ESOP reimbursements at cost escape GST, while overseas holding-company markups trigger reverse-charge tax on facilitation services.
Reimbursement by an Indian subsidiary to its overseas holding company for ESOP, ESPP or RSU securities transferred directly to employees is not subject to GST when made strictly on a cost-to-cost basis. Securities are neither goods nor services, and employee equity compensation under employment terms is outside supply. However, any fee, markup, commission or other amount charged over the securities' cost is consideration for facilitation or arrangement services, taxable as an import of services under the reverse charge mechanism.

Post-supply discount compliance requires evidence of proportionate input tax credit reversal before exclusion from taxable value.
Post-supply discounts made through tax credit notes can be excluded from taxable value only where the discount was agreed at or before supply, linked to relevant invoices, and matched by the recipient's proportionate input tax credit reversal. Pending portal verification, the supplier may obtain a Unique Document Identification Number-bearing certificate from a Chartered Accountant or Cost Accountant. For eligible lower-value discounts, a recipient undertaking or certificate may be used. These records are admissible evidence and must be produced when required in scrutiny, audit, investigation, or similar proceedings.

Input tax credit timing for reverse-charge supplies from unregistered suppliers follows the year the recipient issues its invoice.
Input tax credit for reverse-charge supplies from unregistered suppliers is linked to the financial year in which the registered recipient issues the required self-invoice. The recipient must issue the invoice and pay reverse-charge tax in cash. Credit is subject to tax payment and applicable input tax credit conditions, and must be taken by the statutory deadline calculated from the financial year of invoice issuance. Delayed invoice issuance and tax payment may attract interest and penal action.

Full input tax credit and related-party service imports permit nil deemed valuation where no invoice is issued.
Where a registered person in India imports services from a related foreign person and is eligible for full input tax credit, the value declared in the invoice is deemed to be the open market value under rule 28(1). This treatment applies to related persons as well as distinct persons. Tax remains payable by the Indian recipient under reverse charge, with a self-invoice required. If no invoice is issued for particular imported services and full input tax credit is available, the value may be treated as nil and deemed to be the open market value.

Place of supply for unregistered recipients follows the delivery address recorded on the invoice when billing and delivery addresses differ.
For goods supplied to an unregistered recipient, the place of supply is the recipient's address recorded on the invoice, or the supplier's location if no recipient address is recorded. Recording the recipient's State name is deemed to be recording an address. Where the billing and delivery addresses differ, including through e-commerce platforms, the delivery address recorded on the invoice determines the place of supply. The supplier may record that delivery address as the unregistered recipient's address for this purpose.

Special procedure compliance for specified-commodity manufacturers clarifies machine disclosures, certification, exclusions, and responsibility in job-work arrangements.
Special procedure compliance requires manufacturers to disclose prescribed packing-machine details in FORM GST SRM-I. Make and model details are optional, but machine number is mandatory and may be numerically assigned if unavailable. Electricity consumption rating must be based on available records or certified by a qualified practicing Chartered Engineer, with the certificate uploaded with the form. The procedure excludes Special Economic Zone units and manual packing operations. For multiple machines, details of the final packing machine are required. Job workers and contract manufacturers must comply, while the principal manufacturer is responsible where they are unregistered.

Related Party Transactions: new tiered disclosure rules impose Annexure-13A disclosures below specified turnover and monetary thresholds.
Listed entities must supply audit committees and shareholders the Industry Standards' specified information for RPT approvals; however, transactions not exceeding the lower of 1% of annual consolidated turnover or Rs. Ten Crore shall provide the streamlined disclosures in Annexure-13A, and transactions not exceeding Rs. One Crore (individually or aggregated in a financial year) are exempt from these requirements. Annexure-13A lists required details including transaction terms, related party identity, tenure, value, turnover percentages, funding/indebtedness particulars for loans, justification of interest, and any valuation reports.

Look Out Circulars (LOC) now processed through an online portal; designated nodal offices manage access and implementation.
Look Out Circulars (LOC) are to be processed exclusively through an Online LOC Portal effective 1 March 2024; prior routing by letters or emails is discontinued. Designation-based login credentials for nodal officers will be created by specified central offices, which are responsible for user creation, coordination, procedural guidance, and overall implementation for their respective field formations. Field formations must coordinate with their designated office for access and report portal difficulties to the Board via the nodal offices.

Postal import GST reduction applies lower IGST to eligible personal-use consignments, alongside revised duty calculations and clearance documentation requirements.
Postal imports for personal use under CTH 9804, where not prohibited, are subject to reduced 18% GST from 22 September 2025. Personal imports involving a monetary transaction attract 10% basic customs duty, social welfare surcharge on that duty, and 18% IGST; gift imports attract 20% basic customs duty, the surcharge, and 18% IGST. IGST is calculated on CIF value plus basic customs duty and social welfare surcharge. Import clearance requires prescribed KYC and supporting documents, while export clearance requires commodity-specific documentation.

GST circular withdrawal: procedure for providing evidence of compliance under Section 15(3)(b)(ii) is no longer required.
The Central Board has withdrawn a prior circular that prescribed a procedure for suppliers to provide evidence of compliance with Section 15(3)(b)(ii); that procedural requirement is no longer required. The Goa Commissioner directs that the Central circular apply mutatis mutandis under the Goa GST Act, withdraws the State circular on the subject, attaches the Central circular as an annexure, and requests trade notices and reports of any implementation difficulties.

Post-sale discounts clarified: when they constitute consideration for downstream supplies and how GST applies.
Clarifies that issuance of financial/commercial credit notes does not reduce the supplier's original transaction value or tax liability, so recipients need not reverse Input Tax Credit tied to such discounts. Post sale discounts from manufacturers to dealers generally reduce the dealer's sale price and are not consideration for the dealer's supply to end customers unless the manufacturer has an agreement with the end customer; in that case the discount forms part of overall consideration. Separate promotional or marketing activities carried out by dealers are taxable only when expressly agreed as distinct services with defined consideration.

SION notification enables direct issuance of Advance Authorisations by regional authorities for mobile phones and inputs, expediting clearance.
Fixation of a new Standard Input Output Norms (SION) entry C-2049 for export item Mobile Phones under Engineering & Electronic Items lists permitted import inputs and their quantity treatment as either Net-to-Net or Net + 1%, covering a comprehensive catalogue of components and subassemblies. Regional Authorities are authorised to issue Advance Authorisations under this SION directly without referring individual cases to the Norms Committee, providing operational clarity for application of the norm under Paragraph 1.03 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023.

Modification of SION C888 removes "Circular" from the export description for stainless steel washers, effective immediately.
The corrigendum to Public Notice No. 05/25 amends the export description for SION C888 by removing the word "Circular", changing "Small and large-size Circular Stainless Steel washers of different grades" to "Small and large-size Stainless Steel washers of different grades," issued under Paragraphs 1.03 and 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 with immediate effect.

Selection of Special Public Prosecutors for CBIC: applications from advocates with ten years' practice due Oct 25.
Applications are sought for appointment as Special Public Prosecutors for CBIC matters; applicants must be registered advocates with Karnataka State Bar Council with at least ten years' practice. Submit Proforma-A with supporting documentary proof of qualifications, enrolment, case experience, publications and income by October 25, 2025; interviews are scheduled for October 29, 2025. Initial appointments may be renewed after an annual performance assessment contingent on recommendations from the relevant Commissioner or ADG.

GST treatment of post-sale discounts clarified for input tax credit, dealer incentives, and promotional service transactions.
Clarification is issued on the GST treatment of secondary or post-sale discounts. Where financial or commercial credit notes do not reduce the original transaction value, the recipient need not reverse input tax credit. Post-sale discounts to dealers are not consideration for onward supply or for promotional activities unless there is a specific agreement creating a distinct service or an inducement linked to supply at an agreed discounted price.

Delegation of power for machine-registration penalties extends to State tax officers under the GST special procedure framework.
Delegation of power under section 122A of the West Bengal Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 is extended to specified State tax officers to impose penalty for contravention of a notified special procedure relating to registration of machines under section 148, and to seize and confiscate every machine not so registered. The amendment is inserted into the existing delegation order as a new serial entry and is stated to take effect from 1 October 2024.

Airport baggage screening officers required to use BWCs for Red channel interactions with 30-day recording retention.
BWCs must be worn by officers processing passengers in the Red channel to record baggage examinations from the officer's perspective; recording begins on arrival/diversion to the Red channel and stops only with the Air Customs Superintendent's permission. A register records wearing, removal and handover, supervised transfer of data to a password-protected internal drive, daily hard-disk backup, and a minimum 30-day retention. BWCs are for official use only and weekly random reviews and monthly supervisory reviews with reporting obligations are required.

Block deal framework updated: defined windows, VWAP reference, 3% price bands, INR25 Crore minimum and mandatory delivery.
Modification of the Block Deal Framework establishes two timed block deal windows-morning (08:45-09:00) using previous close and afternoon (02:05-02:20) using VWAP (01:45-02:00) with VWAP dissemination at 02:00-02:05. Orders must be within 3% of reference price, minimum size INR 25 Crores, mandatory delivery, same-day public disclosure of deal particulars, and applicability to optional T+0. Exchanges, clearing corporations and depositories must apply standard trading, settlement, surveillance and risk containment practices. Measures take effect 60 days after issuance and require MIIs to update systems and byelaws.

Customs duty structure clarified for post and courier imports, distinguishing personal, gift, and B2B consignments.
For CTH 9804, goods for personal use not prohibited by import law attract Basic Customs Duty, Social Welfare Surcharge and IGST; duty concession applies where commercial transaction is involved, with a specified combined duty percentage of assessable value. Consignments imported as gifts are subject to a higher combined duty rate due to an increased Basic Customs Duty component and resultant IGST calculation. B2B consignments are assessed as per tariff. For CTH 49011010 (printed books) a reduced Basic Customs Duty applies and SWS and IGST are nil.

Risk-based provisional GST refund sanction streamlines processing of eligible zero-rated supply claims through system-based evaluation.
Risk-based provisional sanction of GST refund claims applies to claims filed before the proper officer for zero-rated supplies of goods, services, or both. Refund processing is streamlined through system-based identification and evaluation of risk. CBIC instructions governing this mechanism are adopted, mutatis mutandis, for implementation under the TNGST Act, 2017.