Tobacco and pan masala to face new excise duty and a health security national security cess replacing the GST compensation cess.
Two bills will replace the GST compensation cess: the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 enables levy and adjustment of excise duty on tobacco products to protect tax incidence; the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025 creates a manufacturing cess on specified goods including pan masala, payable in addition to other taxes, calculated in the aggregate by premise and requiring self declarations of machines and processes.

Insurance FDI raised to 100% and excise/cess reforms target tobacco and pan masala to fund health and security.
The government proposes key economic legislation including The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to raise the insurance sector FDI limit to 100%, and excise/cess reforms via The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025 to replace the GST compensation cess on tobacco and pan masala and to levy excise and a targeted cess to fund national security and public health.

Tobacco and pan masala will face new excise and cess measures to preserve current tax incidence after GST compensation cess ends.
The Central Excise Amendment Bill, 2025, would levy excise duty on tobacco products to replace the GST compensation cess on tobacco, while the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025, would replace the compensation cess on pan masala by imposing a targeted cess on manufacturing processes or machines to augment resources for national security and public health, thereby preserving the existing tax incidence once the compensation cess ends.

Deepti's mother alleges prolonged domestic cruelty and abuse; FIR registered against husband and mother in law recently.
An FIR was registered after the deceased's mother alleged a sustained pattern of physical and mental cruelty, social defamation, and exclusion by the husband and mother in law; she requested a comprehensive probe including by a central agency. The complaint links recent marital disputes and morning telephone exchanges to the event in which the woman was later found hanging and taken to hospital where she was declared dead, triggering a criminal investigation into alleged domestic cruelty.

Income tax refund scams use phishing links to steal bank and card details; verify refunds only via the official portal.
A cyber-fraud advisory warns that scammers impersonate income tax officials to solicit bank and card details via SMS, email and phishing links, and emphasizes that the Income Tax Department does not request OTPs, CVVs or passwords by message; recipients should avoid unfamiliar links and verify refund communications only through the official income tax portal.

Income Tax Department warned against filing repeat appeals in already-decided cases to prevent docket explosion.
The Supreme Court censured the Income Tax Department for repeatedly filing Special Leave Petitions after earlier dismissals based on existing precedent, finding such repeat appeals cause docket expansion, increase judicial pendency, and waste judicial time; the court urged the department to adopt a coherent litigation policy and comply with its internal circulars to prevent frivolous filings.

Foreign assets reporting: CBDT will nudge identified taxpayers to review and revise returns to ensure accurate disclosure and avoid penalties.
CBDT is launching a second NUDGE initiative using AEOI data to send SMSs and emails from 28 November 2025 advising identified taxpayers to review and, if necessary, revise ITRs by 31 December 2025 to ensure accurate reporting in Schedule FA and Schedule FSI and avoid penal consequences.

Param Raksha Life Pro+ combines market-linked investment with comprehensive life, accidental and terminal illness benefits and flexible premiums.
Param Raksha Life Pro+ is a unit linked insurance plan combining market-linked investment in Tata AIA funds with comprehensive life protection, including lump-sum death benefit, early terminal illness advance, accidental death cover and accidental permanent disability payout; it offers unlimited free fund switching, selectable limited premium payment terms, defined entry and maturity ages, and notes that premiums may qualify for tax deductions subject to prevailing law, with purchasers advised to consult individual product brochures for full terms.

Lakshmi Mittal relocates from the UK amid anticipated wealth and residency linked tax changes, citing inheritance and exit tax fears.
Proposed UK tax changes for high net worth individuals, including heightened capital gains measures, reduced entrepreneurial reliefs and speculation about an administrable exit tax, have led at least one billionaire to relocate from the UK to jurisdictions without inheritance tax. Advisers and reports identify inheritance tax and residency linked charges as primary drivers, and suggest government uncertainty over tax design has increased concerns about fiscal predictability for wealthy asset holders.

UAE business hub: 9% corporate tax and zero personal income tax attract investors and enable regional re-export strategies.
UAE offers a low-tax commercial environment with a 9% corporate tax on profits and no personal income tax, combined with government incentives and business-friendly infrastructure that facilitate tax optimisation and relocation of operations. The country's trade connectivity, logistics capabilities, and the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement support use of the UAE as a regional re-export and distribution hub, enabling investors-especially Indian exporters-to establish branches or distribution centres and access GCC, African, and European markets with reduced logistics costs and operational advantages.

Webull third quarter financial disclosures highlight revenue growth, non GAAP measures, and regulatory and operational risk disclosures.
The release presents GAAP results and reconciled non GAAP financial measures-adjusted operating profit, adjusted net income, and adjusted operating expenses-cautions these are supplemental and not substitutes for GAAP, and discloses that preferred shares converted into ordinary shares upon its April 2025 business combination. It explains ASC 606 treatment of promotional payments as contra revenue for customers, defines key operational metrics (customer assets, funded accounts, options contracts volume, registered users), and warns that unaudited figures and forward looking statements are subject to adjustments and regulatory and other risks disclosed in SEC filings.

Tax changes: individuals and organisations labelled foreign agents face higher taxes and loss of tax breaks.
The measure imposes a 30 percent income tax on individuals designated as foreign agents and removes their entitlement to government tax breaks, bars designated organisations from reduced corporate income tax rates, and forms part of broader tax changes including a value added tax increase.

Azam Khan ordered to remain in Rampur jail with local hearings, Class I accommodation and ensured medical care.
The court ordered Azam Khan and his son to remain lodged in Rampur district jail and barred their transfer without prior judicial permission, directed hearings in their pending Rampur cases to continue locally, and required provision of Class I custodial accommodation and adequate medical care for Khan.

Tata AIA Maha Raksha Supreme Select offers flexible term life cover with return of premium options, flexi pay deferment, and instant claim payout.
Tata AIA Maha Raksha Supreme Select offers single and joint term life options including Return of Premium variants that refund 100% of premiums at maturity (subject to exclusions), event linked increases (marriage, childbirth, home loan), annual Top Up SA of 5%-20%, optional riders, FlexiPay premium deferment up to 12 months, an Instant Claim Payout of INR 3 lakhs after three policy years (subject to investigation and recovery), Payor Accelerator on terminal illness, underwriting discretion, premium discounts, and tax benefits subject to prevailing Income Tax provisions and policy terms.

Fire-hit slum residents fear loss of identity documents may lead to exclusion from voter roll verification.
Fire destruction of Aadhaar, voter ID and PAN cards in Kolkata slums risks exclusion from the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls because reissuance and verification remain pending. Required biometrics, photographs and affidavits, and absence of household members working out of state, have delayed completion of verification forms. Municipal officials report coordination to prevent hardship, but residents continue to fear being marked as non existent or excluded during door to door SIR verification.

Taxpayer facilitation expanded through a public lounge promoting PAN services, e filing support and taxpayer education.
Central tax authority inaugurated a Taxpayers' Lounge at a national trade fair to advance taxpayer facilitation and awareness through technology driven services. The lounge provides assistance with PAN/e PAN applications and Aadhaar PAN linking, e filing and Form 26AS support, TDS queries, international taxation guidance, and information on faceless assessment, appeals and e Nivaran grievance redressal. It couples administrative support with public education via a Children's Corner and interactive events to promote taxpayer responsibilities and the role of taxation in nation building.

Dual PAN card procurement and use prosecuted as forgery, cheating and conspiracy, resulting in custodial sentences and fines.
Prosecution alleged procurement and use of duplicate PAN cards with altered birthdates, prosecuted as forgery, cheating, use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy; the court, relying on documentary evidence and witness testimony, imposed multiple custodial terms and fines with default imprisonment options, the principal sentence arising from the forgery-related offence within the magistrate's sentencing limits, and the prosecution may review the judgment for appeal.

Income tax refunds delayed as department analyses high-value deductions; legitimate payouts expected by December while low-value refunds released.
The Income-Tax Department is analysing high-value or red-flagged refund claims for alleged wrongful deductions, releasing low-value refunds, asking taxpayers to file revised returns where needed, and expecting legitimate payouts by December while pursuing appeal disposals to reduce pendency.

Dual PAN card case alleging forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy based on discrepant identity documents and records.
The case involves allegations that two PAN cards were obtained using discrepant dates of birth, with prosecution asserting procurement and submission of a forged PAN in concert, relying on documentary and witness evidence; charges include cheating, forgery of valuable security, forgery for cheating, using forged document, and criminal conspiracy, and the court evaluated documentary matches (school and bank records) and conspiratorial links between the parties.

New Income Tax Act implementation: ITR forms and rules to be notified, enabling simplified compliance from the next fiscal.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes will notify ITR forms and rules under the simplified Income Tax Act, 2025 by January, with the Act taking effect from the next fiscal beginning April 1, thereby establishing the reporting and compliance framework for taxpayers under the new statute.