Service tax applicability on laying of cables clarified: installation and construction activities attract tax, routine cable laying does not.
Service tax applicability is split: non taxable activities include shifting overhead cables, laying cables under/along roads, laying between grids en route, laying up to distribution points, and railway electrification; taxable activities include independent installation of transformers/sub stations and installation of street/traffic/flood lights as Erection, commissioning or installation services, and laying cables beyond distribution points for commercial/industrial localities as construction services.

Renting of immovable property as service: interim protection against service tax recovery after retrospective amendment.
The Finance Act, 2010 retrospectively classifies renting of immovable property as a taxable service, conflicting with prior judicial findings that renting alone is not a service; the court directed interim restraint on recovery of service tax for renting of immovable property pending resolution of the legal dispute.

Foreign direct investment policy in defence desirable to permit higher FDI, subject to licensing safeguards to protect security.
The discussion paper urges permitting substantially higher Foreign Direct Investment in the defence sector to access advanced technology, referencing the telecom sector's higher allowance, while stressing that any elevation or removal of the FDI cap would remain subject to licensing requirements and security-related regulatory controls.

Direct Taxes Code introduction to consolidate tax law while expanding processing centres and enhancing international information exchange.
Direct Taxes Code will be introduced in the forthcoming parliamentary session to consolidate direct tax law and address nine stakeholder concerns through a publicly released draft. Administrative reforms include establishing two additional Centralized Processing Centres to expedite return processing, expanding the Refund Banker Scheme for electronic refunds, and enhancing international tax information exchange and bilateral agreements with low- or no-tax jurisdictions to improve transparency and compliance.

Enactment of Finance Act 2010 confirms conversion of the Finance Bill into statute following presidential assent.
The Finance Bill, 2010 received presidential assent and was enacted as the Finance Act, 2010 (Act No. 14 of 2010), formalising the Bill's conversion into statute; related materials include the original Bill, recorded amendments, and press releases announcing the enactment.

Trade balance narrowed despite monthly export surge; imports rose sharply driven by oil and non-oil demand.
March 2010 exports rose strongly month-on-month while imports increased even more, widening the monthly deficit but reducing the April-March annual trade deficit versus the prior year; oil and non-oil imports both surged in March yet declined on a cumulative April-March year-on-year basis. The release presents provisional US dollar and rupee figures for 2009-10 against final 2008-09 data.

FDI prohibition in manufacture of cigars and cigarettes bars foreign investment and removes prior government-approval route.
The policy establishes a prohibition on Foreign Direct Investment in the manufacture of cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and cigarettes of tobacco or tobacco substitutes, deleting the prior provision that permitted 100% FDI under the Government route subject to approval and industrial licence, and inserting the activity into the enumerated list of prohibited sectors in the Consolidated FDI Policy with immediate effect.

Exemption from service tax for vocational training institutes offering designated trades under notified apprenticeship rules.
Exemption from service tax applies to vocational training provided by Industrial Training Institutes or Industrial Training Centres affiliated to the National Council for Vocational Training when those institutes offer courses in designated trades notified under the Apprentices Act, 1961; eligibility depends on conformity with Schedule I entries specifying trade, apprenticeship period, apprentice to worker ratio, training duration and educational qualifications.

Service Tax Exemption for approved Modular Employable Skill training under SDIS enables registered VTPs to claim relief.
Notification No. 23/2010 ST grants a service tax exemption for vocational training delivered as Modular Employable Skill courses where the provider is a Vocational Training Provider registered under the Skill Development Initiative Scheme with the Directorate General of Employment and Training; to claim the exemption the provider must deliver NCVT-approved MES courses listed with specified course codes, minimum qualifications, ages, durations and training fees, with curricula and the authoritative course list available via DGET.