The Hindu Business Line : Thursday, February 21, 2008

DOUBLE TAXATION TREATIES
‘Mauritius has always been a well-regulated jurisdiction’
The India-Mauritius tax treaty has always been the cynosure of financial planners, on the one side, and policymakers, on the other. Accentuating the attention to Mauritius, a few weeks ago, was the review of the DTAA (double taxation avoidance ... More

BUDGET
Rupee-hit textile industry in need of incentives to exports
The Indian textile industries are currently in spotlight. The focus, the action and the consequential issues - commercial, regulatory and taxes are certainly more tilted, both quantitatively and qualitatively towards the global markets. This was ... More

FMCGs: In good shape, but seek relief from margin pressures
The tweaking of customs or excise duty rates on specific FMCG products in the Budget may no longer materially influence the earnings or growth rates of FMCG companies. Most FMCG products have moved to a uniform rate of excise duty after ... More

Issues to address in international tax
Some key issues in the arena of international tax that need to be addressed at the earliest are discussed below: Determination of a permanent establishment in India and attribution of profits: If a permanent established ... More

WHAT THE READERS WANT
Give sops to workers’ remittances
The country’s burgeoning foreign exchange reserve derives its strength from the flow of workers’ remittances from abroad, which, according the World Bank’s data, was $27 billion in 2007. Net receipt from trade in goods ... More

Budget must address concerns of farmers and women: Sonia
New Delhi, Feb 20 The UPA Chairperson and Congress party President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday expressed hope that the Union Budget for 2008-09 would address the concerns of the farmers and women.“The Finance Minister will be ... More

Brokerages wish for no extra burden on investors
‘Hike in STT would be a negative surprise’ More

ECONOMY
41% rise in net direct tax collections
New Delhi, Feb. 20 The Centre’s direct tax revenues continued to be buoyant, with collections during the period April 1, 2007 to February 15, 2008 recording 41.4 per cent increase to Rs 2,28,745 crore. This collection level constituted ... More

EXCISE AND CUSTOMS
CBEC move to speed up disposal of excise cases
New Delhi, Feb. 20 In an attempt to expedite the disposal of pending Central excise cases, the Finance Ministry has brought parity in the adjudication powers of Joint Commissioners with that of Additional Commissioners in all the Central ... More

HEALTH
Urban health mission soon
Hyderabad, Feb. 20 An Urban Health Mission will be launched across the country on the lines of rural health mission soon, according to Ms Panabaka Lakshmi, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. Speaking to newspersons ... More

PETROLEUM
Stocks tumble as oil touches $100 again
Rupee breaches 40; gold rises to Rs 12,000; Sensex sheds 458 points More

Oil bonds may reduce heat of high crude prices
New Delhi, Feb. 20 With the international crude prices once again flirting with the $100 a barrel mark, the oil sector feels that bonds from the Government could be the major balancing factor for the State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) ... More

POWER
India positive on outcome of nuke deal talks: Kakodkar
Looking forward to decision of US Congress More

IEX to start trading soon; mock sessions on
New Delhi, Feb. 20 Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), the country’s first power bourse, is slated to go live in a couple of months. IEX, which has been promoted by Financial Technologies Ltd and PTC India Ltd, has already started mock trading ... More

TAXATION
Dilemma in delisting
I wish to bring to your notice a lacuna in the Income-tax Act, 1961 that causes unintended hardship to the tax payers. This lacuna relates to taxation of long-term capital gains arising on transfer of equity shares pursuant to delisting of equity ... More

SSI
‘Saral’ for SMEs
‘Saral’ may remind you of the single-page tax filing form for a common man. But for Union Bank of India, Saral has a different connotation. It has come out with ‘SME Saral’ concept where the bank is attempting to ... More

EDUCATION
AP offers land to ISB in Tirupati for 2nd campus
More

MEDICAL & SURGICAL EQUIPMENTS
ECIL to provide tele-radiology equipment to EMRI
More

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
CII seeks e-publishing courses
In light of the projected growth in e-publishing off shoring, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has urged the State government and education institutions to offer courses in e-publishing. Addressing a conference on publishing ... More

MINERALS
`Hike in iron ore royalty, export duty will hit mining hard'
The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) has said that the proposed move by the Government to increase royalty and export duties on iron ore would adversely affect the mineral's mining industry. Sources in the Mines Ministrytold ... More

RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Reliance Comm plans rural phone scheme in Karnataka
Bangalore, Feb. 20 Reliance Communications has announced Gramada Phone scheme in Karnataka. This programme runs under the guidelines of USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) stipulated by Department of Telecommunications. A total of ... More

EVENTS
Mumbai to host 3-day Aluminium India 2008 expo
Mumbai, Feb. 20 Leading aluminium manufacturers will display their wares and transact business with the target audience at the three-day exhibition — ‘Aluminium India 2008’ beginning Friday at Bombay Exhibition centre in ... More

Expo on elevators in Mumbai from Feb. 28
Mumbai, Feb. 20 Over 130 global and Indian companies manufacturing elevators, escalators and components including OTIS, Mitsubishi and Johnson will showcase their products at a three-day expo beginning here from February 28.The ... More

Ideal Home Expo includes agro tech
Madurai, Feb. 20 The 24th All India Ideal Home Exhibition organised by the Madurai District Tiny And Small Scale Industries Association (Maditssia) to be held at Tamukkam grounds here from February 22 to March 3 will have concurrent ... More

EXPORTS & IMPORTS
FIEO seeks urgent steps for tax refund clearance
Impact of appreciating rupee, hardening interest rates More