, nigerseed, rapeseed, linseed, safflower, sunflower, and soybean.
Raju Choksi, Vice-President (Agri Commodities), Anil Nutrients Ltd, a part of the Anil Group of companies, said the production estimates of nine oilseeds were lower as compared to first advance estimates due to untimely rains in a few growing regions as well as lower yields due to scarce rainfall in some other parts. The import volume is likely to grow by more than 7 per cent due to a significant rise in imports of soyabean and sunflower oils.
He said imports are growing despite a shrinking edible oil import basket. “India has completely stopped imports of cottonseed oil since the last five years due to abundant cotton supply. Import of other edible oils such as safflower and coconut oil has also fallen to nil since the last couple of years.
Despite lower production estimates, domestic prices of edible oils, excluding groundnut, have fallen drastically in the last few months owing to a drop in the price of these oils in the global market. “International prices of these oils have fallen as there is abundant supply from markets such as Brazil, Argentina, the US, Indonesia and Malaysia,” he added.
Source:thehindubusinessline.com
India To Import Iraqi Oil To Fill Strategic Reserves
India is set to import 8 million barrels of Iraqi oil to fill its first strategic petroleum reserve (SPR), taking advantage of cheap prices and lending some support to a market suffering from oversupply.
India's SPR purchases could temporarily help offset the impact of an expected pause in China's strategic stocks build and the start of spring maintenance at Asian refiners.
India's oil ministry on Tuesday instructed state refiners Indian Oil Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd to each seek two very large crude carriers (VLCC) of Basra oil for arrival in May-June, totalling 8 million barrels, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The tenders are to be issued this month and plans call for the federal cabinet to approve issuing tenders at its meeting next week, said one of the sources, who declined to be identified.
A committee of directors suggested Basra oil as it suits refineries on India's east coast, the source said, adding this will be a one-off purchase for the SPR as the stocks will be used only in case of supply disruptions.
India's finance ministry has provided 24 billion rupees (about $383 million) from revised budget estimates for the current fiscal year to fill the first SPR.
"In Asia we are trading May cargoes and demand from India for Basra will tighten the prompt market and will make contango in the Asia and Dubai markets narrower," said Ehsan Ul Haq, senior consultant at UK-based consultant KBC Energy Economics.
Benchmark Brent futures have climbed off a six-year low hit in January but are still down more than 50 percent from last June at $53 per barrel. "It could weaken the price of Brent-linked crudes as traders were expecting India to buy sweet oil for its SPR.
"On the other hand it would be good news for Iraq, which has been struggling to find buyers because of the deteriorating quality of Basra," Haq said.
The world's fourth biggest oil consumer, India last month built its first underground SPR in Andhra Pradesh with a capacity to hold 9.75 million barrels of oil.
The Vizag facility has two compartments of 7.55 million barrels and 2.20 million barrels. The smaller compartment will be used by HPCL for its 166,000 barrel-per-day Vizag refinery.
A total of three SPRs in the south will hold more than 36 million barrels of oil, enough to cover about 13 days' supply for India in case of a supply disruption or extreme price volatility.
The two other SPRs, at Padur and Mangalore in southern Karnataka state, will have a capacity of 29.3 million barrels and are expected to be ready by October.
In addition to HPCL's Vizag refinery, the IOC's 150,000 bpd Haldia refinery and a 210,000 bpd refinery owned by Chennai Petroleum Corp. , a subsidiary of IOC, can process Basra oil.
Source:business-standard.com
Sec. 11 relief could be denied only to extent of investment made in contravention of sec. 11(5)
Tribunal may extend stay even beyond 365 days after assigning its reasons
Rupee Gains 34 Paise Against Dollar In Early Trade
The rupee appreciated by 34 paise to two-week high of 62.35 against the dollar in early trade on Thursday at the Interbank Foreign Exchange after the American currency weakened overseas amidst sustained selling of the Greenback by exporters and banks.
Forex dealers said besides selling of the American currency by exporters and banks, the tumbling of the dollar against euro and yen following a surprisingly dovish forecast for growth and interest rates by the US Federal Reserve, supported the rupee.
Further, a higher opening of the domestic equity market influenced the uptrend in the rupee, they added. The rupee had closed almost flat against the dollar on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex rose sharply by 246.16 points, or 0.86%, to 28,868.28 in early trade on Thursday.
Source:hindustantimes.com