With orders drying up from the overseas markets, the council projects an export growth of 15 per cent in 2008-09 to nearly $38.8 billion, against the 27.4 per cent rise ($33.72 billion) seen in the previous year. This will be the lowest expansion in engineering goods exports in seven years. A sample survey of about 30 SMEs conducted by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations points towards the job losses in the sector.
India may not charge import duty on personal artefacts of Mahatma Gandhi, which were bought by liquor baron Vijay Mallya in an auction at New York. Moreover, the country is also going to relax import restriction on all items of historical significance of Indian origin.A pair of steel-rimmed spectacles and sandals, a Zenith pocket watch, an eating bowl and a plate went under the hammer in New York and the UB Group chairman successfully bid for them for $1.8 million.
India's sea ports do not have equipment to detect radioactive or contaminated consignments, exposing the country to security and safety risks, besides damaging reputation of goods manufactured in the country.
A draft report prepared by Members of the European Parliament could potentially derail negotiations between India and the European Union, the country's largest trade partner, on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement involving duty-free trade of goods, services and investment. The report has called for the inclusion of human rights and democracy issues in the CEPA talks and an international investigation into "extra judicial killings" in Jammu & Kashmir.
"The fact that not many FTAs were sealed shows the cautious approach of the policy makers," said Ram Upendra Das, fellow, Research and Information System for Developing Countries. "But India has recognised that these duty-free agreements are the order of the day as other countries are engaging in similar deals. Indian exporters will be left out if the nation does not engage in these types of agreements with its trading partners," he added.
The second phase of reforms was expected to address areas like extending 'national treatment' to foreign banks, which means that foreign banks would be treated on a par with Indian ones under the World Trade Organisation agreement. Other items that are to be considered include permitting listing foreign banks' wholly-owned subsidiaries in India and the acquisition of sound Indian banks by foreign banks.
More time for fulfilling export obligations also likely.
After sharing the losses of state-owned fuel oil retailers, upstream producers may also have to pay income tax on the burden they take on their books.
India's import bill contracted for the first time in almost nine years during January 2009, led by crude oil and capital goods, which constitute nearly half the total imports.
A dip in petroleum product exports for the first time in the current fiscal has contributed to a 22 per cent decline in merchandise exports in January, commerce ministry data reveals.
Broad consensus is emerging within a Group of Ministers chaired by finance and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on a proposal seeking comprehensive changes in the foreign direct investment policy. This includes scrapping automatic approval in sectors that have FDI limits and in which ownership or control is shifting to a foreign company, and a new definition for calculating indirect foreign equity.
After Vodafone, UK-based Vedanta Resources Plc and Aditya Birla group firm Indian Rayon also face a potential tax demand of around Rs 900 crore and Rs 45 crore, respectively, for their failure to deduct taxes on payments to buy Indian assets, said a senior government official.
Faced with the prospect of missing the direct tax collection target because of the economic slowdown, the Income Tax department has sharply increased fresh tax demands to Rs 1,24,000 crore from companies and individuals in the current fiscal, a 130 per cent increase over fresh demands raised last year.
After the Satyam scam, the role of chartered accountants has come into focus again. This time the Income Tax Department has found that CAs have given false certificates, enabling Non-Resident Indians and foreign nationals to evade taxes in India.
For the first time since its inception in 2006, the Board of Approval on special economic zones in its next meeting in March will take up a proposal from a developer to merge these tax-free industrial enclaves for exports.
Though the states might lose because of providing tax credit on input, they will also gain by way of taxing services. At present, only the Centre taxes around 100 types of services. Thus, the actual losses states might incur cannot be estimated until the GST is implemented.
In a note, titled 'IIFCL financing for PPP projects,' sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ahluwalia wrote, 'It was pointed out in the meeting that the term of the current CMD (chairman and managing director) of IIFCL ends on March 10. The FS (finance secretary) had indicated that the term can be extended. Action on this front should be expedited to avoid loss of momentum.'
Though CST is a central tax, the entire collection, estimated at Rs 250 billion per year, goes to the states. CST was to be cut to 1 per cent from April this year before its phase-out; from April 1, 2010, the country will transit to a uniform goods and services tax regime. "It was recommended by the empowered committee of state finance ministers that the CST rate of 2 per cent should continue until GST is implemented," said a source familiar with the development.
GST, which will replace almost all central and state taxes, could have two components of 8 per cent each -- one will go to the Centre and the other to the states, according to sources familiar with the talks between the Centre and the states. However, it will not cover tax on petroleum products and Customs duty.
Serious Fraud Investigation Office joins multi-agency probe.
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