Reverse charge mechanism option window revised; GTA must file prescribed form to revert before the financial year commences.
The notification amends rules on a Goods Transport Agency's option concerning GST payment, revising timing for exercising or reverting to the reverse charge mechanism to a specified window in the preceding financial year, deeming forward-charge elections to continue unless Annexure VI is filed, and inserting Annexure VI as the prescribed form for GTAs to declare reversion. Annexure V wording is aligned to the new filing deadline, a sub-clause in an Explanation is omitted, and the amendments are given an effective date in the instrument.

Rescission of State Tax Notification withdraws an earlier notification, effective from the start of the calendar year.
The Government of Himachal Pradesh, under section 148 of the Himachal Pradesh GST Act and on the GST Council's recommendation, rescinds Notification No. 30/2023 State Tax dated 18 September 2023, subject to a savings provision for acts done or omissions before rescission, and declares the rescission effective from 1 January 2024.

State GST rate schedule amended: specific tariff headings substituted, altering classification with effect from January.
The notification amends Schedule I 2.5% of Notification No. 1/2017-State Tax (Rate) by substituting, against S. No. 165 and S. No. 165A, the tariff headings 2711 12 00, 2711 13 00 and 2711 19 10; the amendment is effective from the 4th day of January, 2024 and is issued under sections 9(1) and 15(5) of the Himachal Pradesh GST Act.

GST on online money gaming: organisers and platform operators deemed suppliers, making such supplies taxable and regulated.
The Bill defines online gaming, online money gaming, "virtual digital asset" and specified actionable claims to include betting, casinos, gambling, horse racing, lottery and online money gaming; deems organisers, operators or platform managers of such supplies to be suppliers liable under the GST Act even if consideration is received indirectly; treats cross border supplies of online money gaming to persons in the State as taxable; substitutes "specified actionable claims" in Schedule III; and preserves other regulatory prohibitions while repealing the earlier Ordinance with savings.

Extension of limitation period extends time for issuance of assessment and tax recovery orders for specified fiscal periods.
The Lieutenant-Governor, under section 168A of the Puducherry GST Act and modifying earlier notifications, extends the time limit for issuance of orders under the assessment and recovery provision for specified financial years relating to recovery of tax not paid or short paid and input tax credit wrongly availed or utilized, and declares the notification effective from 28th December, 2023.

Authorization for physical verification of business premises may be approved by Deputy Commissioner before GST registration is granted.
The Commissioner delegates to the Deputy Commissioner of State Tax (GST) the authority to approve physical verification of a place of business before granting registration, exercising powers under Rule 9(1)(b) of the Goa GST Rules read with Section 25 of the Goa GST Act; the order formalises that the Deputy Commissioner may authorise on site verification as a precondition to issuance of registration.

Classification of online gaming supplies: online money gaming, other online gaming and casino actionable claims notified as specified supplies.
Notification under section 15(5) of the West Bengal Goods and Services Tax Act classifies the following as specified supplies: supply of online money gaming; supply of online gaming other than online money gaming; and supply of actionable claims in casinos, with the notification given effect from the stated commencement date.

Commencement of Amendment Act: section one effective on notification; other specified sections deemed in force earlier.
Notification designates commencement dates under the West Bengal Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Act, 2023: section 1 is effective immediately upon notification of the Act, while sections 2, 3 and 4 are deemed to have come into force on the 1st day of October, 2023, pursuant to the power conferred by sub section (2) of section 1 of the Amendment Act.

Additional duty on unblended diesel: applicability deferred and tariff classifications updated under amended notification, effective next fiscal year.
Extends the applicability date for the additional duty on unblended diesel by substituting the year references in the provisos to the Table and Annexure of Notification No. 11/2017-Central Excise, and replaces tariff entry 27101930 for Sl. No. 3A with tariff headings 2710 19 44 and 2710 19 49.

GST rate schedule amendment: specified tariff codes substituted for listed entries, altering classification under the schedule.
The notification amends G.O. Ms. No. 1/2017 Puducherry GST (Rate) by substituting the entries against S. No. 165 and S. No. 165A in Schedule I with the tariff codes "2711 12 00, 2711 13 00, 2711 19 10", changing the classification under the specified GST schedule and declaring the substitution effective from 4 January 2024.

Inspection selection for reimbursement claims now suspends processing until inspection reports received and tight timelines govern filings and appeals.
Amendments adjust the reimbursement scheme by substituting "State Taxes" for "Commercial Taxes," authorising the Commissioner State Taxes to select a portion of quarterly claims for inspection with reports due to the Jurisdictional Assistant Commissioner/State Taxes Officer within seven days, and suspending processing of inspected claims until report receipt. Filing and processing timelines are revised, late filers prior to the notification may qualify if returns and taxes under section 39 are filed and paid, document requests must be answered within seven days, rectifications of apparent errors are allowed within six months, and an appellate route to the Additional Commissioner is prescribed.

State Taxes reimbursement procedure updated: inspection selection, submission timelines and appeal process revised for industrial units.
Amendments to the State Taxes reimbursement scheme require the Commissioner State Taxes to select a proportion of quarterly reimbursement claims for inspection, ensure each eligible unit is inspected at least once annually, and withhold processing of inspected claims until inspection reports are received. Submission deadlines and processing timelines are revised to the last day of the succeeding month and fifteen-day processing periods respectively. Claimants must supply requested clarifications or documents within seven days or face non-sanction of that portion. Rectification of apparent errors is limited and appeals to the Additional Commissioner are final.

Reimbursement claim processing now requires inspection reports before processing and tightened timelines, document calls, rectifications, and an appeal route.
Amendments replace "Commercial Taxes" with State Taxes and require selection of a quarter's proportion of reimbursement claims for inspection, with inspection reports delivered to jurisdictional officers within seven days and processing of selected claims withheld until those reports are received. Each eligible unit must be inspected at least once per financial year. Officers may request clarifications/documents by registered e-mail with a seven-day response period; rectification of sanction orders is limited to arithmetical and typographical errors within six months and past issues prior to this notification remain closed.

Direct listing on international exchanges enables Indian public companies to issue equity abroad subject to compliance and foreign holding limits.
The amendment permits Indian public companies to issue or existing shareholders to offer equity shares on specified International Exchanges under a Direct Listing Scheme, establishes "permissible holder" rules (excluding residents and requiring government approval where holders have connections to bordering countries), prescribes eligibility exclusions (debarred persons, wilful defaulters, entities under investigation, fugitive economic offenders), mandates compliance with Indian securities, depository, foreign exchange and AML laws, limits aggregate foreign holdings to Schedule I caps, requires voting by permissible holders or via custodians with instructions, and sets pricing norms aligned with domestic issuance or fair market value.

Listing of equity shares in permissible jurisdictions requires e-Form LEAP-1 prospectus filing and Indian Accounting Standards compliance.
Unlisted public companies without partly paid-up shares may issue equity shares for listing on stock exchanges in specified permissible jurisdictions, including offers for sale by existing shareholders, provided they comply with the Direct Listing Scheme, any securities regulator conditions, file a prospectus in e-Form LEAP-1 within seven days of finalising it with the permitted exchange, pay applicable fees, and prepare financial statements in accordance with Indian Accounting Standards in addition to any standards required by the relevant securities regulator or stock exchange.

New corporate income-tax ITR form ITR-6 introduced for companies, effective 1 April 2024, with comprehensive schedules.
Notification substitutes a new Form ITR-6 in Appendix-II of the Income-tax Rules, 1962, effective 1 April 2024, for companies other than those claiming exemption under section 11. The new ITR-6 is a comprehensive corporate return collecting corporate identification, residency and audit details, Ind AS compliance, and extensive schedules including balance sheet, profit & loss (with Ind AS variant), depreciation, capital gains, ICDS adjustments, MAT computations, loss carryforwards, foreign assets and income, GST, and related-party/shareholder disclosures to support tax computation and e filing.

Non-levy of customs duty on hearables imported under General Rules of Interpretation directed retroactively under customs power.
A direction under the Customs statute provides that hearable goods presented so as to attract the General Rules of Interpretation, imported between 1st February, 2022 and 27th April, 2023, shall not be required to pay whole customs duty or duty in excess of the amount chargeable at the standard rate specified in the relevant notification, reflecting the prevailing practice of non-levy during that period and following an amendment clarifying rate application when components are presented together.

Non-levy of customs duty on wearable imports presented as composite goods; duty need not be paid retrospectively.
The Central Government directs that customs duty, or any excess duty beyond the standard rate specified under the prior exemption framework for wearable goods, shall not be required to be paid for imports of such wearables presented in a manner invoking the General Rules of Interpretation on composite presentation, for the period commencing 1st February 2022 and ending 27th April 2023, in recognition of the administrative practice of non-collection during that period.

Special procedure for manufacturers of specified tobacco and pan masala requires machine registration and monthly production reporting.
Notification under section 148 mandates electronic registration of packing/filling machines for manufacturers of specified pan masala and tobacco products in FORM GST SRM-I, generation of a unique registration number for each machine, twenty-four hour reporting for additions, disposals or amendments, and upload of production-capacity declarations submitted to other agencies. Manufacturers must file a monthly production and input statement in FORM GST SRM-II by the tenth day following the month and upload a Chartered Engineer certificate in FORM GST SRM-III certifying machine particulars; detailed form fields and system computations are prescribed.

Rescission of GST notification withdraws prior administrative notification under statutory power, effective from the start of January.
The state government rescinds notification No. 44/GST-2 dated 29.08.2023 under the statutory power in the state GST Act, subject to a savings clause preserving acts done or omissions before rescission, and declares the rescission to be effective from the 1st day of January, 2024.