Budget 2011- Major proposals about Central Excise duty Note: Changes come into effect immediately unless otherwise specified.Major proposals about Central Excise duty are the following: A. General:The First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 is being amended vide clause 70 of the Finance Bill to give effect to Tariff changes relating to Union Excise duties.
The Government has decided to get a fresh study conducted on unaccounted income/ wealth both inside and outside the country brining out the nature of activities engendering money laundering and its ramifications on national security. The proposal was approved by the Government in January, 2011. The study will be conducted by three national institutes with inputs from various ministries/ departments. The institutes have been finalized and the study will be assigned to them after making necessary provisions. The institutes will be given a time frame of eighteen months to complete the study.
Indian Economy on Higher Growth Path; Resilient to Both External and Domestic Shocks:FM. Increase in International Crude Oil and Other Commodity Prices is a Matter of Concern. Emphasizes Need to Step up Investment in Agriculture Sector Both by Private and Public Sector to Achieve 4% Growth. Calls for Increase in Private Sector Savings . Infrastructure Financing a Big Challenge and Requires Innovative ideas and New Models . Manufacturing Sector Productivity Needs to be Increased . Finance Minister addresses 83rd AGM of FICCI
The WPI inflation in mineral oils increased to 16.7 per cent in January 2011 from 7.9 per cent in the corresponding period last year. This is mainly because of the rise in crude oil prices (Brent) in international market, which rose to US $96 per barrel in January 2011 from US $77 per barrel in January 2010 and US $45 per barrel in January 2009. The weighted contribution to overall inflation of mineral oils (weight 9.36%) was 19.7 per cent in January 2011 compared to 9 per cent in January last year.
Delhi bench of the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal (the Tribunal), in the case of DCIT v. Select Holiday Resorts Pvt. Ltd. (ITA Nos. 1184 & 2460/Del/2008) (Judgment Date: 23 December 2010, Assessment Years: 2004-05 & 2005-06) held that where a parent company merged with its subsidiary, the benefit of brought forward and set off of losses under Section 79 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (the Act) claimed by the amalgamated company, cannot be disallowed on the grounds that there was a change in the shareholding of more than 51 percent of the share capital of the subsidiary company since there was no change in control and management of amalgamated company pre and post merger.
Several amendments have been carried out in the provisions of the Cenvat Credit Rules (CCR), 2004. The basic thrust of these changes is to broad base and simplify definitions to reduce disputes and to achieve a more realistic attribution when common inputs or input services are used for the manufacture of both dutiable and exempt goods.
The provisions of sections 11A relating to the recovery of duty not levied, short levied, not paid, short paid or erroneously refunded have been redrafted with a view to improve the sequence in which provisions occur and simplify their language. Each sub-section consists of one sentence and conveys a single point. As far as possible, active voice has been used and provisos have been eliminated. In terms of content, the following important amendments have been proposed in this section:
Air-conditioning equipment, panels and refrigeration panels for installation of cold-chain infrastructure for preservation, storage or transport of agricultural produce and apiary, horticultural, dairy, poultry, aquatic & marine produce and meat as well as processing thereof
A number of exemptions from Central Excise duty (about 130 exemption entries) are being withdrawn. These include some cases where the rate of duty is Nil by tariff. A nominal duty of 1% ad valorem is being imposed on these items with the condition that no credit of the duty paid on input and input services is taken.
The standard rate of Central Excise duty for non-POL products has been maintained at 10%. The merit rate of excise duty (CENVAT) for non-petroleum goods has been increased from 4% to 5%. The increased rate would apply to all such goods that hitherto attracted the rate of 4%.
