Electronic filing of appeals mandated for e filers, replacing Form 35 and enabling document upload with inbuilt validations and e hearing scheduling.
Electronic filing of first appeals before the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) is mandated for taxpayers who e file returns; appeals and relied upon documents must be submitted online, the existing Form 35 is replaced by a new structured form with inbuilt validations, and the digital process will facilitate electronic fixation of hearing dates while reducing human interface, paperwork and taxpayer compliance burden.

Exchange of tax information expanded, enabling mutual assistance in tax collection under the amended India-Slovenia tax convention.
The Protocol amending the tax convention between India and Slovenia expands the exchange of tax information framework and authorises mutual assistance in collection of taxes, broadening channels for sharing tax-related information to combat evasion and avoidance and enabling coordinated recovery procedures between the competent authorities.

LPG subsidy eligibility limited by taxable income; high income consumers will be ineligible and must self declare when booking.
The Government will withhold LPG subsidy from any consumer if the consumer or his/her spouse had taxable income exceeding Rs. 10,00,000 in the previous financial year as computed under the Income Tax Act, 1961; this ineligibility will be effected initially on a self declaration basis when booking cylinders from January 2016, with subsidy transfers executed through the DBTL/PAHAL mechanism and savings redirected to provide connections to low income households.

Public-private partnerships in infrastructure require risk reallocation, independent regulators and an institutional renegotiation mechanism for stressed projects.
The Committee directs a sector and project specific risk allocation framework allocating risks to the party best able to manage them, deployment of sophisticated modelling, and mandatory ex ante renegotiation clauses. It urges creation of a national PPP institute (3PI) for capacity building, independent unified sector regulators, and amendment of the Prevention of Corruption Act to protect bona fide decision making. For stressed projects it proposes a statutory two tier mechanism-an IPRC to evaluate "Actionable Stress" and an IPAT for time bound adjudication-together with benchmarks for permissible renegotiation and measures to monetise viable assets and mobilise long term finance.

Central Government Debt Data consolidated in a one stop handbook to improve transparency and support market and academic analysis.
The Second Edition of the Handbook of Statistics on Central Government Debt compiles time-series data on outstanding debt, primary issuance of bills and bonds, and secondary market transactions in government securities across 16 tables, serving as a one-stop source for Central Government debt data to facilitate market analysis and academic research and to supplement the Annual Status Paper by providing detailed empirical coverage.

Post-Award Contract Management guidance strengthens PPP oversight and provides toolkits for project authorities to manage concessions.
The Department of Economic Affairs issued guidance for Post-Award Contract Management of PPP concessions, including Guidelines, sector specific Manuals based on concession agreements and the model concession agreement, and an interactive web based toolkit to clarify obligations, roles and responsibilities and to assist Project Authorities in proactive oversight and administration of PPP projects.

Place of Effective Management guidance clarifies residence determination for companies and invites stakeholder comments by stated deadline.
Determination of corporate residence relies on whether a company is an Indian company or whether its Place of Effective Management (POEM) is in India; draft guiding principles for POEM have been published on official websites to assist taxpayers and the tax administration and stakeholders are invited to submit comments to the Director (Tax Policy & Legislation)-I, Central Board of Direct Taxes.

Tax incentives for additional employment support manufacturing job creation under national policy and industrial corridor development.
Government measures to boost industrial growth comprise the Make in India initiative, FDI liberalisation, investor facilitation and e-governance, creation of industrial corridors coordinated by a National Industrial Corridor Development Authority, regional and sectoral incentive schemes including NEIIP, Transport/Freight Subsidy Schemes and Central Capital/Interest Subsidy Schemes, sector programmes such as the Integrated Development of Leather Sector and Mega Food Parks, and tax incentives for additional manufacturing employment under section 80JJAA.

India advanced tax, banking and anti black money reforms while expanding financial inclusion and infrastructure investment vehicles.
The Government implemented macroeconomic and monetary easing measures alongside administrative steps to reduce inflation; advanced financial sector reforms (Payment Banks, recapitalization, Mission Indradhanush), created the NIIF, joined multilateral banks, strengthened macroprudential coordination via FSDC, and merged FMC into SEBI. Tax changes streamlined direct and indirect regimes, introduced taxpayer reliefs, advanced GST constitutional amendment, and enacted the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Act, 2015 with penalties and a one time compliance window. Major financial inclusion schemes (PMJDY, PMMY, APY) and e governance tax initiatives were rolled out, while fiscal transfers to States were increased per Fourteenth Finance Commission norms.

Extension of tax payment deadline: Central Excise and Service Tax payment and return filing deadlines extended for Puducherry assessees.
Deadlines for Central Excise duty and Service Tax payment for November 2015 for assessees in the Union Territory of Puducherry (except Mahe and Yanam) are extended to 20 December 2015, and the Central Excise return filing deadline for November 2015 is extended to 31 December 2015, pursuant to notifications and an order issued by the central tax administration.

Macroeconomic consolidation through structural reforms and fiscal consolidation bolsters growth while addressing financial-sector stress.
Macroeconomic consolidation has strengthened with lower inflation, reduced fiscal and current account deficits, and improving growth attributed to structural reforms and policy measures over the prior 19 months. The Government pursued enhanced public investment, restarting stalled projects, improved resource allocation procedures, a clarified monetary policy framework, and greater fiscal federalism. Fiscal consolidation continued alongside increased capital expenditure and buoyant tax revenues. Financial-sector measures-bank recapitalization, loan restructuring, and remedial duties for affected industries-were advanced to address nonperforming assets and sectoral weaknesses while promoting financial inclusion and rural credit.

Disinvestment strategy shifts to rolling plans and faster approvals, increasing market participation and allotment for public offerings.
The Department shifted disinvestment to a rolling plan model with advance preparation, secrecy, fast tracked approvals, revised intermediary engagement and reserved allotments to prevent market hammering and broaden participation; this produced multiple OFS issues and materially higher CPSE receipts. The fiscal program set an elevated target combining recurring CPSE sales and strategic disinvestment, while the Department of Expenditure enforced state Net Borrowing Ceiling discipline, facilitated quarterly borrowing permissions, eased external loan concurrence for certain cases and provided Special Assistance tied to post Finance Commission fiscal transitions.

Designation of Income tax authority to receive declarations of undisclosed foreign assets under the black money Act.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes directs that a specific income-tax officer is the designated Income tax authority for receiving and processing declarations of undisclosed foreign assets under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, allocating administrative responsibility for submissions and related compliance matters until further orders.

Monetary policy normalization prompts cautious global tightening while Indian markets show stability and resilience to the shift.
The statement treats the US Federal Reserve's rate increase as the start of monetary policy normalization, notes cautious future Fed actions, and records positive reactions in Indian equity and forex markets-indices rising and the rupee stable-attributing market resilience to stronger GDP growth, lower inflation, a reduced current account deficit, and ongoing fiscal consolidation.

Appeal filing thresholds and supervisory pre-notice review to limit unnecessary departmental litigation and improve adjudication quality.
The Board instituted appeal filing thresholds to limit departmental appeals and required withdrawal of cases when higher-court precedent exists, while mandating zonal oversight meetings to advise adjudicating officers, establishing officer accountability for persistent non-compliance, creating a training institute for adjudication and advocacy, and requiring senior-level pre-show cause consultation in higher-value cases to ensure supervisory review and proportionality.

Reporting for non-resident payments: new narrower CA-certificate requirement and expanded exemptions under amended rules.
Amendments narrow reporting obligations for payments to non residents by exempting individual remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme from Forms 15CA/15CB, expanding the list of payment types exempted to include certain import payments, and requiring a Chartered Accountant certificate in Form 15CB only where payments are chargeable to tax and exceed a prescribed compliance threshold; the amendments take effect from the notified applicability date.

Indirect tax collections rose sharply; tariff adjustments, compliance rationalisation and e governance reforms were implemented to broaden the tax base.
Indirect tax receipts grew substantially in April-October 2015 across Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax. The Department implemented tariff adjustments to promote manufacturing and protect agriculture, procedural reforms including 24x7 customs clearance, Single Window messaging, digital signatures and reduced documentation, and rationalised penal and prosecution rules. Central Excise and Service Tax measures subsumed education cesses, sped registration, extended electronic payments and CENVAT timelines, and broadened service tax by changes to the negative list. Legislative steps included abolition of wealth tax, transfer pricing and APA changes, and anti black money laws and information exchange arrangements.

Monetary Policy Framework sets an inflation objective and enables accommodative rate cuts to support growth and stability.
Inflation management and a new Monetary Policy Framework between Government and the RBI introduced an explicit inflation objective, supported by supply-side measures and accommodative monetary easing in 2015 to restore price stability and spur growth. Concurrently, banking reforms (recapitalisation, Mission Indradhanush, Payment and Small Finance Bank licences) and financial-sector measures (NIIF creation, tax-free bonds, FPI debt limits, PPP appraisal and Viability Gap Funding, municipal bond guidelines) were implemented to mobilise long-term finance, improve governance, deepen markets and promote infrastructure and financial inclusion.

Tariff value change for edible oils and specified commodities affects customs valuation and import assessment.
Amendment under the Customs Act substitutes TABLE-1, TABLE-2 and TABLE-3 of Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.), prescribing unit tariff values in US dollars for specified imported commodities. The substituted tables list operative unit values for crude palm oil, RBD palm oil, other palm oils, crude palmolein, RBD palmolein, other palmolein, crude soybean oil, brass scrap, poppy seeds, areca nuts, and unit valuations for gold and silver where notification benefits apply, for use in customs assessment and import valuation.

Extension of Advance Tax deadline provides temporary compliance relief, treating payments made by the extended date as timely.
Extension of the last installment deadline for payment of Advance Tax: the tax authority issued an administrative order under the Income-tax Act extending the date for deposit of the December installment due to severe rainfall and floods; Advance Tax deposited into Government accounts on or before the extended date will be treated as timely payment for that installment.