All stories by Shrimi Choudhary
'Yes, we are coming back'
Rediff.com3 days ago'I want us not to underestimate Indian voters. They can tell good work from bad.'
LIC may need 5 yrs more beyond 2027 to comply with public float norms
Rediff.com7 Sep 2023Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) may require at least five more years to comply with the minimum public shareholding of 25 per cent beyond the current exempted timeline of 2027. Formal communication in this regard had been shared recently with the finance ministry, underlining LIC's roadmap, plans of further dilution of stake, current norms around public float, and challenges ahead, a government source familiar with the matter said. "Going forward, we will have to take a call, along with Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) and the Department of Economic Affairs on the roadmap for minimum public shareholding (MPS).
Expect Tax Refunds Now In 10 Days
Rediff.com4 Sep 2023Almost all verification and assessments of returns selected for scrutiny are being done electronically through an anonymous back office, manned by tax experts and officials, without any personal interface between taxpayers and officers.
Gross tax revenue up 2.8% at rs 8.9 trillion so far in FY24
Rediff.com1 Sep 2023India's gross tax revenue, comprising both direct and indirect taxes between April and July, reported a growth rate of merely 2.8 per cent to Rs 8.9 trillion compared to the same period a year ago, as shown by government data on Thursday. This growth was dampened by direct tax figures, offsetting the healthy growth in goods and services tax collections and Customs duties. While net tax revenue contracted by 12.6 per cent to Rs 5.8 trillion up to July, accounting for 25 per cent of the Rs 23.3 trillion full-year target, this could be attributed to the increased tax devolution to states during the period.
Young Taxpayers Prefer New Tax Regime
Rediff.com31 Aug 2023'Most young taxpayers prefer income tax filing to be flexible yet straightforward.'
'Inflation will reduce in next three months'
Rediff.com28 Aug 2023'We are engaging in substantial open market sales of both wheat and rice to control food inflation; special measures of market intervention in vegetables, pulses and oil seeds were also taken to cushion the impact.'
Procedural delays likely in IDBI Bank stake sale; bids expected in Q3
Rediff.com16 Aug 2023The strategic sale of government and state-owned Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India stakes in IDBI Bank might encounter procedural delays, potentially pushing the timeline for expected financial bids to the third quarter of the current financial year (2023-24, or FY24), according to sources familiar with the development. Financial bids constitute the second significant step in the divestment process, following expressions of interest (EoIs) from potential bidders. In this phase, bidders are required to quote transactional fee as a percentage of the divestment proceeds, which are then added to the government's kitty after completion of the transaction.
Banks get 8 months to effect TCS on international credit card spend
Rediff.com31 Jul 2023The central government has given banks and credit card entities six to eight months to put in place the requisite reporting mechanism and related features to collect tax at source on international credit card transactions, a senior bureaucrat told Business Standard. According to the bureaucrat, the plan to bring overseas credit cards under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) has not been mothballed and is simply being deferred so that banks get adequate time to get the system up and running. The official expects the reporting mechanism to be ready in the given time, and the rule could be implemented in the next financial year (2024-25, or FY25).
Tax norms for charitable trusts get stricter
Rediff.com4 Jul 2023The income-tax (I-T) authorities have tightened disclosure norms for charitable trusts. They now have to declare the nature of their activities from October 1 for tax purposes. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified changes in reporting rules where the charitable institutions have to mention whether the activities undertaken are charitable, religious, or both to claim tax benefits.
Insurance companies likely to soon face GST audits
Rediff.com30 Jun 2023Insurance companies may soon face goods and services tax (GST) audits as tax authorities plan a "deep dive" into their business practices to check for the possibility of a raft of tax-linked irregularities. Several insurance companies are being probed for wrongly availing of the input tax credit without the underlying supply of goods and services based on fake invoices generated by their channel partners and intermediaries. "We want to deep dive into the overall business and see if there are further taxation issues besides commissions, which are already being investigated," a senior official of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs said.
GST Council likely to approve tribunal blueprint this month
Rediff.com12 Jun 2023The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, which is likely to meet in the third or fourth week of June, is set to clear the operational framework of the much-awaited GST appellate tribunal, which will deal with tax disputes and streamline resolution. "The final blueprint, mainly the operational part, is expected to be presented in the GST Council meeting for approval. "This will pave the way for the tribunal to be functional, both at the central and state levels," said a senior government official, who expects the tribunal to be up and running by November.
TDS rules: Online gaming bonus, incentives taxable if withdrawn, says CBDT
Rediff.com24 May 2023The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Monday clarified that any deposit in the form of bonus or incentives credited in a user account will be considered net winnings, and subject to tax deduction, in case of withdrawal. If these are used only for playing, then it's not liable for tax deducted at source (TDS). Further, in case net winnings do not exceed Rs 100 a month, the applicable tax need not be deducted.
Adani Saga: Sebi Seeks Overseas Info On FPIs
Rediff.com10 May 2023Sebi is learnt to have written to several regulators including those in Bermuda, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, seeking detailed information on some FPIs.
CA, CS handling client money in PMLA ambit; FinMin notifies rules
Rediff.com5 May 2023To further tighten its control of practising accountants, the Centre has brought within the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) their "financial transactions" such as operating and managing their client firms and trusts, and buying and selling business entities. The Union finance ministry issued a gazette notification on this on Wednesday. Under the new rule, chartered accountants, company secretaries, and cost and works accountants carrying out such transactions (on behalf of their clients) will now be required to go through the Know Your Company (KYC) process before commencing work.
GST authorities quiz auto dealers on fake invoicing
Rediff.com26 Apr 2023Expanding investigation into allegedly wrongful claims of input tax credit by insurance companies, the tax authorities are probing a section of automobile dealers who have supposedly generated fake invoices without providing any service, which is a punishable offence under goods and services tax (GST) law. The authorities are learnt to have questioned the car dealers to explain the services they provided general insurance companies. The investigators suspect car dealers pitched for insurance schemes that give them commissions in excess of those insurance regulations permit.
IDBI Bank financial bids expected by June
Rediff.com6 Apr 2023The government and Life Insurance Corporation's (LIC's) strategic stake sale in IDBI Bank is expected to move to the second stage by the first quarter of FY24, said two people in the know. They added that considering the progress of the ongoing deal, financial bids are expected to come in by June this year. The proposed IDBI Bank stake sale is divided into two sequential stages.
GST rate rationalisation unlikely before 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Rediff.com5 Apr 2023Overhaul of the goods and services tax (GST) structure, including possible changes in the tax slabs, may now be taken up only after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, given the number of states that are going to the polls in its run-up. "No major overhaul of tax rates is expected in GST until the end of next fiscal year. One major reason for this is that some members of the group of ministers (GoM) - mandated to look at rate rationalisation by the GST Council - are from poll-bound states. Later, this may lead to reconstitution of the panel," a senior government official told Business Standard. Besides, both the Centre and states are not in favour of frequent changes in the tax rates amid inflationary uncertainties; they believe any major change should be brought in after extensive deliberations, according to the official.
Did Mumbai Pay Rs 5 Trillion In Taxes?
Rediff.com3 Apr 2023Mumbai, which adds 37 per cent to the total direct tax mop-up, has reported tax collection of Rs 4.93 trillion so far, against the full-year target of Rs 5.35 trillion.
Why I-T Department Selected 68,000 Cases
Rediff.com21 Mar 2023Transactions were allegedly not reported correctly in the tax returns for FY20.
Adani-Hindenburg saga: Over 12 entities involved in short-selling under Sebi lens
Rediff.com20 Mar 2023More than a dozen entities, both domestic and foreign, had come under the regulatory glare over alleged short-selling before and after the publication of the Hindenburg research report against Adani Group, two people familiar with the development said. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), which is examining the rise in stock values of Adani Group in the past few years, is also scrutinising the trade data and trade pattern of these entities allegedly involved in short-selling and made significant profit. Enquiries in the trade pattern of these entities reflected a profit of over Rs 30,000 crore, pre- and post-Hindenburg saga, said one of the two people.