• NATIONAL NEWS

No Cenvat for manufacturers of bottled beverages on excise-duty exempted broken bottles

The manufacturers of bottled beverages will no more be able to retain the CENVAT credit or the tax set-off paid on inputs, claimed on broken bottles if they have already claimed the excise duty exemption on them. After finding some instances of this sort, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has formally nullified its 1975 instruction, which was being used as the loophole for this malpractice.

House panel to probe tax evasion by IPL team-owners, Board

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance will meet on 21.07.2010 to discuss issues linked to possible tax evasion by organisers and teams of the Indian Premier League (IPL). There are indications that the Department of Revenue has unearthed strong evidence of tax evasion, particularly on the service tax front, by several service providers to the popular cricket related stories .

Foreign citizenship, domicile no bar for courts to take up matrimonial cases

Indian courts have jurisdiction to take up matrimonial proceedings involving two Hindus governed by the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA) even in cases where the opposite party is a foreign national having his domicile outside India .

SC says no to customs duty on DTA trade with SEZs

The government's bid to levy export duty on goods supplied to special economic zones (SEZs) from the rest of the country was rejected on 12.07.2010 with the Supreme Court saying that the extant law does not permit such a levy. Currently, sales by SEZ units to domestic tariff area (DTA) are subject to customs duty as SEZs are designated tax-free zones with an obligation to be net Forex earners. Although there is no provision in the law for a levy on the reverse sale, the customs authorities have started demanding a tax.

• INTERNATIONAL NEWS

SC upholds HC order granting Mahmudur bail : Dhaka

The Supreme Court on 19.07.2010 upheld a High Court order granting bail to detained Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of the daily Amar Desh, in two criminal cases. The HC on 12.07.2010 granted ad-interim bail to Mahmudur Rahman in two cases filed with Uttara and Biman Bandar police stations filed for having link with banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir and for doing conspiracy against the state.

Government working on wireless spectrum inventory

WASHINGTON Federal officials are beginning work on a comprehensive inventory of the nation's radio spectrum in hopes of finding more capacity for wireless high-speed Internet connections. An agency is working closely with the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to catalog current spectrum usage.

Lahore lawyers take on district judiciary

The district bar and bench clashed when judges resisted lawyers who were protesting against District and Sessions Judge Zawar Ahmad Sheikh. The lawyers pelted the judges who came to the help of their chief with stones and demanded transfer of judge Zawar Sheikh.

China Announces a Unified Measure Regarding Foreign Company's Representative Office's Taxation

Considering the comparatively simple and convenient setting up process and relatively low operating costs, registering a Representative Office (RO) is generally the initial step for foreign companies wishing to invest in and experience the local market.