Giving relief to 4.71 crore subscribers of EPFO, the government has allowed tax exemption on the 9.5% interest income on PF deposits for 2010-11. The finance ministry notification last week raises the income tax exemption to 9.5% interest income from 8.5%. The decision clears the air for the EPFO subscribers who were given increased interest rate by one percentage point for 2010-11, but the finance ministry had not matched the interest hike with a commensurate tax exemption.
The Income Tax Department (ITD) today said that it had issued notices to former Sebi chairman C B Bhave to furnish information in support of his return filed for the 2009-10 assessment year. The ITD has also initiated enquiry against two serving members of the Security and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), said a CBDT release.
Indian firms outsourcing routine work to their overseas subsidiaries would not have to deduct withholding tax on the payments made to them. In a landmark ruling, the Authority of Advance Ruling (AAR) ( A.A.R. No.883 of 2010 dated 16.05.2010 – Applicant R.R. Donnelley India Outsource Private Limited) held that firms are exempted from deducting the withholding tax on the payments made for services like transcription and data processing.
The Supreme Court today pulled up the Income Tax department for not taking timely action against the companies involved in the 2G spectrum scam and said had it not intervened, the officials would have “slept over it” and the oversees probe would not have proceeded.
Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee has welcomed the substantial decline in core inflation from 9.19 per cent in March 2011 to 7.97 per cent, along with drop in inflation for food articles from 9.47 per cent in March to 8.71 per cent in April 2011. Beside it, the Finance Minister said that there is decline in year-on-year overall inflation to 8.66 per cent from 9.04 per cent in March 2011.
Our requirement of office space is around 9.72 lacs sq mtrs, while the space available is only 6.67 lac sq mtrs. We are in possession of around 1.32 lac sq mtrs of vacant land, nearly 90 % of which was acquired over 5 years ago & 52 % more than 10 years back. Construction proposals on such lands are either under process or are yet to be received.
Increase in monetary limits :- The Central Government has on April 6, 2011 amended the said Rules to provide that no approval of the Central Government will be required under section 314 (1 B) of the Act if the monthly remuneration does not exceed Rs. 250,000 per month. Changes in procedure- The Rules also provide the procedure that may be adopted by the Central Government for considering application under section 314 (1 B) of the Act. One of the aspects to be considered by the Central Government is procedure followed by a company for selection and appointment of a relative of a director for holding office or place of profit in the company.
Prodding mutual funds to act as conscience-keeper of listed firms, Sebi has asked them to inform the investors on an urgent basis about their support or opposition to various business decisions of the companies. The market watchdog is of the view that the fear of a possible opposition by institutional investors like mutual funds being made public would force the companies to follow best corporate governance practises in their businesses.
Filtrex Technologies Pvt. Ltd. v. ACIT – ITAT Bangalore held that payments made under a Technology Transfer Agreement ‘make available’ technical knowledge or experience, and hence, are taxable as Fees for Technical Services in terms of Article 12(4)(b) of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between India and Singapore. Also, payments made for services in the nature of marketing support and other administrative services do not ‘make available’ technology, and hence, cannot be held as FTS under Article 12 of DTAA between India and Singapore.
