THE government on Friday introduced a scheme that will facilitate easy exit for unlisted companies willing to wind up their defunct business. A defunct company is one whose business is lying in a dormant state. The new scheme will give such companies an opportunity to get their names struck off from the Register of Companies(RoC).
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has sought time to respond to a public interest litigation (PIL) in Delhi High Court, which alleges that the Registrar of Companies (ROC) discriminates against lawyers by only allowing chartered accounts, company secretaries or cost accountants to certify electronic submissions to the corporate registrar.
Regulations regarding maintenance of cost accounting records and cost audit are likely to change. If the recommendations of the expert committee appointed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs are accepted, all manufacturing companies with a paid-up capital of Rs 50 crores (500 million) or more will be required to get their cost accounting records audited by a statutory cost auditor.
Foreign audit firms may soon get full practising rights in India. Recommendations to give them full rights and make them accountable are in the final report on the multi-crore Satyam Computers scam submitted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to the ministry of corporate affairs.
The introduction of electronic filing of I-T returns, e-payment of taxes, establishment of the national network (TAXNET), and consolidation of the Regional Computer Centers into the National Data Center have laid the foundation for the next generation administrative reforms in the Income Tax Department.
Everyone is anxious to know from which date, New services covered by Union Budget 2010 will be taxable as CBEC has not yet issued any circular/Notification or press release on the same. We learnt from our sources that CBEC will notify the dates, from which new services will be taxable on 01st June 2010. It is also learnt that New services will be taxable from 15th June 2010.
The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, has released the draft Amendment Bill (“Bill”) containing the proposed amendments in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 (“Act”). Changes are proposed in numerous provisions of the century old enactment. The Bill has been sent to all the State Governments for obtaining their views and the same has also been posted on the Finance Ministry’s website i.e. www.finmin.nic.in
The Income Tax Department has started scrutiny of the assets and expenditure details furnished to the Election Commission by the candidates and MPs who fought Lok Sabha polls last year. The Election Commission (EC) has recently informed the department to take “appropriate action” with regard to the financial details furnished by the candidates after it finished uploading the affidavits from all the states and Union Territories (UTs) on its official website.
The finance ministry may drop a provision in the draft direct taxes code that allows local tax laws to override India’s tax treaties with other countries, as it looks to avoid uncertainties over existing bilateral tax arrangements. The finance ministry has formed a special task force within the Central Board of Direct Taxes to rework the draft, which is expected to be made public next month.
To avoid confusion among students, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has decided not to change the curriculum of CA subject for another four to five years, said its vice-president G Ramaswamy.
