DTAA notification continuity under the new tax law raises treaty enforceability questions and transitional compliance risk.
The transitional issue is whether DTAA notifications issued under Section 90(1) of the repealed Income-tax Act, 1961 continue as notifications under Section 4(1) of the Income-tax Act, 2025. The article treats the notification as the domestic legal conduit for treaty enforceability, notes the savings clause and General Clauses Act continuity argument, and concludes that existing notifications are best read as carried forward under the new Act, though residual litigation risk remains absent CBDT clarification. (AI Summary)

Angel tax relief for start-ups expands valuation options, adds safe harbour tolerance, and eases investor compliance.
Relaxation of angel tax for start-ups is discussed in relation to the omission of section 56(2)(viib), its anti-unaccounted-money rationale, and the valuation difficulties faced by start-up investors. The article notes proposed relief for DPIIT-registered start-ups, additional valuation methods for NRI investors, a price-matching facility for resident and NRI investment, a 90-day merchant banker valuation window, and a 10% safe harbour valuation tolerance limit for unquoted equity shares. (AI Summary)

No-consideration corporate guarantees are treated as non-taxable supply, while valuation rule 28(2) survives for taxable cases.
Corporate guarantees issued by a holding company to banks or financial institutions on behalf of a subsidiary or related entity, where no fee, commission, or other consideration is charged, are discussed as not constituting a supply under Section 7 of the CGST Act. The Bombay High Court's reasoning is presented as applying the principle that consideration remains the gateway to taxability, and that a shareholder or parent-company guarantee is not furnished in the course or furtherance of business in the relevant sense. The article also notes that the Court treated the no-consideration principle as continuing to operate in GST. (AI Summary)

Reverse charge mechanism under GST demands careful classification, cash payment, and reconciliation-backed ITC compliance across notified services.
Reverse charge mechanism under GST operates as a recipient-based tax payment and compliance framework governed principally by section 9(3) and section 9(4) of the CGST Act, 2017 and section 5(3) of the IGST Act, 2017. Applicability is notification-driven and requires accurate classification, timely discharge of liability, documentation discipline, and continuous monitoring. Major categories discussed include GTA services, legal services, director services, insurance agent services, sponsorship services, specified Government and local authority services, and import of services. ITC becomes available only after tax is paid in cash and is increasingly linked to reconciliations and system-driven validations. (AI Summary)

Expert opinion in GST classification is persuasive but not binding, with tariff interpretation still controlling the legal answer.
Expert opinion in GST and Customs classification disputes is relevant and persuasive, but it is not conclusive proof and cannot override statutory interpretation. Final classification must be determined by tariff headings, section notes, chapter notes, General Rules for Interpretation, HSN Explanatory Notes, judicial precedents, functional characteristics, and commercial identity of the product. Expert assistance is valuable for explaining specialised technical issues, but legal classification remains a question of statutory interpretation. Its value lies in supporting a legally sustainable classification position. (AI Summary)

Risk-based customs clearance streamlines import processing, rewards compliance, and targets high-risk cargo for closer scrutiny.
India's Customs Risk Management System for imports uses a technology-driven, risk-based framework under the Customs Act, 1962 to streamline clearance and allocate examination resources according to shipment risk. Importers self-assess duties, and automated evaluation classifies shipments into facilitated clearance, documentary assessment, or high-risk examination based on compliance history, goods profile, declared value, and intelligence inputs. The system is intended to improve efficiency, reduce delay and storage costs, support authorised economic operators, and help customs focus on post-clearance audit and higher-risk cargo. (AI Summary)

ESG governance is becoming a core board duty, demanding strategic oversight, risk integration, and credible disclosure practices.
Boards of directors are increasingly expected to treat ESG governance as a core element of corporate strategy rather than a limited compliance exercise. ESG priorities have moved from sustainability reporting and regulatory adherence to a broader governance function linked to enterprise resilience, investor confidence, reputation management, and long-term value creation. Effective board oversight requires active leadership in embedding environmental, social, and governance considerations into business operations, culture, strategic planning, and decision-making. The role extends to strategic oversight, risk integration, accountability structures, transparent disclosure, and protection against greenwashing. (AI Summary)

Employee perquisites under GST turn on commercial substance, employer subsidy, and whether welfare facilities remain part of employment.
Employee welfare facilities and perquisites under GST are assessed by whether they form part of the employment relationship or amount to an independent taxable supply. The article stresses that salary treatment or income-tax disclosure does not control GST, because the real enquiry is the commercial substance of the arrangement, the extent of employer subsidy, and whether the employee receives a genuine economic concession. Advance rulings on leased cars, canteen facilities, and transportation illustrate that substantial recovery from employees weakens the case for non-taxability, while employer-funded welfare arrangements supported by employment documentation are more likely to remain outside GST. (AI Summary)

RoDTEP export incentives apply to regulated exports when government approvals permit shipment despite policy restrictions.
Export incentive under the RoDTEP Scheme cannot be denied merely because the exported goods were subject to a regulatory restriction, where the exports were nevertheless permitted under a quota-based or approval-based mechanism. White refined sugar exports made pursuant to permissions granted by the competent authority were treated as lawful regulated exports, not as prohibited exports, and the mere classification of sugar as restricted under the Foreign Trade Policy did not by itself disentitle exporters from RoDTEP benefits. The discussion distinguishes restricted goods from prohibited goods and states that exporters complying with permissions and statutory conditions cannot be denied benefits unless there is an express exclusion. (AI Summary)

Tax collected but not paid must be deposited forthwith, with recovery, interest, penalty, and refund adjustment rules.
Section 76 of the CGST Act requires any person who collects an amount as tax to deposit it with the Government forthwith, regardless of whether the supply is taxable. If the amount is not paid, the proper officer may issue a show-cause notice, adjudicate tax, interest and penalty, and pass an order within one year from the notice date, excluding any stayed period. Any amount already deposited is adjusted, and any surplus may be refunded or credited to the Consumer Welfare Fund. (AI Summary)

Tax audit assignment cap through UDIN enforcement aims to curb volume concentration and improve audit quality.
A new UDIN-based control mechanism imposes a hard ceiling of 60 tax audit assignments per practising chartered accountant per financial year for Section 44AB audits from FY 2026-27 onwards. The cap is enforced automatically through the portal, and once the ceiling is reached, UDIN generation stops without any override. For partners across multiple firms, the limit applies on an aggregate basis across all firms. The article links the measure to concerns over concentrated audit volumes, delegation of audit work, and audit quality. (AI Summary)

Natural justice in GST notice service requires effective communication beyond portal posting and fair hearing opportunity.
Effective service of notice and hearing communications under Section 169 of the CGST Act requires more than a formal upload on the GST portal where the respondent indicates difficulty accessing appeal papers. The GSTAT used multiple modes of communication, including portal notice, email, and physical papers through speed post, to ensure actual access to the appeal record and notice of hearing. The discussion treats this as compliance with effective communication and as an application of the statutory modes of service. The article links this approach with principles of natural justice and Section 75(4), stressing the need for a fair opportunity of hearing before proceeding. (AI Summary)

Leasehold rights and GST: absolute assignment of proprietary interests is treated as transfer of immovable property, not a taxable service.
Assignment of long-term leasehold rights in industrial plots is examined as a question of legal character rather than mere GST classification. The article explains that the GST framework broadly taxes supplies of services, but the controversy turns on whether an absolute transfer of leasehold interest is a service or a transfer of immovable property rights. It traces the issue through the Gujarat High Court, the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court's refusal to interfere, and notes that the core analysis concerned the distinction between creation of lease rights and their subsequent absolute assignment. The article further notes that the jurisprudence preserves the boundary between GST and the traditional field of immovable property. (AI Summary)

Show cause notice limits confine GST adjudication to notified demands, quantified interest and stated grounds, protecting fair hearing rights.
Section 75(7) confines GST adjudication to the tax, interest, penalty and grounds specified in the show cause notice in FORM GST DRC-01. A proper officer cannot enhance the proposed demand, introduce known but unquantified interest, add unnotified tax liabilities, or confirm a demand on a new factual or legal basis. Section 75(9) does not remove the requirement to notify quantifiable interest in the show cause notice. Following notice issuance, adjudication is limited to considering the taxpayer's response to the notified proposals; fresh inquiries into alternative liabilities may breach natural justice and exceed jurisdiction. (AI Summary)

GST writ jurisdiction remains open for input tax credit disputes, denial of hearing, and limitation-based appeal rejections.
Writ jurisdiction in GST matters remains available in limited situations despite alternate remedy before GSTAT. The commentary identifies three recurring grounds: disputes under section 16(2)(c) on input tax credit linked to supplier tax payment, violations of natural justice under section 75(4) for want of effective personal hearing, and rejection of first appeals on limitation where section 107(1) and section 107(4) are applied and sufficient cause for delay is shown. (AI Summary)

Transaction value in related party imports requires arm's length proof, SVB scrutiny, and truthful Bill of Entry disclosures.
Related party imports under Indian customs law are assessed primarily on transaction value, but relatedness between buyer and seller requires scrutiny to determine whether the relationship has influenced price. The Customs Valuation Rules do not automatically reject declared value because the parties are related; the importer must show arm's length pricing and supporting evidence. Where royalty, licence fee or other valuation-sensitive payments are involved, Customs may refer the matter to the Special Valuation Branch, and any rejection of transaction value must follow reasoned examination and the prescribed sequence of alternative valuation methods. (AI Summary)

GST audit preparedness for MSMEs hinges on reconciliations, documentation, ITC checks and GSTR 9C discipline.
GST audit preparedness for MSMEs requires stronger reconciliation, documentation and data discipline as departmental scrutiny becomes more data driven and document intensive. MSMEs face desk-based scrutiny of returns, notices for mismatches between GSTR 1, GSTR 3B, GSTR 2B and GSTR 9, audit reviews of books and invoices, and inquiries triggered by third-party data. Common risk areas include turnover mismatches, input tax credit eligibility and reversal issues, reverse charge compliance, and missing or incomplete supporting documents. GSTR 9 and GSTR 9C are central to audit preparation because they consolidate annual supplies, ITC and reconciliation. (AI Summary)

GST and Customs circulars bind officers but cannot override statute, impose tax liability, or constrain judicial interpretation.
CBIC circulars, instructions, advisories, FAQs and similar departmental clarifications issued under GST and Customs law have subordinate legal force and cannot override statutory provisions, enlarge taxation powers, impose liabilities, or curtail substantive rights. They bind departmental officers and field formations so long as they remain in force, but they do not bind taxpayers, courts or tribunals where they conflict with the statute or binding judicial precedent. Beneficial circulars are generally applied liberally, while oppressive circulars inconsistent with law are vulnerable to judicial invalidation. (AI Summary)

Advisory Board composition and procedure under the Code on Wages govern representation, tenure, meetings, voting, and women's employment advice.
Chapter V of the Code on Wages, 2019 provides for the constitution, composition, tenure and procedural functioning of the Central Advisory Board and the State Advisory Board. The Central Advisory Board is constituted by the Central Government with equal representation of employers and employees, independent persons not exceeding one-third of total membership, five State Government representatives, and at least one-third women members, with the Chairperson chosen from among the independent members. Its advisory role includes minimum wages, women's employment opportunities, specified employments, and other matters relating to the Code. (AI Summary)

Packaged drinking water compliance shifts to continuous testing, source traceability, and mandatory laboratory monitoring under FSSAI.
FSSAI has introduced a mandatory Scheme of Testing for packaged drinking water and mineral water, replacing the earlier BIS certification model with continuous, science-based regulatory oversight. Licensed Food Business Operators must carry out periodic laboratory testing, maintain compliance records, verify source changes, and follow prescribed microbiological, chemical, physical, toxicological, packaging, and hygiene requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. (AI Summary)