Interest and penalty waiver under Section 128A requires full tax payment, prescribed applications, and withdrawal of pending challenges.
Section 128A permits waiver of interest, penalty, or both for eligible section 73 demands for financial years 2017-18 to 2019-20, conditional on full payment of tax and filing the prescribed waiver application. FORM GST SPL-01 applies to unadjudicated notices or statements, and FORM GST SPL-02 applies to demand, appellate, revisional, and eligible redetermination orders. Pending appeals, writ petitions, or special leave petitions concerning the demand must be withdrawn. Full tax payment is required even where a demand includes non-covered periods or erroneous refunds, although waiver remains limited to eligible periods and issues. Eligible credit no longer payable under section 16(5) or section 16(6) may be deducted where it was denied solely under section 16(4).

Retrospective input tax credit eligibility permits rectification of pending demands, subject to procedural conditions and refund limitations.
Retrospective eligibility for input tax credit applies to specified invoices and debit notes for financial years 2017-18 through 2020-21 and to eligible credit following revocation of cancelled registration. Pending investigations, adjudications, appeals, and revisions concerning denial solely for the former time limit must apply the revised position. A special electronic rectification procedure is available for unappealed demand orders involving such credit, subject to the prescribed period and supporting proforma. Tax already paid or credit reversed is generally not refundable, except for appeal pre-deposits where the appeal is decided in favour of the taxpayer.

GST regularisation on an as-is basis accepts lower-rate or exempt treatment but excludes refunds and unpaid tax.
GST regularisation on an "as is" or "as is, where is" basis accepts the tax position reflected in filed returns where genuine doubt existed between competing rates or an exemption entry. Payment at the lower competing rate, or nil-rate treatment based on a genuine exemption doubt, is treated as full discharge for the regularised period. Taxpayers who paid at a higher rate cannot claim a refund. The regularisation does not protect cases of complete non-payment where no nil-rate or exemption position forms part of the competing tax treatments.

GST classification of savoury products, railway air conditioners and vehicle seats determines applicable prospective and continuing rate treatment.
Extruded or expanded savoury or salted products, excluding un-fried or un-cooked snack pellets manufactured through extrusion, fall under HS 1905 90 30 and attract 12% GST from 10 October 2024; the lower treatment is prospective and earlier supplies attract 18% GST. Roof Mounted Package Unit air-conditioning machines for Railways fall under HS 8415 and attract 28% GST. Car seats under HS 9401 attract 28% GST prospectively from 10 October 2024, while two-wheeler seats under HS 8714 attract 28% GST.

GST classification clarifications define taxable affiliations, exempt recognised flying training, composite transport supplies, and regularised historical liabilities across services.
University affiliation services supplied to constituent colleges remain outside the educational-institution exemption and attract GST at 18%. Affiliation supplied by educational boards, councils and similar bodies to schools is taxable, while supplies to government schools are exempt from 10 October 2024; liability for all schools from 1 July 2017 to 17 June 2021 is regularised on an "as is where is" basis. DGCA-approved flying courses supplied by approved Flying Training Organisations, where completion certificates are mandated, are exempt as education leading to a qualification recognised by law.

IGST export refund regularisation applies after import taxes and cess, interest, and customs reassessment requirements are satisfied.
IGST paid on exported goods and refunded to an exporter is not treated as contravening the export-refund restriction where the exporter initially imported inputs without IGST and compensation cess under the identified Customs notifications, later pays those levies with interest, and obtains reassessment of the relevant Bill of Entry by jurisdictional Customs authorities. Payment of IGST and compensation cess on inputs, with exemption confined to basic customs duty, means the specified notification benefit is treated as not availed for the restriction.

Data hosting services supplied independently to overseas cloud providers are governed by recipient-location rules and may qualify as exports.
Data hosting providers operating data centres and associated infrastructure on their own account supply services to overseas cloud computing providers on a principal-to-principal basis. The services are neither intermediary services, services in relation to recipient-made-available goods, nor services directly related to immovable property. As no specific place-of-supply rule applies, the default recipient-location rule governs the supply. Where the cloud computing provider is located outside India, the place of supply is outside India and the supply may be treated as export of services subject to fulfilment of the remaining statutory export conditions.

Input tax credit on demo vehicles remains available when test drives promote dealers' own further vehicle supplies.
Input tax credit on demo passenger vehicles is available where an authorised dealer uses them for trial runs and demonstrations that promote the dealer's own further supply of similar motor vehicles. Credit is blocked where vehicles are used for employee or management transport, or where the dealer only provides marketing or facilitation services for a manufacturer that directly sells vehicles to customers. Capitalisation does not itself affect credit eligibility, subject to restrictions where depreciation is claimed on the tax component and to prescribed tax obligations on subsequent sale.

Advertising services for foreign clients may receive export treatment when agencies supply on their own account.
Comprehensive advertising services supplied on an agency's own account to a foreign client constitute principal-to-principal supplies rather than intermediary services, even where the agency procures media space from media owners. The foreign client remains the recipient; an Indian representative or target audience does not. As the services are not performance-based, the default place-of-supply rule applies, locating supply with the foreign recipient and allowing export treatment subject to applicable conditions. A mere agent facilitating a direct media-owner and foreign-client supply is an intermediary, with place of supply at the agency's location.

GST classification clarifications align treatment of solar cookers, sprinklers, poultry machinery parts, agricultural produce, and government welfare supplies.
Dual-energy solar cookers and all sprinklers, including fire water sprinklers, attract GST at 12%, while poultry-keeping machinery parts are expressly included in the relevant 12% rate entry. Agricultural farm produce in packages exceeding 25 kilograms or 25 litres falls outside "pre-packaged and labelled" goods and does not attract 5% GST. Past treatment of these issues is regularised on an "as is where is" basis. For qualifying welfare-scheme supplies of pulses and cereals, regularisation requires certification within 180 days and denial or reversal of input tax credit.

GST clarifications define exemptions and regularisation for railway, payment incentives, insurance, retrocession, and long-term accommodation services.
GST exemptions apply to specified railway passenger-facing and inter-zonal services, qualifying railway special purpose vehicle infrastructure arrangements, statutory collections by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, and qualifying long-term accommodation services. Incentives distributed within the prescribed digital-payment ecosystem are treated as non-taxable subsidies. Past GST liability is regularised on an as is where is basis for specified railway supplies, reinsurance of exempt insurance schemes, reinsurance of government-premium insurance schemes, and qualifying accommodation services. Reinsurance includes retrocession for the relevant exemption.

Gold import authorisations: SBER Bank added for domestic consumption from 25.06.2025 to 31.03.2026.
Amendment to Part B of Appendix 4B authorises Indian Overseas Bank and Union Bank of India to import only gold for FY 2025-26 (01.04.2025-31.03.2026) and adds SBER Bank with a conditional authorisation permitting imports solely for domestic consumption, effective 25.06.2025 until 31.03.2026, issued under paragraphs 1.03 and 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023.

CIRP form filing: Rs.500 per form per month applies for delayed submissions after 31 Dec 2025, excluding GST.
A portal-based Modification Utility allows Insolvency Professionals to correct submitted CIRP forms via OTP authentication; modifications made before a form's due date do not attract a fee because fee computation starts only after the last due date. For forms due on or before 31 December 2025, submissions after that date require a fee of Rs.500 per form for each calendar month of delay until submission, excluding GST.

Reduction in denomination now permits zero coupon and coupon-bearing debt securities on private placement with fixed maturity.
Issuers may privately place non-convertible debt securities or non-convertible redeemable preference shares at a reduced face value where the instruments either pay periodic coupon/dividend or are zero coupon debt securities, provided they have fixed maturities and no structured obligations; all other NCS Master Circular provisions remain unchanged and the amendment applies to private placement issues proposed for listing from the date of the circular.

AEO-linked custodianship renewal continues only while authorisation remains valid, unsuspended, and compliant with cargo-area regulations.
Custodianship of the Container Freight Station operated by Hind Terminals Private Limited for import and export cargo has been renewed under Regulations 10 and 13 of the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009. The renewal is coextensive with the validity of the operator's AEO certificate and remains subject to compliance with those Regulations. An AEO-LO Customs Cargo Service Provider's custodianship approval continues only while its AEO authorisation remains valid and is not suspended or revoked.

Import of restricted IT hardware: IMS applications open 22 Dec 2025-15 Dec 2026; authorisations valid to 31 Dec 2026.
Import of IT hardware under HSN 8471 is restricted and requires an Import Management System (IMS) authorisation obtained via the DGFT website. The IMS portal is open from 22 December 2025 to 15 December 2026; authorisations granted under IMS are valid until 31 December 2026. Importers may submit multiple applications and seek amendments to authorisations online. MeitY may undertake a mid term review to update inputs, and DGFT may amend, suspend or withdraw IMS procedures based on policy needs or government directions.

Gold TRQ allocation under India UAE CEPA limited to Micro and Small Enterprises via competitive e auction for FY2025-26.
DGFT will allocate the gold Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) under India UAE CEPA for FY 2025-26 by competitive e auction on the MSTC platform, with an initial 30 MT available and EFC authority to extend by 50%. This round is restricted to Micro and Small Enterprises meeting Annexure IV eligibility; per bidder caps are 10 kg (Micro) and 25 kg (Small). Bidders must register, submit technical documents, a participation fee and INR 100,000 bid security, use a Class III DSC, and file TRQ applications and payment within 15 days of allocation to be declared successful. DGFT reserves broad discretion to amend, cancel or verify bids and to forfeit securities for non payment or fraudulent practices.

Revised SIONs update input-output norms and licensing rules for chemical and allied export products, effective immediately.
Revision implements amended Standard Input Output Norms (SIONs) for specified Chemical and Allied Product entries and updates a General Note for all export product groups, effective immediately. The SIONs prescribe input types and quantitative input-output ratios, include rules for mixed consignments and product variants, and require exporters to correlate licence inputs with shipping bill descriptions. Annexure-B sets procedural rules prioritising specific norms over generic norms, election among alternative inputs, accounting bases (net-to-net or net plus wastage), value-limited import caps for certain inputs, and validity and regularisation requirements for time-limited norms.

Transshipment permission to SpiceJet Limited allows domestic air movement of EXIM cargo under bond and liability conditions.
Grant of Transshipment Permission to M/s SpiceJet Limited authorises export/import transshipment of EXIM cargo from ACC Kolkata to other customs notified airports under section 45(1) read with section 54(3) of the Customs Act, 1962, contingent on execution of specified export and import bonds and bank guarantees. SpiceJet bears liability for shortage or pilferage-export losses measured by value of goods plus interest, penalty and cess and import losses measured by Customs duty, cess, surcharge and other levies with interest and penalty. Permission is time limited and renewable subject to compliance with statutory provisions and circulars.

GST appeal filing protocol withdrawn as staggered portal filing is dispensed with, preserving earlier filings.
Withdrawal of the staggered filing protocol for GST Appellate Tribunal appeals. The order dispenses with the earlier phased filing arrangement in view of portal capabilities, with effect from 18-12-2025, while preserving the validity of appeals filed under the prior order before that date and without prejudice to the Tribunal's powers under the GST law.