Voucher GST treatment clarified for trading, commission-based distribution, ancillary services, and unredeemed voucher breakage.
Clarification is issued on the GST treatment of vouchers, including whether transactions in vouchers constitute a supply of goods or services, the tax position for distribution through distributors, sub-distributors or agents, ancillary services connected with voucher distribution, and the taxability of unredeemed vouchers or breakage. Pure trading of vouchers on a principal-to-principal basis is not leviable to GST, while commission-based distribution and separate ancillary services supplied for consideration are taxable as services. Amounts retained on account of unredeemed vouchers are not taxable because there is no underlying supply.

Place of supply clarification for online services to unregistered recipients requires mandatory State-name recording on invoices.
Clarification is issued on the place of supply for online services supplied to unregistered recipients. For online money gaming, OIDAR services and other online/digital services supplied directly or through an electronic commerce operator, the supplier must record the name of the State of the unregistered recipient on the tax invoice, irrespective of value. That State name is deemed to be the recipient's address on record for determining place of supply under section 12(2)(b)(i) of the IGST Act.

DPD registration contact update: authorities will align registered emails and mobiles with IEC records and require OTP verification.
DPD Registration contact details will be aligned with Importer IEC records and the online OTDI module will verify authenticity by sending an OTP to the registered mobile; on successful verification, change-of-CFS requests update in real time. Suspected duplicate e-mail usage prompted a suo-moto update using IEC data, while importers may request changes with requisite documents via their registered e-mail and report issues to the Additional Commissioner; officers must treat this as a standing order.

Container scanning portal status check now available at csd.jnpa.in; enter container, IGM number and date.
A new container scanning status portal (csd.jnpa.in) enables stakeholders to check whether a container is selected for scanning and whether it has been scanned and examined by entering the container number, IGM number and IGM date in the "Check Container Status" tab.

Waiver of interest and penalty: department urged to withdraw appeals limited to interest or penalty when tax paid.
Where the taxpayer has fully paid the tax under demands made under Section 73 and only interest and/or penalty remain in dispute, and the taxpayer otherwise satisfies the conditions of Section 128A and rules, the proper officer may withdraw departmental appeals or accept review-stage orders when the department's appeal concerns only interest calculation or imposition/non-imposition of penalty.

Export conditions for Wheat Flour with Millets: new SION allows such exports subject to composition, sourcing and documentation rules.
SION E-136 is amended to allow export of Wheat Flour (Atta) with Millets provided the export item meets minimum composition requirements of Whole Wheat Flour and Millets, import entitlement under Advance Authorization for Wheat is computed proportionately to the Whole Wheat Flour content using the prescribed conversion factor, Millets and other added ingredients are domestically sourced, the shipping bill specifies percentage composition of ingredients, and all earlier conditions in prior public notices continue to apply.

Late fee waiver for Bills of Entry affected by system downtime, applying to vessel entries and treated as standing order.
Waiver of late fees is authorised for Bills of Entry affected by electronic filing unavailability during the Union Budget updation; it applies to Late Fee under the Bill of Entry (Forms) Amendment Regulations, 2017 for Bills of Entry for vessels with entry inward at INTUT1 and for those filed on or before restoration, and the Public Notice is issued as a Standing Order with implementation difficulties to be reported to the Commissioner of Customs.

SION amendment updates input-output norm for erythromycin stearate tablet exports with immediate effect; pro-rata applicability noted.
Amendment to SION A-222 sets the input-output requirement for export of Erythromycin Stearate tablets: one 250 mg erythromycin-equivalent tablet requires 334 mg of Erythromycin Stearate input; norms for other strength variants may be determined on a pro-rata basis; the amendment is effective immediately.

Extension of e BRC submission deadline to facilitate exporters, conditional on compliance with Public Notice 21/2024.
The deadline for submission of electronic Bank Realisation Certificates (e-BRCs) by exporters is extended from 31.01.2025 to 15.02.2025, conditional on compliance with documentary requirements specified in Public Notice No. 21/2024 dated 31.12.2024. Exporters and brokers must submit proof of realisation of sale proceeds within the extended period. A dedicated BRC Cell with contact email [email protected] and named officers is designated to handle pending cases and provide assistance; implementation difficulties should be referred to the Assistant Commissioner, BRC Cell, ACC.

Safer participation of retail investors in algorithmic trading through broker led API controls, empanelment, surveillance, and algo categorisation.
The framework requires brokers to act as principals for API-based algo trading, tag API orders with exchange identifiers, empanel and due diligence algo providers, restrict API access through client specific keys and static whitelisted IPs, adopt OAuth and two factor authentication, handle investor grievances, and ensure disclosure of fees and conflict free arrangements. Exchanges must supervise algos with SOPs, surveillance, kill switch capability, empanelment criteria, confidentiality safeguards, data flow rules, and specified turnaround times. Algos are categorized into white box and black box, with black box providers required to register as research analysts and maintain detailed research reports.

Co-insurance premium apportionment and reinsurance commission receive GST regularization where tax is paid on the full premium.
Co-insurance premium apportioned by a lead insurer to a co-insurer is treated as neither a supply of goods nor services where tax is paid on the entire premium paid by the insured. Insurer services to a reinsurer involving deduction of ceding or reinsurance commission are similarly excluded where tax is paid on the gross reinsurance premium inclusive of the commission. GST payments on both transactions are regularized on an as is where is basis for the period from 1 July 2017 to 31 October 2024.

Wastage norms for jewellery exports revised, altering permissible manufacturing loss and SION input norms under Handbook of Procedures for exporters.
Amendment revises wastage percentages for specified jewellery categories under Para 4.59 of the Handbook of Procedures, 2023, distinguishing handcrafted and mechanized processes and providing separate maximum wastage rates for gold/platinum and silver. Corresponding modifications to SION M-1 to M-8 set precise input quantities per 1 Kg of export product for gold, platinum and silver for each export item and manufacturing mode. Note excludes imported mountings and findings from net content determination. The Public Notice supersedes the earlier notice and is effective immediately.

Waiver of late fees for bills of entry affected by system downtime, subject to specified vessel entries and filing deadline.
Waiver of late fees is granted for Bills of Entry that could not be filed due to ICEGATE system unavailability during the Union Budget updation. The waiver covers Bills of Entry for vessels with entry inwards at INMAA1, INKAT1 and INENR1 on 1 February 2025, where those Bills are filed on or before 2 February 2025, notwithstanding the late fee provisions in the Bill of Entry (Forms) Amendment Regulations, 2017.

Voluntary payment facility on ICEGATE enables self-initiated challans and online settlement without routine officer approval.
Enables electronic collection of Voluntary/Self Initiated Payments (SIP) on ICEGATE, permitting registered users to generate self initiated challans and pay online without officer approval, replacing manual TR 6 payments for past import/export obligations. Payments may be made from the Electronic Cash Ledger or challan wise through specified banking channels, NEFT/RTGS, and payment aggregators; remaining banks will be enabled after testing. Officers must not accept manual TR 6 except with explicit higher level approval, and users must submit proof of payment for field action and verification.

Input tax credit under Ex-Works contracts arises when suppliers hand goods to recipient-directed transporters at their premises.
Under an Ex-Works contract, goods are treated as received for input tax credit purposes when the supplier hands them over at its premises to the recipient or a transporter acting on the recipient's behalf, where property in the goods passes at that point. Physical receipt at the recipient's business premises is not required for this condition. Credit remains subject to the other requirements under sections 16 and 17, including business use, and is unavailable for non-business diversion, loss, theft, destruction, write-off, gifts, or free samples.

Input tax credit for electronic commerce operators remains available without proportionate reversal, but specified-service tax must be paid in cash.
Electronic commerce operators paying tax on specified services supplied through their platforms need not reverse input tax credit proportionately merely because they bear tax liability as deemed suppliers. This applies to restaurant services and other specified services. Tax on such specified services must be paid wholly through the electronic cash ledger, and input tax credit cannot be used for that payment. Credit relating to inputs and input services may nevertheless be used to discharge tax liability on the operator's own platform-related services.

Uploading supporting documents for classification: attach technical catalogs and link e Sanchit to expedite customs assessment.
Importers must upload comprehensive technical documentation-Catalogue, Technical Write-up, End use details, Product Data Sheet, User Manual-and images to e Sanchit, linking each document's IRN to the corresponding Bill of Entry so faceless Assessment Groups can verify self-assessment; absence of such material often causes reclassification queries and delays, as illustrated by an LED chip import where lack of uploaded documentation led to proposed reclassification later resolved after clarification.

Personal income-tax reforms broaden the new regime, expand IFSC incentives, and rationalise compliance rules across deductions, reporting, and penalties.
Personal income-tax reforms introduce a revised default new tax regime with concessional slabs, enhanced rebate up to specified income levels, standard deduction for salaried taxpayers, and marginal relief for resident individuals whose income is only marginally above the rebate threshold. The reforms also retain the distinction between rebate and marginal relief, exclude special-rate income such as capital gains and lottery winnings from rebate, and provide examples showing nil tax at the specified income level under the new regime. Separate amendments expand IFSC incentives, broaden the relocation regime to include retail schemes and ETFs, and rationalise business, investment, and compliance provisions.

Customs tariff revisions and legislative amendments announced; provisional duty changes effective immediately, wider Customs, Excise and GST reforms proposed.
Proposed Union Budget 2025 measures revise customs tariff lines and rates and amend customs, central excise and CGST law. Key features include provisional notifications bringing specified duty changes into immediate effect, a two year limit (with limited extension) for finalisation of provisional assessments, a new voluntary post clearance revision mechanism for import/export entries, abolition and transitional replacement of the Settlement Commission by Interim Boards, GST provisions enabling a Track and Trace mechanism and ITC distribution rules for reverse charge inter state supplies, and a chapter wise review and renewal of conditional exemptions.

Late fee for delayed GSTR-9C applies where complete annual return is delayed; limited waiver available for past years.
Where FORM GSTR-9C is required, the annual return comprises both FORM GSTR-9 and FORM GSTR-9C and is incomplete unless both are filed. Late fee under the late fee provision is leviable for the delay in furnishing the complete annual return, calculated from the due date until the date the complete return is filed. Late fee is not charged separately for delayed filing of FORM GSTR-9 and FORM GSTR-9C; the date of completion depends on whether FORM GSTR-9C is not required, filed with FORM GSTR-9, or filed subsequent to FORM GSTR-9. A notified waiver limits additional late fee for past years if reconciliation statements are filed within the prescribed window, and no refunds are allowed for late fee already paid.