Tariff Rate Quota for refined sugar: exporters advised to secure a US applicant for first-come-first-served specialty allocations.
A non-country specific Tariff Rate Quota for refined sugar for US fiscal year 2018 allocates the WTO minimum plus an additional specialty sugar quantity, with organic and other specialty imports administered by US authorities on a first-come, first-served basis in five tranches. Due to high competition and rapid filling of specialty allocations, Indian exporters are advised to identify a US-based company to apply to the USDA to access the tariff-free quota and thus facilitate exports of specialty sugar to the USA.

Online filing requirement for alternative investment funds mandates exclusive use of the Intermediary Portal for registrations and compliance filings.
Mandatory online filing requires all AIF applicants and registered funds to submit registration applications, compliance reports and requests under AIF Regulations exclusively through the designated Intermediary Portal; existing registrants must activate portal accounts and consult the portal manual or helpline for assistance.

Single Window Interface for Facilitation of Trade extended to enable online WCCB referrals for CITES/wildlife export NOCs nationwide.
SWIFT on the export side is extended to effect online referral of shipping bills to the Wild Life Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) for a No Objection Certificate in respect of CITES/wildlife items at all Customs EDI locations, effective 31 July 2017; referrals will apply to shipping bills filed via ICEGATE or through Service Centres and expand the prior pilot at select air cargo complexes.

Aadhaar-PAN linkage requirement: temporary acceptance of Aadhaar or acknowledgement and extension of e filing deadline granted.
Taxpayers may quote Aadhaar or an acknowledgement number when filing income tax returns on the e filing portal; PAN must be linked with Aadhaar subsequently by the prescribed deadline. Returns filed using the acknowledgement will be accepted for submission but will not be processed until PAN-Aadhaar linkage is completed. A short extension of the e filing deadline has been granted to permit affected taxpayers additional time to file.

Advance Pricing Agreement certainty secured, offering pre-agreed transfer pricing methods and retrospective rollback relief for taxpayers.
The APA mechanism specifies transfer pricing methods and determines the Arm's Length Price for international transactions prospectively for up to five years and permits optional rollback for four preceding years, thereby extending pricing certainty for taxpayers across a range of sectors and transaction types.

Stay of demand at first appeal stage: standard deposit rate increased for contested income tax demands.
Partial modification revises the administrative guideline for grant of stay of demand at the first appeal stage by increasing the standard deposit requirement of the disputed demand to a higher prescribed percentage where the demand is contested before the Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals); all references to the former standard rate in the earlier Office Memorandum are modified accordingly while other procedural guidelines remain unchanged.

Due-date extension for income-tax returns permits quoting Aadhaar or enrolment number; processing deferred until PAN-Aadhaar linkage.
The tax authority extends the due-date for filing returns from 31st July to 5th August, 2017 for affected taxpayers; quoting Aadhaar or an Aadhaar Enrolment Number is sufficient for filing, but formal PAN-Aadhaar linkage must be completed subsequently and returns will not be processed under the Act's processing provision until that linkage is completed.

Border haat trade permits specified local goods to be exchanged by residents within a radius, via barter or local currency.
Trade in designated Border Haats between India and Bangladesh is authorised under the Foreign Trade Policy and the bilateral MOU, identifying permissible classes of goods and allowing list amendments by the Joint Committee. Vendors and purchasers must be residents within a five kilometre radius and vendor numbers are capped. Commodities may be exchanged by barter or in local currency for bona fide personal consumption subject to a specified per day local currency purchase limit, and foreign exchange regulations are suspended for transactions in the Border Haats.

Zero rated supply protections ensure exporters receive Compensation Cess refund or exemption under bond with input credit relief.
Section 16 of the IGST Act, 2017 relating to zero rated supply applies mutatis mutandis for Compensation Cess: exporters may either claim refund of Compensation Cess paid on exports under provisions analogous to Section 16(3)(b) of the IGST Act, or export under bond/Letter of Undertaking without payment of cess and claim refund of unutilised input tax credit of Compensation Cess akin to Section 16(3)(a), leveraging the mutatis mutandis application of CGST/IGST procedural provisions under Section 11 of the GST (Compensation to States) Act.

Inter-state movement of conveyances not treated as supply, so IGST not leviable while repairs remain taxable.
Inter-State movement of conveyances between distinct persons that merely transfers the vehicle without any further supply is not a supply; IGST is therefore not leviable on such movements, but repairs and maintenance of those conveyances remain taxable under the applicable indirect tax regime (CGST/SGST/IGST).

Drawback self-declaration allowed to claim higher duty drawback rates, replacing GST officer certificate and subject to audit verification.
The requirement for a GST officer certificate to claim higher All Industry Rates of duty drawback has been dispensed with; exporters may claim the higher rate on the basis of a prescribed self-declaration, applicable to exports with let-export order given from 1.7.2017 onwards, with the declaration format to be included in the EDI shipping bill. For goods cleared before the effective date but not let for export before that date, the earlier Central Excise certification/ declaration regime continues. Customs must prioritise disposal and audits will verify non-availment of credit or refund to prevent double neutralisation.

Re-testing of import samples: second-test requests accepted and authority may specify lab and rely on either test with reasons.
Procedure for re-testing of import samples: Customs must communicate initial test results; written requests for a second test go to the Additional/Joint Commissioner within ten days. The officer must specify an appropriate laboratory. Re-tests shall use remnants or duplicate sealed samples in Customs custody and be marked for immediate processing; fresh sampling requires the importer's presence. Re-testing is allowed while the consignment remains under Customs control when representativeness is disputed. The competent authority may rely on either test with written reasons, consider re-test results without prejudice, and may order a further re-test in limited cases; re-testing may be denied only for recorded reasonable grounds.

Bank guarantee monitoring: authorities must maintain BG registers and decide enforcement or revalidation before expiry.
Regional Authorities must monitor Bank Guarantees under the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures by maintaining a Bank Guarantee Register for BGs with outstanding export obligations or unredeemed status; the Register is to be reviewed monthly by supervisory officers. RAs must initiate extensions or enforcement of BGs well before expiry, and the decision to enforce or extend a BG-having revenue implications-must be taken by the Head of the Office. RAs must endorse authorisations to require Customs to release or redeem BG/LUT only after receipt of NOC or End Use Documentation and forward such endorsements to Customs at the port of registration.

Bond or Letter of Undertaking for exports may be accepted by jurisdictional tax officers pending taxpayer allocation.
Zero-rated export supplies may be made either without payment of IGST on furnishing a bond or Letter of Undertaking (LUT), with refund of unutilised input tax credit, or by payment of IGST and claiming refund under the refund provisions. The prescribed bond or LUT must be filed in the specified GST form under Rule 96A. Until the administrative mechanism for assigning taxpayers between State and Central tax authorities is implemented, the bond or LUT furnished by exporters is to be accepted by the jurisdictional Assistant Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of State Tax/Commercial Tax.

Continuity bond accepted for EOUs; estimated imports may be amended and inter unit transfers taxed under GST without customs duty.
B-17 running bonds will serve as the continuity bond under the IGCR Rules 2017; estimated import quantities and values required under Rule 5(1)(a) may be submitted for periods up to one year, for shorter durations, and may be amended as needed. During a transitional period, units may use Rule 5 or procurement certificates for imports. Inter unit transfers must be invoiced with GST paid and are exempt from customs duty at transfer, with the supplier endorsing exempted duty and the recipient liable for basic customs duty upon DTA clearance.

Re-testing of imported samples: written request and named laboratory referral govern second tests and authority decisions.
Importers must request re-tests in writing within ten days of the first test report. If granted, the Additional/Joint Commissioner will name a suitable laboratory; re-testing shall use remnants or duplicate sealed samples in Customs custody, or be re-sampled in the importer's presence. Re-test samples should be marked "immediate." The competent authority may rely on either the first test or the re-test, recording written reasons, and may order a further re-test while the consignment remains under Customs control. Re-testing is generally facilitated but may be denied occasionally with written reasons; departmental-initiated re-tests follow the same procedure.

Extension of filing deadline for quarterly VAT returns allows delayed submission while payment obligations remain unchanged.
The Commissioner, exercising powers under Rule 49A, extended the last date for filing online or hard copy quarterly VAT returns in Form DVAT-16, DVAT-17 and DVAT-48 with required annexures; tax payment obligations remain unchanged and dealers filing with a digital signature need not submit a hard copy of the return/Form DVAT-56.

Composition levy filing extension granted; deadline extended for submission of FORM GST CMP-01 under rule 3(1).
The Commissioner of State Tax, under Rule 3(1) of the Tamil Nadu Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, extends the period for filing intimation to opt for the composition levy by permitting submission of FORM GST CMP-01 by a new specified deadline for eligible taxpayers.

Shareholding and governance for IFSC market infrastructures redefined to require parent majority subsidiaries and international governance standards.
The amendments require stock exchanges, clearing corporations and foreign depositories to form subsidiaries to operate in IFSCs with the parent retaining majority paid up equity; other specified market entities may hold remaining equity subject to an individual cap. Indian depositories may set up ring fenced IFSC Depository Services with Board approval. SEBI-registered intermediaries (except trading or clearing members) may operate in IFSC without forming a separate company subject to prior Board approval; trading and clearing members must form a company. IFSC market infrastructures are exempted from certain domestic regulations but must adopt international governance principles and remain governed by their parent entity.

Permission for export goods in import/domestic freight containers allowed into CFS subject to immediate carting and examination.
Imported or domestic freight containers may enter the CFS only when carrying goods meant for export, and such goods must be carted into the CFS immediately; Gate Officers must ensure containers are empty at exit, physically examine empties before permitting departure, and endorse the gate pass as "checked and found empty".