GST rate amendment: Himachal Pradesh revises state tax schedules, removing some lower-rated items and adding building material entries.
The Governor, on the Council's recommendation under the Himachal Pradesh GST Act, amends Notification No. 1/2017-State Tax (Rate) by omitting serial numbers 225B-228 from Schedule I (2.5%) and inserting new serial numbers 176B-176E in Schedule II (6%) to classify specified fly ash bricks, siliceous-earth bricks, building bricks, and earthen or roofing tiles.

GST rate amendment: reclassification of certain bricks and tiles changes state tax grouping, effective from April.
The notification omits serial numbers 225B, 226, 227 and 228 from Schedule I and inserts serials 176B-176E after 176A in Schedule II to reclassify specified bricks, blocks and roofing tiles into the listed entries with their tariff descriptions and HSN references; the amendment is issued under the Jharkhand GST Act and is effective from the first day of April, 2022.

De-notification of SEZ land: Central Government reduces SEZ area following statutory approval and administrative recommendation.
De-notification of 1.716 hectares from the SEZ at SIPCOT Industrial Growth Centre, Sriperumbudur reduces the SEZ area to 119.788 hectares, effected under the second proviso to sub section (1) of section 4 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 and rule 8 of the Special Economic Zones Rules, 2006. The proposal by the Developer received State approval and a recommendation from the Development Commissioner; the Developer had allotted the land proposed for de-notification to a unit functioning as a DTA unit. The Central Government recorded satisfaction that statutory prerequisites were fulfilled and issued the notification detailing SF numbers and areas.

Standing Committee for Consumer Welfare Fund under GST rules established to oversee and recommend utilization of the fund.
A Standing Committee is constituted to advise on utilization of the Consumer Welfare Fund established under the KGST Act and Rules. The committee's role is to recommend proper application of amounts credited to the fund pursuant to the KGST Rules. Its membership comprises the Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) as Chair, the Commissioner of Commercial Taxes as Vice Chair, an Additional Commissioner (Head Quarters 1) as Member Secretary, and an Additional Commissioner (Policy and Law) as Member.

Special Courts designation under the Black Money and Income-tax framework allocates defined trial jurisdictions in Tamil Nadu.
The Central Government, exercising powers under the Income-tax Act and the Black Money Act, designates specified courts in Tamil Nadu as Special Courts for purposes of the Black Money Act; two courts are appointed with defined territorial jurisdictions, with district name substitutions noted and the designation made in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Madras.

Special Court designation expands jurisdiction for prosecution under income tax and black money laws within the specified territory.
The Central Government, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Patna, designates the Special Court of Economic Offences at Patna as the Special Court for the purposes of the Income-tax Act and the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act within its territorial jurisdiction, by official notification issued through the Ministry of Finance, Central Board of Direct Taxes.

Special Court designation under section 280A centralizes trial jurisdiction for tax and undisclosed foreign income offences in a single forum.
The Central Government, exercising powers under the Income-tax Act and the Black Money Act and after consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court, designates a sitting Magistrate Court as the Special Court to exercise jurisdiction over offences under those statutes for the specified territorial unit, thereby concentrating trial jurisdiction for the enumerated tax and undisclosed foreign income offences in a single forum.

Designation of Special Courts under Black Money Act assigns jurisdiction across specified districts for enforcement.
The Central Government, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court, designates two magistrate-level courts as Special Courts for purposes of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, and assigns specified districts to each court to define territorial jurisdiction for enforcement of the Act.

Filing obligation thresholds expanded to include business turnover, professional receipts, tax deducted/collected and bank deposits, with senior resident relief.
Rule 12AB prescribes conditions for furnishing return of income by persons described in clause (b) of sub section (1) of section 139, listing four alternative triggers: business sales/turnover/gross receipts, professional gross receipts, aggregate tax deducted at source plus tax collected at source, and aggregate deposits in one or more savings bank accounts during the previous year; it also provides a higher threshold for the tax deduction/collection criterion for resident individuals aged sixty years or more. The Rules are titled Income tax (Ninth Amendment) Rules, 2022 and commence on publication in the Official Gazette.

Exchange rate determination for customs: specified conversion rates set for import and export goods, effective 22 April 2022.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs prescribes specific rates of exchange for listed foreign currencies into Indian rupees for customs valuation of imported and exported goods, effective 22 April 2022, superseding a prior notification; rates appear in Schedule I (per unit) and Schedule II (per 100 units), and certain currency entries were substituted by subsequent notifications.

Tax exemption for notified SEZ Authority: specified non commercial incomes exempt subject to non commercial and filing conditions.
Notification under clause (46) of section 10 notifies SEEPZ Special Economic Zone Authority (PAN AAALS4995G) as an Authority for exemption of specified incomes: lease rentals/service charges from SEZ units; gate pass fees, fines, penalties and miscellaneous receipts; and interest on bank deposits and investments. The exemption is conditional on the Authority not engaging in commercial activity, maintaining unchanged activities and income character across financial years, and filing income returns per clause (g) of sub section (4C) of section 139. The notification is deemed effective for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 and applicable for 2022-2023 to 2024-2025.

Tax exemption for regulatory authority: specified government grants, fees and related interest exempted subject to non-commercial and filing conditions.
Central Government notifies Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority as an Authority under clause (46) of section 10 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, declaring specified income exempt: (a) government grants or loan/advance; (b) fees or penalties from builders/developers, agents or other stakeholders under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016; and (c) interest on such amounts, subject to conditions that the Authority not engage in commercial activity, maintain unchanged activities and income nature across the financial years, and file returns as required by clause (g) of sub-section (4C) of section 139.

Concessional GST rate on intra-state brick supplies applies where input tax credit is not claimed.
Concessional State tax relief is granted for specified intra state supplies of bricks, blocks and tiles at the reduced rates listed for each tariff classification, on the condition that the supplier does not avail input tax credit for those supplies, and that any partly claimed credits are reversed as if the supply were exempt in accordance with credit reversal rules.

Composition scheme eligibility revised; prescribed manufacturers of certain goods barred from opting, with staged effective dates.
An eligible registered person with aggregate turnover in the preceding financial year not exceeding one crore fifty lakh rupees may opt for the composition levy as prescribed under the Jammu and Kashmir GST Rules; however, manufacturers of specified goods listed by tariff classification (including edible ice, pan masala, tobacco and substitutes, fly ash bricks/aggregates, certain siliceous bricks, building bricks and earthen roofing tiles) are excluded. Tariff classification interpretation follows the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act. Exclusions for S. Nos. 1-3 are effective from 1 April 2019 and for the remaining items from 1 April 2022.

Amendment to GST notification inserts fly ash and brick products into the notified table, effective from April.
S.O. 182 amends SRO-207 (18-3-2019) under Sub-Section (2) of Section 23 of the Jammu and Kashmir Goods Services Tax Act, 2017 to insert four new table entries: fly ash bricks or fly ash aggregate and fly ash blocks; bricks of fossil meals or similar siliceous earths; building bricks; and earthen or roofing tiles, with specified numerical headings. The amendment is declared to be effective from 1 April 2022.

GST rate amendment: schedules updated to remove certain entries and add specified bricks and tiles, effective from the tax period.
Amendment revises GST schedules by omitting specified serial entries from Schedule I and inserting new tariff classifications in Schedule II for fly ash bricks, bricks of siliceous earths, building bricks, and earthen or roofing tiles, with effect from the stated commencement date under the authority of Section 9 of the Jammu and Kashmir GST Act.

Fit and proper criteria for Nidhi declarations strengthened; non-compliant entities barred from member deposits and loans.
New rules require public companies seeking declaration as Nidhi to file Form NDH-4 within a prescribed period, attach declarations that promoters and directors satisfy fit and proper person criteria with specified disqualifications, and await Central Government examination which is deemed approved if not decided within the statutory period; non-compliant companies or those with rejected NDH-4 cannot raise deposits or provide loans to members and any deposits raised after non-compliance are governed by Chapter V of the Act.

Designation of Special Courts under tax law assigns specified magistrate courts jurisdiction over tax and black money offences in Kerala.
The Central Government, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala, designates specified magistrate courts in Kerala as Special Courts to exercise jurisdiction over offences under the Income-tax Act and the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, assigning each listed court to a corresponding territorial area for purposes of investigations and prosecutions under those statutes.

Research institution approval enables tax deduction eligibility for social science and statistical research for specified assessment years.
Central Government approved Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research Foundation Trust, New Delhi (PAN: AAJTS0088H) as an other Institution in the category of University, College or other institution for research in social science and statistical research under clause (iii) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 read with the Income-tax Rules, with effect from publication and applicability to the specified assessment years; retrospective effect certified as not adversely affecting any person.

Special Court designation under income tax and black money laws allocates territorial jurisdictions for statutory prosecutions.
The Central Government, under section 280A of the Income tax Act, 1961 and section 84 of the Black Money Act, 2015, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Allahabad, notifies designated magistrate courts in Uttar Pradesh as Special Courts and allocates territorial jurisdictions to those courts by a table listing each court and its covered districts for proceedings under those statutes.