Presumptive taxation of foreign shipping secures Indian tax on carriage income via deemed income and port clearance linkage.
Clause 316 introduces a presumptive regime deeming a fixed proportion of amounts paid or payable for carriage from Indian ports as income of non resident ship owners or charterers, includes demurrage and similar charges, requires the ship's master to file a pre departure return with the Assessing Officer (with limited deferred filing), empowers assessment within nine months, ties tax payment or satisfactory arrangements to port clearance, and preserves an option for regular assessment with payments treated as advance tax.