India's banking system liquidity surplus has significantly narrowed due to tax outflows, including GST payments, and higher cash reserve ratio balances. This tightening liquidity has pushed the weighted average call rate closer to the RBI's marginal standing facility rate, with market participants anticipating a persistent deficit in the coming months.
The GST Council is set to discuss the application of GST on merchant fees for UPI transactions exceeding Rs 2,000. This comes as a new Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 0.4% (capped at Rs 300) is effective from October 15 for such transactions, which, as a service, would typically attract an 18% GST levy. The Council's decision is anticipated to consider consumer interests, with merchants potentially able to claim Input Tax Credit.
The removal of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on individual health and life insurance has led to a significant increase in new policy purchases and higher coverage levels, despite an initial surge moderating, according to industry experts.
A simplified GST registration facility for small e-commerce sellers, allowing them to register in other states by declaring the e-commerce platform's warehouse as their principal place of business, will be enabled from November 1. This move aims to encourage small businesses to expand beyond their home states.
A Goods and Services Tax inspector in Gurugram was caught red-handed by the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau while accepting a bribe of Rs 7,000 from a businessman for issuing a GST registration number. The inspector, Shruti Rani, had allegedly withheld the businessman's file, prompting him to complain to the ACB.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council's October 7 meeting will focus on 'GST 2.0' process reforms, including e-invoicing and input tax credit rules, while also addressing complex issues surrounding the taxation of the digital economy and cryptocurrency.
Punjab's Finance, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced the unearthing of a Rs 429.30 crore GST fraud, leading to an FIR in Ludhiana. The investigation, initiated after intercepting a vehicle on September 30, revealed a syndicate of 62 interconnected firms across multiple states using non-genuine documents to evade taxes.
Industry is pushing for GST reforms that would let companies use unused tax credits from one state to pay GST liabilities in another, potentially freeing up working capital trapped across state registrations.
The GST Council has approved a proposal allowing pharmaceutical companies to claim Input Tax Credit (ITC) on free samples and goods destroyed or written off due to expiry, effective from the next fiscal year. This move aims to support manufacturing, liquidity, and exports within the sector.
The GST Council has approved significant reforms including removing the arrest power of tax officials, raising the prosecution threshold fivefold to Rs 5 crore, and introducing faster, largely automated refunds for taxpayers. These changes, aimed at fostering trust and easing business, will be implemented from April 1, 2027.
'Tax recovery will continue through attachment and sale of assets and other recovery mechanisms, but personal arrest will no longer form part of the prescribed recovery process.'
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is set to discuss proposals aimed at transforming the complex indirect tax system into a more business-friendly regime, focusing on simplifying compliance, reducing administrative burdens, and potentially raising the prosecution threshold.
The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has begun deliberations on significant reforms, including decriminalising nine offences, softening provisions for 24, and raising the threshold for criminal prosecution to Rs 5 crore. The proposed changes also include scrapping the arrest powers of GST officers and introducing an 'invoice matching system' to combat fake input tax credit claims, aiming for a trust-based taxation approach and enhanced ease of doing business.
India's GST Council has approved changes allowing small online sellers to register in states without physical premises by using an e-commerce operator's warehouse as their principal place of business, aiming to boost national sales for small businesses.
Merchants will be subject to an 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) for UPI payments exceeding Rs 2,000, but can mitigate this burden by claiming input tax credit (ITC), according to tax experts.
India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) receipts, after accounting for refunds, surged by 18.1 per cent annually to approximately 1.77 trillion in September, marking its fastest growth in six months. This increase was primarily driven by a significant rise in tax revenue from imports, which grew 26 per cent annually.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has announced that Input Tax Credit (ITC) will now be available on health and life insurance policies provided by employers to their employees, a move expected to significantly reduce costs for businesses, especially MSMEs.
The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested two middlemen and detained a Central GST superintendent for allegedly demanding and accepting a Rs 25 lakh bribe to settle tax evasion matters and activate a firm's account.
CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has strongly criticised the newly introduced Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on select UPI transactions, labelling it a "UPI tax" and demanding its immediate rollback. He drew parallels with demonetisation, arguing that the new framework would negatively impact small shopkeepers, MSMEs, and ordinary citizens by increasing prices.
India's gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections saw a significant 14.8 per cent year-on-year increase in August, reaching approximately Rs 2 lakh crore, with import revenue contributing substantially to this growth.
The goal is to ensure that your bank works for you, providing liquidity and convenience without charging you for the privilege of holding your own money.
BMW India CFO Carsten Lammers has expressed surprise at the extensive scale and prolonged duration of tax and Customs litigation in India, advocating for faster dispute resolution and simpler procedures to ensure business stability.
India's Next-Gen GST reforms are proving instrumental in driving robust economic growth, simplifying tax compliance, and fostering a more inclusive business environment across the nation, aligning with the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat', writes Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys, has urged for the expanded adoption of the Account Aggregator (AA) framework to facilitate formal credit access for self-employed individuals and gig workers. He highlighted its potential to enable cash-flow-based lending by leveraging diverse data streams, moving beyond traditional asset-based lending, and fostering a more inclusive digital financial infrastructure in India.
Across all 10 schemes from FY24 to FY26, print media captured 58.8 per cent of the total ad spending, followed by electronic media at 19.5 per cent, digital media at 14.6 per cent, and outdoor media at 7.2 per cent.
Tax experts clarify that merchants will pay 18% GST on Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) for UPI payments exceeding Rs 2,000, effective October 15. However, registered merchants can claim Input Tax Credit (ITC), mitigating the tax burden. This move is expected to generate significant GST revenue for the exchequer while funding payment infrastructure.
The GST Council is set to consider a proposal allowing businesses to file for GST registration in multiple states via a single application and standardise the documents required by tax officers, aiming to enhance ease of doing business.
Maruti Suzuki India's CFO, Arnab Roy, has urged the central government to introduce an amnesty scheme or an 'as-is' settlement option to resolve past indirect tax disputes, aiming to clear legacy litigation and foster growth in the automotive industry. Roy emphasised the need for a 'smarter way to address the past' to provide long-term certainty for businesses.
HCLTech announced a robust 21.18 per cent increase in its Q2 FY27 consolidated net profit, reaching Rs 5,132 crore, largely propelled by the strong performance and higher margins from its advanced AI operations and a reduced tax burden.
Avenue Supermarts (DMart) reported lower-than-expected Q2FY27 performance, with revenue growth of 18.4 per cent year-on-year but visible margin pressure, leading to a 4.5 per cent stock drop. The company faces challenges from lower-margin sales, operating cost pressures, and aggressive store expansion, impacting profitability despite improved same-store sales growth.
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty saw an early rebound, driven by strong performances from blue-chip HDFC Bank and major IT firms like HCL Tech, which reported a significant rise in net profit. Track Sensex, Nifty on October 13.
HCLTech, India's third-largest IT services company, reported robust Q2 revenue growth of 2.3 per cent in constant currency, driven by services and ER&D segments, with strong new deal wins of $3.3 billion and significant traction in its AI business. Despite exceeding margin estimates and raising revenue guidance, some brokerages remain cautious due to the stock's premium valuation compared to peers.
The Income Tax Department in Mumbai has inducted 97 accomplished sportspersons under its sports quota, including cricketer Tejal Hasabnis and para shooter Akash, to strengthen its commitment to recognising sporting excellence and nurturing talent in public service.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged income tax authorities to significantly accelerate the adjudication of taxpayer appeals.
ITC reported a 16.2 per cent year-on-year drop in consolidated net profit to 4,394.13 crore in Q1 FY27, primarily due to a significant increase in taxes on its cigarette business. Consolidated net revenues also declined by 11.1 per cent to 19,114 crore, missing analyst estimates.
Automobile dealers in India are reporting healthy bookings ahead of Navratri and Dussehra, with the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada) indicating strong confidence in a pickup in deliveries from mid-October, despite a high base from last year's GST-led surge.
India's entry-level passenger vehicle market is experiencing a significant recovery, with mini car wholesales surging 86.3 per cent year-on-year in the first half of FY27, driven by improved affordability and stronger overall demand.
Indian stock markets witnessed a significant rebound, with the Sensex rallying 1,109 points and the Nifty closing above 22,720, driven by strong performances in IT and financial sectors, a recovering rupee, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's comments on long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax.
A year after GST rates were rationalised, retail growth in automobiles has sustained beyond the initial festival surge, led by two-wheelers and passenger vehicles (PVs), with the Fada data showing rural markets emerging as a key driver of the post-GST demand recovery.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has released a 198-page guidance note to assist crypto-asset service providers in complying with reporting obligations under the Income-tax Act, 2025, aligning India with the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (Carf) for automatic exchange of tax information.
