External debt rise reflects higher long and short term obligations, with currency concentration and rising debt to GDP implications.
India's external debt at end December 2012 was US$ 376.3 billion, up 8.9% over end March 2012, with long term debt at US$ 284.4 billion (driven by NRI deposits and commercial borrowings) and short term debt at US$ 91.9 billion (driven by trade credits); short term debt comprised 24.4% of total, sovereign debt was US$ 81.7 billion (21.7% of total), the US dollar accounted for 56.8% of debt, and the external debt to GDP ratio rose to 20.6%.

Transfer pricing certainty: circulars clarify identification of contract R&D providers and use of the profit split method for taxpayers.
Approval is announced for administrative guidance implementing Rangachary Committee recommendations by setting parameters to identify contract R&D service providers bearing insignificant risk and clarifying application of the profit split method, with the stated aim of providing certainty to taxpayers on transfer pricing treatment of development centres; the circulars accompany earlier CBDT guidance on software exports and are published for taxpayer reference.

Memorandum of Understanding sets growth and performance targets; SPMCIL commits modernization, R&D, and training measures.
SPMCIL entered a growth-oriented Memorandum of Understanding for 2013-14 fixing sales and gross operating margin targets and adopting Task Force-negotiated parameters and weightages to evaluate Profitability, Efficiency, Quality/Safety, Growth/Sustainability, project implementation, Human Resource Management, Research and Development, and CSR. The company commits to improve manpower efficiency, modernise plant and machinery, indigenise security products, provide targeted employee training, pursue R&D to strengthen banknote paper and coin plating technology, and undertake education and plantation initiatives under CSR.

Exchange rate determination: notified conversion rates for foreign currencies applied to import and export goods valuation.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs notifies specific rupee equivalences for listed foreign currencies to be used for valuation of imported and exported goods, superseding the prior notification and specifying separate rates for imports and exports as set out in two schedules, with effect from the stated implementation date and not affecting prior acts or omissions.

VAT administration reform enables online registration and simplified returns, with threshold increase and penalty mitigation for voluntary disclosures.
Proposals enact administrative simplification and targeted tax relief: online registration and full online compliance; a uniform quarterly tax period; raising the VAT registration threshold; filing only a downloaded signed acknowledgement instead of full hard copy returns; penalty mitigation up to eighty percent for voluntary admission and deposit of tax during inspections; a new composition scheme for works contractors allowing turnover based tax, use of declaration forms and limited procurement from unregistered dealers; and selected exemptions and rate reductions to advance environmental and social objectives.

Advance payment of income tax encouraged via RBI, authorised agency banks and online channels to avoid end period congestion.
Taxpayers are advised to remit income tax dues sufficiently before the deadline via RBI counters, authorised agency bank branches, or online payment facilities to reduce end period congestion; the release lists the authorised agency banks that may receive payments and notes that RBI provides additional counters only to the extent possible.

Information sharing of banking intelligence enables enhanced corporate fraud detection and forensic investigation support under anti money laundering framework.
Memoranda of Understanding establish a state-of art Forensic Laboratory within SFIO and create protocols for expedited exchange of banking and suspicious-transaction intelligence from FIU IND under the Prevention of Money Laundering framework to strengthen SFIO's investigative capacity and facilitate a Comprehensive Early Warning System for early detection of corporate fraud.

Seizure of unexplained assets does not automatically trigger prosecution; evidence supports assessment and prosecutions follow statutory conditions.
Seizure operations recovered unexplained assets, but seizure alone does not trigger prosecution; evidence from searches and post-search enquiries is used for statutory assessment of income and may support prosecutions when the Act's prescribed conditions for initiating proceedings are satisfied. Legislative measures enabling Special Courts and Special Public Prosecutors were introduced to improve prosecution effectiveness.

Tariff value revision for precious metals alters import valuation and customs assessment for gold and silver.
The Central Board of Excise & Customs amended Notification No. 36/2001 Customs by substituting TABLE 1 and TABLE 2 to prescribe revised tariff values: TABLE 1 sets US$ per metric tonne values for listed commodities including various palm oils, crude soyabean oil, brass scrap and poppy seeds; TABLE 2 sets US$ tariff benchmarks for gold (per ten grams) and silver (per kilogram) where benefits of specific entries of Notification No. 12/2012 Customs are availed, serving as the customs valuation reference for import assessment.

Exchange of information expanded to include banking data and no domestic interest information, enabling broader cross border tax assistance.
Amendment to the India-Sweden DTAC enhances the Exchange of Information provision to include exchange of banking information and information without domestic interest, and adds a Tax Examination Abroad provision permitting authorised officials to enter the other State to conduct tax examinations, thereby strengthening cross-border administrative assistance in tax matters.

Income tax return filing procedures updated; new return forms proposed to reflect Finance Act changes and stakeholder input.
Government proposes revised forms for filing income-tax returns to incorporate changes from the Finance Act and stakeholder input, to be notified prior to the applicable assessment cycle so taxpayers and intermediaries adopt the updated filing instruments for that year.

Payment of self-assessment tax required on filing returns; unpaid amounts render taxpayer an assessee in default and invite penalties.
The law requires payment of tax computed on returned income after accounting for prepaid taxes before or at the time of filing; the administration urges taxpayers who filed without paying self-assessment tax to remit outstanding amounts by the stated deadline. Future filers must pay any self-assessed tax when filing. Non-payment at filing renders the taxpayer an assessee in default and may attract penal consequences under the Income-tax provisions.

Classification of high-quality fake currency as terrorist act expands criminal jurisdiction and enables focused investigation.
Enhanced interagency intelligence-sharing and a specialised investigative cell focus on terror-funding and fake-currency cases, while investigative powers have been expanded to prosecute offences related to counterfeit currency. An amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act classifies damage to monetary stability from production, smuggling or circulation of high-quality counterfeit currency as a terrorist act, and currency-printing facilities are subject to ongoing upgrades under extant procurement guidelines.

Youth skill development funding expands to improve employability and promote self-employment via targeted training and cash awards.
The Budget advances targeted allocations to enhance youth employability and self-employment by funding the National Skills Development Corporation for large-scale vocational training with attendant cash awards, establishing Tool Rooms and Technology Centres to promote technology-led entrepreneurship, increasing education funding and secondary education scheme support, providing scholarships to disadvantaged students via Direct Benefit Transfer, and allocating resources for medical institution hospitals and national sports coaching infrastructure.

Double taxation avoidance agreements allocate taxing rights and provide information exchange to reduce double taxation burdens.
Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements allocate taxing rights between source and residence States for categories of income including business profits (profits of a permanent establishment), shipping and air transport operations, dividends, interest, royalties and capital gains, and include exchange of information provisions to assist tax administration and provide tax certainty for residents while facilitating cross-border investment and services.

Establishment of women's public sector bank: committee to draft blueprint with licence approvals and operational timeline.
A government-appointed committee of senior banking and sector representatives will prepare a blueprint for establishing India's first Women's Public Sector Bank, with initial capital provided; the committee must submit a report by a specified deadline and address requirements for banking licence and other approvals to enable the bank's operational commencement according to the government's timeline.

Exchange rate notification fixes conversion rates for imports and exports under customs law, effective from March 8, 2013.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs, under statutory powers, fixes distinct conversion rates for specified foreign currencies into Indian rupees for imported and export goods effective 8 March 2013, superseding the immediately prior notification. Two annexed schedules implement the rates: Schedule I provides per unit rupee equivalents for listed currencies for import and export transactions, while Schedule II gives the rupee equivalent for 100 units of Japanese Yen for import and export purposes.

Action against ponzi schemes: strengthened enforcement, surveillance and coordinated investigations across financial regulators and state authorities.
Enforcement targets fraudulent investment deposits and 'ponzi schemes' under the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act and, where applicable, collective investment scheme regulation by SEBI; coordinated measures include requests for police action, enhanced RBI surveillance of unauthorized NBFCs, issuance of Model Rules to enable state action, stepped-up SEBI surveillance, awareness campaigns, inspections of specified companies, and a Market Research and Analysis Unit in the Serious Fraud Investigation Office to support market surveillance and inter-agency coordination.

Double taxation avoidance: treaty limits source taxation and establishes withholding caps with information exchange safeguards.
The bilateral tax treaty allocates taxing rights by providing that business profits are taxable in the source state when an enterprise has a permanent establishment, aircraft operation profits are taxable in the state of effective management, and dividends, interest, royalties and technical service fees are taxable in both residence and source states with a source state withholding cap of 10%; capital gains on shares are taxable in the source state. The Agreement also includes exchange of information, assistance in tax collection and anti abuse measures to restrict benefits to genuine residents.

Change in tariff values: revised customs tariff values prescribed for specified imported commodities affecting import valuation.
The Central Board of Excise & Customs, invoking powers under section 14(2) of the Customs Act, substitutes TABLE-1 and TABLE-2 of Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.) to prescribe updated tariff values for specified imported goods, including various palm oils, crude soyabean oil, brass scrap, poppy seeds, and specified forms of gold and silver, for use in customs import valuation and duty assessment.