The Transactional Net Margin Method (TNMM) remained the most appropriate method for benchmarking exports of chemical additives to associated enterprises because it had been consistently applied on an aggregated entity-level basis and produced operating margins within the arm's-length range. As no change in facts, circumstances, or law, and no cogent basis for rejecting TNMM, was identified, the rule of consistency prevented replacement with the Comparable Uncontrolled Price Method. The transfer-pricing adjustments for both assessment years were therefore deleted.

Merger-related goodwill amortisation is treated as a non-operating expense for transfer-pricing operating-margin purposes because it is abnormal, non-recurring and unrelated to the provision of IT services; it must therefore be excluded from operating costs. Companies engaged in diversified high-end, consulting, analytics, product-engineering or digital services, with significant intangibles, absent segmental data, supernormal profits or excessive turnover, are unsuitable comparables for a captive IT-service provider and must be removed from the comparable set. Rule 46A does not apply where segmental information was furnished during assessment and later material merely clarifies that approach; no remand report is required.

Rebate under section 87A omitted from an original return may be claimed through a revised return where the omission is an error capable of correction. The restriction on revising a return to convert positive returned income into a loss return does not apply to a revised claim for an omitted rebate. Denial of the section 87A rebate while processing a valid revised return is unsustainable, and the taxpayer is entitled to the rebate.

Interest on deposits that a primary agricultural co-operative society must maintain under Karnataka co-operative law forms operational business income from providing credit facilities to members and qualifies for deduction under section 80P(2)(a)(i). Such mandatory deposits are distinct from voluntary investment of surplus funds. Interest on deposits exceeding the verified statutory requirement may be assessed as income from other sources; however, only net income is taxable after deduction of directly attributable proportionate expenditure. The mandatory deposit quantum must therefore be determined before applying the deduction and tax treatment.

Section 115BAC permits an individual or HUF to elect the new tax regime if the income-computation conditions under subsection (2) are met. The statutory invalidation of an option for subsequent years arises only from failure to meet those conditions, not merely from delayed filing of Form 10-IE or the return for an earlier year. Filing Form 10-IE was treated as directory, and no fresh form was required for later years after a valid option had been exercised unless that option became invalid on the specified statutory ground. Denial of the new-regime option solely because of prior-year filing delay was therefore unsustainable.

Recorded coaching-fee receipts entered in accepted and audited books, already included in returned income, cannot be treated again as unexplained cash credits without cogent material showing that particular receipts are fictitious, bogus, or manipulated; otherwise, the addition results in double taxation and rests on suspicion. Disallowance of expenditure relating to exempt income under Section 14A read with Rule 8D does not arise where no exempt income was earned and no new exempt-income-yielding investment was made. The Finance Act, 2022 explanation to Section 14A applies prospectively from 1 April 2022 and does not govern earlier assessment years.

Rebate under section 87A under the new tax regime is available to a resident individual with total income within the statutory limit even where income includes short-term capital gains taxable at the special rate under section 111A. The text states that neither provision expressly excludes such gains from rebate eligibility, and no distinction is made between normal-rate and special-rate income. It further states that long-term capital gains taxable under section 112A, where below the statutory threshold, do not prevent the rebate. On that basis, the rebate and any consequential refund are to be granted in accordance with law.

Interest earned by a credit co-operative society from surplus funds temporarily invested with co-operative societies qualifies for deduction under Section 80P(2)(a)(i) when the funds are attributable to its business of providing credit facilities to members and are not liabilities payable to members. The expression "attributable to" has wider scope than "derived from", allowing deduction for interest on funds not immediately required for lending. Interest arising from member liabilities is distinguishable. Delay in filing appeals may be condoned where appellate orders were sent to a superseded email address, the taxpayer did not receive them, and appeals were filed promptly after discovery.

Interest earned by a co-operative housing society on corpus-fund deposits with a co-operative bank falls within the deduction available for income from investments with another co-operative society under Section 80P(2)(d). Section 80P(1) applies to co-operative societies, and a housing society is not excluded merely because of its nature. A co-operative bank registered under the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act is treated as a co-operative society for this purpose. Accordingly, such deposit interest is eligible for deduction under Section 80P(2)(d).

The Revenue withdrew its Income Tax appeal because the tax effect was below the CBDT monetary limit for filing appeals before the ITAT and the matter did not fall within the specified exceptions. The assessee's cross-objection raised issues stated to be independent of the departmental appeal; it was therefore retained for a separate merits hearing, subject to condonation of delay. The Revenue appeal was dismissed as withdrawn, while the cross-objection was scheduled for further hearing.

For A.Y. 2016-17, approved in-house R&D expenditure could not be limited to the amount quantified in DSIR Form 3CL because the applicable provisions required facility approval, not item-wise or quantum certification. The balance additional depreciation on eligible assets used for less than 180 days could be claimed in the succeeding year. Under Rule 8D, average total assets must use gross balance-sheet figures rather than written down fixed-asset values and net current assets. From 1 July 2016, DSIR quantification governs weighted deduction under section 35(2AB), while claims under other scientific-research provisions require separate examination.

Interim bilateral trade agreement negotiations between India and the United States are continuing. Both sides have undertaken substantial work, while certain issues remain to be finalised before completion of the proposed interim trade arrangement. A United States Trade Representative delegation visited India to advance discussions. The text records the status of negotiations and identifies no concluded agreement or operative customs measure.

Fuel-price volatility is to be mitigated through fiscal and administrative measures that protect consumers while maintaining fiscal sustainability. The approach includes monitoring revenue and expenditure, reprioritising spending, and using fiscal measures when economic conditions require. Reduced central excise duty on petrol and diesel moderated the impact of elevated international crude prices and partly offset under-recoveries of public-sector oil marketing companies. Longer-term measures include revenue mobilisation, import diversification, Strategic Petroleum Reserves, cleaner fuels and energy efficiency.

The Supreme Court declined to interfere with the High Court's common judgment and order after considering the parties' submissions and the record. The civil appeals were dismissed, and pending applications were disposed of. The text provides no substantive income-tax issue, reasoning, or legal principle underlying the High Court judgment; accordingly, no further legal proposition can be stated.

CGST Zones must coordinate with State Mining Authorities to obtain and analyse information on illegal mining, mineral transportation, seizures, mining-lease action, excess extraction and related violations for potential GST implications. Each Zone must appoint a Nodal Officer, establish periodic information sharing, initiate action where warranted, disseminate intelligence to relevant formations, and hold periodic review meetings to address operational issues.

Applications are invited for tariff rate quota allocations under the India-Oman CEPA for FY 2026-27 for specified imports, including dates, marble, petrochemicals, plastics and aluminium products. Applications may be submitted from 4 August to 19 August 2026 and imports will be governed by the TRQ procedure in Annexure-VIII of Appendix 2A of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. Marble-block applicants must provide a Chartered Engineer certificate confirming processing capacity, machinery installation and production for the preceding three financial years. Marble-slab applicants must submit a pre-purchase agreement with an Oman supplier, while PET-flake applicants require an MoEF&CC no-objection certificate.

Seven new Standard Input Output Norms under the Chemical and Allied Products group prescribe permitted import inputs and quantities for specified export products, including theophylline, liraglutide injection, lumefantrine, meropenem formulations and ophthalmic solutions. The norms specify relevant bulk drugs, chemicals and sterile bulk materials as allowable inputs; for ophthalmic solutions, bulk-drug content must conform to the Drug Manufacturing Licence. The new entries enable Regional Authorities to issue Advance Authorisations directly in eligible cases without individual referral to the Norms Committee, promoting faster processing and uniform norm fixation.

Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations filing becomes the sole channel for manifest and transhipment filings at New Mangalore and Karwar Ports after the supplementary IGM/EGM process is disabled from 16 June 2026. Shipping lines, agents, custodians, terminal operators, customs brokers and other stakeholders must transition to the SCMTR module. Legacy-format and manual or automated filings for SCMTR-covered modules will not be accepted, except where an exceptional system failure is verified by the local Systems Manager. The change is intended to support fully digital cargo processing, visibility and risk management.

Arunachal Pradesh GST rate provisions permit a landowner-promoter to use input tax credit charged by a developer-promoter for tax payable on apartments supplied in the relevant project. Maintenance, repair or overhaul services for ships and other vessels, including engines, components and parts, are inserted as a specified service category taxable at 2.5 per cent, with the related entry expanded accordingly. The amendments take effect from 2 June 2021.

The Arunachal Pradesh State GST rate notification amends Schedule I by substituting tariff heading 9503 against serial number 259A in the 2.5% Schedule. It also inserts Diethylcarbamazine at serial number 231 in List 1 after Schedule I. These amendments take effect from 2 June 2021.