Service tax on job work: specialized epoxy FBE coating treated as taxable under business auxiliary service, with cenvat implications.
Whether FBE epoxy coating by a job worker on duty-paid steel bars is a taxable activity under Business Auxiliary Service hinges on whether the processes constitute manufacture; where the coating does not amount to manufacture, the professional, specialized coating service performed for clients falls within the taxable scope. The tribunal treated the coating activity as taxable under Business Auxiliary Service, recognised Cenvat credit on inputs and input services under Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004, and addressed penalty mitigation.

Trademark protection: Cabinet approves amended Bill to enhance reciprocal international protection and encourage licensing and franchising.
Cabinet approved modifications to the Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill, 2007 based on the Parliamentary Standing Committee's recommendations and authorised its introduction in Parliament; the amendments aim to strengthen trademark protection for Indian marks in designated member countries, provide reciprocal protection for foreign marks in India, and facilitate technology transfer through trademark licensing and franchising to promote commercial confidence in the Indian IP system.

Refund filing deadline relaxed for exporters; extended timeframe allows later claims and testing services require regulatory proof.
The amendment relaxes the time limit for filing of refund claims by exporters, replacing the earlier short-window requirement with an extended, quarter-linked filing period; refunds in respect of testing and analyzing services require submission of the rules or regulations under which such testing or analysis is mandated.

TDS on contract payments not attracted where supply of printed materials is a sale executed to buyer's specifications.
The Tribunal, relying on CBDT Circular No.715, characterised supply of printed materials made to purchaser's specifications as a contract of sale and concluded that TDS under section 194C did not apply; the Gujarat High Court found no infirmity in that reasoning and dismissed the department's appeals for want of any substantial question of law.

Data collection authorization for industrial production enables compilation of updated IIP series with mandated confidentiality and business cooperation.
DIPP has authorised a private data agency to collect nationwide corporate production statistics to support compilation of a revised Index of Industrial Production series, with DIPP supplying key product data and the Central Statistical Organization compiling the overall IIP from multiple source agencies. Businesses must cooperate by providing regular production statistics, and the authorised agency must ensure confidentiality and may disclose collected information only to DIPP.

Foreign direct investment surge signals broad sectoral appetite and increased cross border equity inflows.
Foreign direct investment equity inflows rose markedly: September inflows totalled US$2.56 billion and cumulative FDI equity for April-September reached US$17.21 billion, reflecting strong year on year growth. The principal recipient sectors were services, construction (including roads and highways), housing and real estate, and computer hardware and software, while leading investor jurisdictions included Mauritius, Singapore, the United States, and the Netherlands.

Trade balance widens as imports outpace export growth, driven notably by increased oil and non oil imports.
India's exports rose markedly in April-September 2008, with dollar value exports up about thirty percent and rupee value exports up at a higher rate; imports grew faster than exports, driven by strong increases in oil and non oil imports, resulting in a materially larger trade deficit for April-September 2008. The release provides provisional dollar and rupee series and percentage growth comparisons, noting 2007-08 are revised figures and 2008-09 are provisional.