Exemption from excise duty for dyed woven fabrics subject to factory registration and limits on machinery, facilities and power.
Exemption removes both basic and additional excise duty on dyed woven cotton fabrics subject to factory-level eligibility: registration with the jurisdictional Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise, limits on plant and machinery value, prohibition of weaving/bleaching/mercerising/printing facilities at the unit, and a strict cap on total power capacity.

Exemption for project imports: goods for government approved UN or international organisation projects exempt from customs duty with required certificates.
Goods imported into India for execution of projects financed by the United Nations or specified international organisations and approved by the Government of India are exempt from customs duty and special duty, subject to production at clearance of prescribed certificates from the importing organisation or designated Government authorities; projects financed by other international lenders require certification by the Project Implementing Authority and countersignature by an authorised Government officer. For goods imported before 1 March 2008, transfer to a new project, re export, or payment of duty on a depreciated value are permitted under stated conditions.

Housing Finance Company approval permits tax treatment under section 36(1)(viii) subject to compliance with that provision.
M/s. Vidarbha Housing Development Finance Co. Limited is approved as a Housing Finance Company for the purposes of section 36(1)(viii) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 for the assessment years 1996-97 to 1998-99, and the approval is conditional on the company conforming to and complying with the provisions of section 36(1)(viii).

Cost Inflation Index specified under Explanation to section 48 enabling indexed cost computation for financial years up to 1997-98.
The Central Government specifies the Cost Inflation Index based on seventy-five per cent of the average rise in the Consumer Price Index for urban non-manual employees, and publishes numeric index values for each financial year from 1981-82 through 1997-98. Those indices are prescribed for use in computing indexed cost of acquisition for capital gains tax purposes and are set out in an attached table.

Service tax exemption for goods transport operator services where freight is paid by non-excluded customers, subject to listed exceptions.
Exempts the taxable service provided by a goods transport operator from service tax for carriage of goods by road where the freight is paid or payable by a customer, but excludes specified categories of payers including factories, companies, corporations, registered societies, cooperative societies, registered excise dealers, bodies corporate, and persons registered with sales tax authorities exceeding the turnover threshold; the exemption is effected under the Finance Act, 1994 and commences on the notified date.

Liability for goods transport service: payer of freight deemed taxable person for road carriage services, altering service tax chargeability.
The amendment defines, for services by a goods transport operator, the taxable person as every person who pays or is liable to pay the freight, either himself or through his agent, for transportation of goods by road in a goods carriage, thereby fixing service tax liability on the payer or person contractually obligated to pay freight.

Service tax on goods transport operator services appointed to commence by executive notification, later rescinded by a subsequent notification.
The executive notification appoints 16th November, 1997 as the commencement date for service tax on services provided by goods transport operators under the taxable service definition, exercising powers conferred by the Finance Act, 1997; the same notification was later rescinded by a subsequent notification.

Concessional duty for gold and silver under Special Import Licences allows imports without EEFC account or forex payment condition.
SILs are freely transferable and valid for items in the ITC(HS) Classification; imports under SIL attract normal customs duty but gold and silver may be imported at a concessional customs duty rate to be specified by the revenue authority. The amendment removes the requirement for an EEFC account and omits any explicit payment-in-foreign-exchange condition for such concessional imports.

Anti-dumping investigation initiated into fused magnesia imports from China PR after prima facie findings of dumping and injury.
The Designated Authority has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into fused magnesia from China PR after the petitioner, claiming standing as the sole domestic producer and asserting its sea water magnesia is a like article, submitted constructed normal value and export price data showing prima facie dumping. The petitioner alleges increased imports have materially retarded its establishment and threaten material injury. Known exporters and importers must submit prescribed information within the time limit; the Authority permits inspection of a non-confidential public file and may rely on facts available where parties fail to cooperate.

Double taxation relief-treaty allocates taxing rights and limits withholding tax on cross border dividends, interest and royalties.
Convention allocates taxing rights between India and Kazakhstan, defining residency, taxes covered, and a detailed permanent establishment concept for attributing business profits; it limits source taxation and withholding on dividends, interest, royalties and technical service fees where the beneficial owner is a resident of the other State, prescribes methods to eliminate double taxation, and provides mutual agreement, information exchange, collection assistance and non discrimination protections.

Tax treaty allocates cross border taxing rights and provides mechanisms to eliminate double taxation between India and Belgium.
The Agreement allocates taxing rights by income category and defines resident status and permanent establishment; business profits are taxable in the residence State unless attributable to a permanent establishment in the other State, with arm's length attribution and specified deduction rules. It prescribes taxation rules for immovable property, dividends, interest, royalties, capital gains, personal services, pensions and specified exemptions, and establishes methods for elimination of double taxation by deduction or exemption and credit. Administrative cooperation includes a Mutual Agreement Procedure, Exchange of Information with confidentiality safeguards, and mutual assistance in recovery of taxes.

Notification under section 47(ix): Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts recognised for specified assessment years under Income tax law.
Central Government notification under section 47(ix) of the Income tax Act designates the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, as covered by that sub clause for the specified assessment years, thereby treating its receipts and transfers as within the statutory exclusion provided by that provision.

Exemption to goods for export of gem and jewellery expanded to include Visakhapatnam EPZ and specified airport export points.
The notification amends Annexure II of Notification No. 177/94 Cus. by inserting S. No. 7 to extend the customs exemption for goods used in exports of gem and jewellery to the Visakhapatnam Export Processing Zone and by specifying the authorized airport export points as Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Exemption from special customs duty extended to gold and silver imports covered by a specified customs notification by amendment.
Amendment adds clause (iii) to S. No. 3 of Notification No. 12/97 Customs to extend the exemption from special duty of Customs to imports made in terms of Notification No. 80/97 Customs, thereby clarifying that those gold and silver imports fall within the existing exemption.

Exchange Rate Determination sets official conversion rates for export goods, replacing prior notification and applying from notified date.
Central Government determination under section 14(3)(a)(i) of the Customs Act prescribes official foreign currency conversion rates for export goods in two schedules (per one unit and per one hundred units) and supersedes the earlier notification, the prescribed rates applying from the notified commencement date for customs and export-related purposes.

Exchange rate determination for customs and stamp duty: prescribed schedule of currency conversions now governs imported goods conversions.
Prescribes foreign currency exchange rates for converting specified currencies into Indian rupees for calculating stamp duty under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 and for purposes of section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 in relation to imported goods, superseding the earlier notification and fixing the applicable rates by reference to two appended schedules listing currencies and their rupee equivalents to be applied from the stated commencement date.

Anti-dumping duty on acrylic fibre imposed for imports from specified countries, with differentiated rates and exporter exemption.
Central Government imposed anti-dumping duty on acrylic fibre from the United States, Thailand and the Republic of Korea after a final finding of dumping and material injury; duties are specified by country and exporter, include an express exemption for 1.7 denier colour acrylic fibre from Cytec Industries Inc., USA, and are levied with effect from the date provisional duty was imposed under the Customs Tariff Act and the 1995 anti-dumping rules.

Import restriction: film on video tape and compact video disc require licence or public notice authorisation for import.
Amendment to ITC (HS) classification places films on video tape or compact video disc under Sub Exim Code 852499 09.90 as "Other" and subjects them to a restricted import regime: these consumer goods are not permitted for import except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice, requiring importers to obtain authorisation before import.

Special Import Licence requirement: cloves, cinnamon and cassia importable only against SIL with elevated surrendered licence valuation condition.
Cloves, cinnamon and cassia are reclassified as Restricted consumer goods and may be imported only against a Special Import Licence (SIL). The SIL permission is conditional: the c.i.f. value on the surrendered SIL must be five times the c.i.f. value of the imported goods. The rule applies to specified EXIM codes covering cassia, cinnamon (bark and flowers), crushed or ground forms, and cloves items. An exception allows canalising agencies with pre-existing contracts to ship within forty-five days of the notification.

Duty Entitlement Passbook Scheme clarified to neutralise customs duty and revisions made to export recognition criteria and compliance.
The Passbook Scheme is renamed Duty Entitlement Passbook Scheme; DEPB is defined to neutralise basic customs duty by granting duty credit based on deemed import content computed under Standard Input Output Norms and value addition. Export obligation is 8 months except for supplies under Special Imprest/Advance Licences to projects/turnkey projects, where obligation follows contracted execution duration. Conversion between EHTP/STP and EOU units is permitted with continuation in bond and concessions. Net Foreign Exchange calculation is amended to deduct the value of all licences, including a specified multiple of DEPB credit and duty free precious metals from nominated agencies, while excluding freely transferable Special Import licences, EPCG licences and licences surrendered during validity. Transitional recognition criteria for 1997-98 and 1998-99 specify FOB and NFE thresholds for Export House, Trading House, Star and Super Star categories.