Manufacturing, production or development of software - Exemption scheme under service tax modified - exemption under central excise and customs withdr...
Export contract registration updated: online submission, pro rata allocation, document deposit requirement and debarment for noncompliance. DGFT requires online-only submission to a designated email within a specified window, allocates available cotton export quantity on a pro rata basis with per IEC ceiling and floor, reduces future allocations for prior under shippers, and mandates deposit of contracts and prescribed bank evidence within a short time to obtain Registration Certificates; non submission or failure to export within the stipulated period leads to ineligibility, forfeiture of allocation rights, debarment and penal action under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act.
External commercial borrowings access permits corporates to raise foreign loans; RBI reports November issuances via automatic and approval routes. Reserve Bank data reports aggregate issuances of External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) for the month across both the automatic and approval routes. Corporates registered under the Companies Act may access ECBs under the automatic route subject to an annual cap and prescribed end use conditions; transactions not covered by the automatic route are considered under the approval route on a case by case basis. The release itemises borrower-level ECBs by purpose and maturity and notes items for which RBI sought clarifications on end use and eligibility.
Tax treatment of software: central excise and customs exemptions withdrawn, new service tax conditions prevent overlap. Imports of packaged or canned software are no longer exempt from customs duty. Manufacturing, production or development of software is no longer exempt from central excise and is subject to MRP valuation under section 4A. A consolidated service tax notification introduces conditions to prevent overlap between service tax and excise and between service tax and customs, and prior service tax notifications granting overlapping relief have been withdrawn.
Authorized Economic Operator status offers streamlined customs procedures and reduced inspections to certified supply chain participants. The CBEC draft establishes an Authorized Economic Operator programme aligned with the WCO SAFE Framework to certify importers, exporters and other supply chain participants as meeting supply chain security and customs compliance standards; certified entities receive a quality mark and facilitative measures such as favourable treatment in customs proceedings, reduced examination through lower risk scores, and simplified clearance procedures, with stakeholder consultation and pilot implementation planned prior to full roll out.
Economic outlook and inflation expectations signal recovery with implications for public finances and external trade dynamics. The Bulletin presents five analytical pieces: an Industrial Outlook Survey showing manufacturing recovery with higher production, new orders, employment and profit optimism; a Households Inflation Expectations Survey indicating rising near term inflation expectations driven by food prices; a Working Group Report proposing a revised Balance of Payments Manual aligned with international best practices; a Central Government Finances review reporting lower key deficit indicators supported by higher revenues and moderated expenditure; and a merchandise trade review documenting a broad rebound in exports and imports across commodity groups and partners.
Special Economic Zone policy allows full foreign direct investment through automatic route to promote exports and investment. The policy seeks US$200 billion merchandise exports in 2010-11 via fiscal incentives, procedural reform, market diversification and infrastructure improvement; the Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14 supports full refunds of indirect taxes and targeted schemes to diversify markets. The Special Economic Zones regime aims to promote exports, attract investment, create employment and develop infrastructure; statistics record approvals, notified zones, aggregate SEZ exports for the period, total investment to date, and the explicit allowance of full foreign direct investment through the automatic route. India adopts a cautious, selective engagement with RTAs/FTAs to expand export markets.
Tariff value notification establishes customs benchmark values for edible oils, brass scrap and poppy seeds for import valuation. The customs notification publishes authoritative tariff values in US dollars per metric tonne for specified imported commodities to serve as benchmarks for customs valuation. It lists edible oils (crude palm oil, RBD palm oil, palmolein, crude soyabean oil) with values retained as unchanged, and separately specifies values for brass scrap (all grades) and poppy seeds, providing the reference figures to be used by importers and customs officials for assessment and clearance until further notification.
Indirect tax collections rise significantly, improving achievement against annual revenue targets for the fiscal period. Total provisional indirect tax receipts for April-November 2010 rose to Rs.2,07,756 crore, a 42.3% increase over the prior year, representing 66.3% of the annual target of Rs.3,13,471 crore. Customs receipts were Rs.86,844 crore (67% increase, 75.5% of target), central excise Rs.81,984 crore (34.4% increase, 62.8% of target), and service tax Rs.38,927 crore (18.2% increase, 57.2% of target).
Minimum public float requirement welcomed by foreign investors as enhancing transparency and attracting investment if reforms follow. Low awareness of the consolidated FDI policy and limited government outreach were highlighted, alongside pervasive infrastructure bottlenecks (power, roads, water) and state level procedural delays that impede foreign investors. Respondents noted strong market and manufacturing potential and indicated that shifts in China could redirect FDI to India, provided infrastructure and procedural reforms are implemented. The minimum public float requirement was welcomed as a measure likely to enhance public participation, accountability and transparency, improving the investment climate.
International trade growth drives expanded bilateral trade partnerships and rising exports despite narrowing surplus this year. China's merchandise trade surged in the first eleven months with strong year-on-year export and import growth; imports rose faster than exports in the latest month, reducing the trade surplus, while the EU, the United States, and Japan remained the principal bilateral partners according to customs data.
Export market growth imperative: expanding exports supports jobs and taps global customers for US manufacturers. Export market expansion is presented as an essential economic strategy to stimulate employment and sustain manufacturing demand by linking increased export orders to job support and emphasizing that most prospective customers and fastest growing markets lie outside national borders, making export promotion a direct mechanism for job creation and economic growth through coordinated efforts to open new markets for domestically produced goods.
Price discovery in commodity futures aids planning and proposed options will protect producers' downside while preserving upside. Futures trading in specified essential commodities is permitted to perform price discovery and price risk management, complementing the spot market and aiding policy responses to anticipated shortages or surpluses. Options trading is currently prohibited under the existing forward contract regulatory regime but proposed amendments would permit options, which grant producers the right without obligation to sell at an agreed price by paying a premium, protecting downside while preserving upside, unlike futures which create an obligation to sell at the agreed price.
External Commercial Borrowings reporting shows route specific inflows and end use classifications affecting compliance and registration requirements. Monthly data on External Commercial Borrowings and Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds for October 2010 itemises Automatic Route and Approval Route transactions by borrower, equivalent USD amounts, stated end uses (notably import of capital goods, modernisation, rupee expenditure on local capital goods and new projects) and approximate maturities; the Automatic Route total, Approval Route total and a Grand Total are published, with certain entries subject to clarification on end use conformity, borrower eligibility and reliance on Form 83 for Loan Registration Numbers.
Duty Free Tariff Preference expands market access, boosting potential for increased bilateral trade and investment ties. The release stresses that India-Ethiopia trade rose substantially with Indian exports predominating, and that the Duty Free Tariff Preference Scheme-providing duty free access on most tariff lines and Margins of Preference on others-creates market access to expand Ethiopian exports. It identifies priority sectors for trade and joint ventures (agriculture and agro processing, floriculture, textiles, leather, IT, pharmaceuticals) and notes significant Indian approved investment focused largely on commercial agriculture, positioning investment alongside tariff preferences as drivers of further bilateral economic engagement.
External commercial borrowings reporting shows route-wise inflows, borrower purposes and maturities for September 2010 in official release External Commercial Borrowings and Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds data for September 2010 are published route-wise (Automatic and Approval), listing borrowers, equivalent USD amounts, stated end-uses (for example import of capital goods, rupee expenditure on local capital goods, modernisation, power, new projects, overseas acquisition), approximate maturities, route totals and a Grand Total. The Automatic Route entries note reliance on Form 83 for Loan Registration Number allotment and identify cases where clarifications were sought on end-use conformity and borrower eligibility.
Capital requirement of public sector banks: government to boost Tier I capital and adjust stake to enable future market funding. The government approved fresh infusion into public sector banks' Tier I Capital to achieve a targeted CRAR, with the exact amount, instruments, and terms to be decided in consultation with banks; the exercise also contemplates raising government shareholdings in specific banks to enable future market based capital raises without sole government reliance.
Free Trade Agreements provide tariff concessions but do not alter import prohibitions or licensing under the Foreign Trade Policy. Free Trade Agreements operate solely to provide tariff concessions and preferential access; they do not modify the statutory import policy. Determinations about whether goods are prohibited, require prior permission, or are freely importable are made under the Foreign Trade Policy, and FTAs cannot override import prohibitions or licensing requirements.
Market-determined exchange rate: RBI manages volatility without fixed targets, exporters advised to use available hedging tools. The authority operates a market-determined exchange rate regime with intervention limited to managing excessive volatility and no fixed targets or pre-announced bands; recent rupee movements are linked to capital flow moderation and a stronger US dollar. Exporter requests for a fixed exchange rate, interest on EEFC balances and concessional rupee export credit were received, but the authority highlighted the availability of OTC and exchange-traded hedging instruments-forwards, options, swaps and futures-to manage foreign exchange risk.
Electronic clearance for express cargo pilot launched; access via designated online portal and on-site service centre for users. A pilot electronic clearance mechanism for express cargo is operational at the New Courier Terminal (NCT), IGI Airport, New Delhi from 28 October 2010, accessible to bona fide users via a specified online portal or the on-site service centre, with designated customs and vendor contacts available for support.
SEZ land contiguity requests paused as tax-evasion concerns delay approval for infrastructure through non-processing areas. Requests to relax SEZ land contiguity rules for Vedanta Group and Raheja Developers were placed on hold after Revenue Department representatives raised tax evasion concerns about permitting a railway track through non processing areas to transport coal to an adjacent group power plant, preserving further procedural review of infrastructure exceptions and affiliated energy supply arrangements.
Shri Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry during the bilateral meeting with Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn, Deputy Prime Minister and foreign Minister of Ethiopia here today, expressed satisfaction at the impressive growth in bilateral trade, which has grown from US $ 83 million in the year 2005-06 to US $ 272 million in 2009-10, registering a growth of 227% in the last 4 years. He informed that India's exports to Ethiopia have increased from US $ 74 million in 2005 - 2006 to US $ 253 million in 2009- 2010, and India's imports from Ethiopia have grown from US $ 8 million in 2005 -06 to US $ 18 million in 2009- 2010.
Shri Sharma also conveyed that there was potential to further increase the bilateral trade between both countries, especially the Ethiopian exports to India, in view of the Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme announced by India. The Scheme provides for duty free market access on 85% of India's total tariff lines and Margins of Preference (MOP) on 9% tariff lines. "There is scope for increased trade and joint ventures in areas such as agriculture & agro-processing industries, floriculture, textile and garments, leather and leather products, IT sector, drugs and pharmaceuticals etc.
Interacting with the visiting Minister, Shri Sharma said that India is the largest foreign investor in Ethiopia with approved investment of US $ 4.4 billion. Of this, approximately US $ 1 billion is already on ground or in the pipeline. About 40% of Indian investment is in the field of commercial agriculture.
Major items of export to Ethiopia were machinery & instruments; electronic goods, transport equipments, manufacture of metals, paper wood products etc. while major item of imports from Ethiopia were pulses, oil seeds, leather, spices, non-ferrous metals, raw hides & skins etc.
Duty Free Tariff Preference expands market access, boosting potential for increased bilateral trade and investment ties.
The release stresses that India-Ethiopia trade rose substantially with Indian exports predominating, and that the Duty Free Tariff Preference Scheme-providing duty free access on most tariff lines and Margins of Preference on others-creates market access to expand Ethiopian exports. It identifies priority sectors for trade and joint ventures (agriculture and agro processing, floriculture, textiles, leather, IT, pharmaceuticals) and notes significant Indian approved investment focused largely on commercial agriculture, positioning investment alongside tariff preferences as drivers of further bilateral economic engagement.
Note: It is a system-generated summary and is for quick reference only.
TaxTMI 
Join Channel
TaxTMI 
