CarePass is a healthcare savings membership card providing instant point-of-billing discounts at participating premium healthcare providers across India. It covers out-of-pocket spending on hospital treatment, diagnostics, dental, vision, dermatology, hair and skin care, and IVF and maternity services, without claim processing, waiting periods or paperwork. Members present a digital CarePass at a participating provider to receive the applicable discount. Four membership tiers offer differing benefits, with higher tiers including tele-consultations and annual health checks. CarePass is a discount membership and not an insurance product.

Mandatory electronic submission of prescribed import documents through e-Sanchit is governed by a revised tariff-heading-based list of document codes. Importers holding an Importer Exporter Code and Customs Brokers may upload all document codes except those temporarily reserved for Participating Government Agency uploading. Agency uploads require ICEGATE registration. Where a required document is inapplicable, the Bill of Entry Statement table may be amended online or through a service centre at item level, identifying the invoice and item serial numbers. Automated mandatory-document checking at the Out-of-Charge stage is disabled for Bills of Entry filed before the specified cut-off date.

Kerala Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling membership is updated under the Kerala State Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 by nominating Shri Shyam Raj Prasad, I.R.S., as Member in place of Shri Pullela Nageswara Rao, I.R.S. The existing constitution entry for the Authority is correspondingly amended by substituting the outgoing member's name with that of the newly nominated member.

EXIM operations at Vizhinjam international seaport commenced with the flagging off of two containers after a successful trial export shipment. The state government proposes investor engagement, regulatory facilitation and infrastructure support to expand global export activities through the port. Mission Samudra is to operate as a port-led industrial and logistics development scheme. The deep-water port was developed under a public-private partnership model and had received commercial commissioning certification.

Penalty for a transfer-pricing adjustment requires a precise charge of either concealment of income or furnishing inaccurate particulars; alternative or composite allegations in both the notice and penalty order invalidate the penalty. Explanation 7 does not remove this requirement. The good-faith and due-diligence exception applied where the taxpayer used an unrejected comparable uncontrolled price method, disclosed interest-free associated-enterprise loans in Form 3CEB and a transfer-pricing study, and the dispute concerned only the arm's length interest rate. A quantum adjustment alone does not justify penalty where the arm's length price reflects a bona fide difference of opinion. These grounds independently precluded penalty for both assessment years.

Repeal and saving repeals the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, while preserving actions taken and matters done under it. Such actions and matters are deemed to have been undertaken under the corresponding provisions of the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2026.

Central Government has revised the territorial extent of the multi-product Special Economic Zone at Baikampady, near Mangalore, in Dakshin Kannada district, Karnataka. Under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 and rule 8 of the Special Economic Zones Rules, 2006, 27.0093 hectares have been added and 1.1558 hectares have been de-notified. The revised SEZ area is 596.5615 hectares, comprising specified survey parcels in Permude and Bajpe for addition and Thokur for de-notification.

Section 3 of the Finance Act, 2026 differentiates domestic companies that are special purpose vehicles referred to in Schedule V from other domestic companies under the relevant entries in sub-sections (4) and (12). Domestic companies other than such special purpose vehicles are subject to a 10% rate, while qualifying special purpose vehicles are subject to a 25% rate.

Money-laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act involves fresh searches connected with Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd and Exalogic Solutions. The inquiry concerns alleged fraudulent payments made under the guise of IT consultancy services and a purported money trail involving persons allegedly connected with those transactions. The action follows earlier searches and questioning in relation to the same matter.

Money-laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act concerns alleged irregularities in veterinary officers' final selection through a public recruitment examination. Searches covered premises linked to commission officials, alleged intermediaries, the digital evaluation entity, and selected candidates. Allegations include bribery demands, examination-paper leakage, OMR answer-sheet tampering, and facilitation of selection for relatives of commission officials.

Schedule V conditions for activities not constituting a business connection in India are amended by omitting clause (b) in column D against serial number 5 of the Table. The omission alters the conditions applicable to the specified activity for determining whether it constitutes a business connection in India.

Schedule IV expands income exemptions for qualifying foreign entities, subject to prescribed information-furnishing requirements. Foreign Institutional Investors and the Bank for International Settlements may receive exemption for interest on Government securities and related capital gains. From 1 October 2026, qualifying foreign companies may obtain exemptions for sales of rough diamonds in notified special zones and for component sales from custom bonded-area warehouses to contract manufacturers of specified electronic goods. The diamond and component exemptions remain available through the tax year ending 31 March 2041, subject to stated eligibility and operational conditions.

Schedule I sets conditions for eligible investment funds and eligible fund managers to ensure specified fund-management activities do not constitute a business connection in India. The fund must be non-resident, established outside India in an eligible jurisdiction, maintain Indian resident participation within the prescribed limit, and neither conduct nor control business in India. The fund manager must be appropriately registered, independent, act in the ordinary course of fund-management business, and remain within the prescribed profit-entitlement limit. Annual compliance reporting and further prescribed disclosures are required.

Joint Commissioners of State Tax in Taxpayer Services Districts are authorised under the first proviso to rule 23(1) of the Kerala Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, to extend the time limit for filing an application for revocation of cancellation of registration.

Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 is amended to replace the reference to electronic payment modes prescribed under the Income-tax Act with a framework under which the Central Government may specify one or more electronic modes of payment by notification. The substitution takes effect from publication in the Official Gazette.

Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2026 amends the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, the Income-tax Act, 2025, and the Finance Act, 2026. It is generally deemed to have come into force on 1 April 2026, subject to any contrary commencement provision.

Late fees otherwise imposable for delayed filing of Bills of Entry are waived for consignments covered by Import General Manifests filed on 1 and 2 February 2021, where filing was affected by ICES system downtime for Budget updation. ICES services for Bills of Entry were enabled after updation on 3 February 2021, and implementation is to be treated as a standing order for officers and staff.

Operational preparedness for full land-based export-import operations at Vizhinjam Seaport was reviewed, including the Vehicle Traffic Management System. EXIM cargo operations follow a trial shipment of the port's first export container to Valencia. Mission Samudra is proposed to support port-led industrial and logistics development alongside these operations. The deep-water port was developed through a public-private partnership model and had obtained commercial commissioning certification before its dedication to the nation.

Special Bench order adverse to the assessee could not stand because it reaffirmed an earlier view that had been set aside by the controlling High Court decision. The governing precedent displaced the basis for the Special Bench's reasoning, requiring reconsideration in conformity with that decision. The impugned order was therefore set aside and remitted for fresh determination on the applicable legal position, with the assessee succeeding on this issue.

The Headquarters Review Cell examines original adjudication, first appellate, and revisional orders for legality or propriety and prepares specified proposals for Commissioner approval. The Additional Commissioner, TPS Headquarters, may direct subordinate officers to apply to the Appellate Authority or Appellate Tribunal for review of relevant orders. Where orders are issued by the Additional Commissioner (Appeals) or the Additional Commissioner, TPS Headquarters, Tribunal-appeal proposals require Commissioner approval. The Legal Cell examines Tribunal, High Court, and Supreme Court orders and prepares High Court and Supreme Court appeal proposals.