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77 Merriam-Webster Concise Dictionary
(Size 1.59MB)
This contains more than 40,000 entries, clear and
concise definitions, written pronunciations, and variant spellings. The iFinger
engine under the hood works both online and offline, checking spelling
automatically or allowing you to run manual text searches for specific queries.
Internet required while installing this software. Download from http://www.download.com/Merriam-Webster-s-Concise-ictionary/3000-2279_4-10059666.html
76 Here is some freeware software that could be of
help during everyday computer usage.
Dictionary Software (the first two)
WordWeb 5.5 (Size 7.44MB)
This is a one-click English thesaurus and
dictionary for Windows that can look up words from almost any program. It works
off-line, but can also look up words in web references such as the Wikipedia
encyclopedia. Features of the free version include : Definitions and synonyms,
Proper nouns, Related words, Pronunciations, 1,50,000 root words, 1,20,000
synonym sets, Fixed web reference tabs, etc. It can be downloaded from
http://wordweb.info/
75 Issues for professionals.
Top 5 issues for practice members :
(Source :
Internet Newswires)
74 Inflation to touch 17% by September, says
Barclays.
Global Investment banker Barclays Capital has
projected that inflation may surge to 17% by September on back of another round
of hike in fuel prices in the same month. ‘We believe WPI inflation will remain
in double-digit territory until May 2009. We expect WPI inflation of 17% by
September 2008,’ the report said. For the week ended June 28, wholesale
prices-based inflation touched a new 13-year high of 11.89% — much higher than
the Reserve Bank’s tolerance limit of 5.5% for the current fiscal. According to
the report, the government is likely to hike fuel prices by 10-20% again as
early as September to limit fiscal risks. Rise in the price of the Indian crude
oil basket to $ 145-150 per barrel from the current $ 132 per barrel could be
the trigger for another round of increase in fuel prices, it said.
(Source : The Economic Times, 14-7-2008)
73 UK urges return to wartime
frugality.
Waste not, want not. Evoking an era of World War II
austerity, British families are being urged to cut food waste and use leftovers
in a nationwide effort to fight sharply rising global food prices.
With food and energy prices soaring around the
world, a constant supply of high-quality, affordable food is no longer
guaranteed, the officials are warning Britons.
Tim Lang, professor of food policy at London’s City
University, said junk food will remain readily available, but good-quality,
nutritious produce could become scarce worldwide. The government says the public
might find one solution by looking into their garbage pail. Britons throw out
4.5 million tonnes of edible food a year, or about $ 830 worth per home —
wastefulness the government says contributes substantially to rising prices.
(Source : The Times of India, 13-7-2008)
72 AICPA Ph.D. programme.
The CPA profession has created an Accounting
Doctoral Scholars programme to help reverse a shortage of Ph.D. accounting
faculty in U.S. colleges and universities. The new programme is being
spearheaded by the largest accounting firms and will be administered by the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Foundation.
To date, more than 70 of the country’s biggest
firms, along with several state CPA societies, have committed a total of $ 15
million to the program. The firms will recruit top employees for the program and
encourage them to become accounting professors in the audit and tax disciplines.
(Source : Internet Newswires, 30-7-2008)
71 CVC recovers Rs.19.62 crore in corruption
cases.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has
recovered Rs.19.62 crore after investigating corruption cases in government
departments and public sector undertakings during the first-half of the year.
While the Commission advised major penalty
proceedings in 651 cases, it advised imposition of major penalties in 350 cases
during the period.
The central watchdog, which has been mandated by
the Supreme Court to monitor the issue of granting sanction for prosecution of
officials in various government organisations, advised prosecution
in 84 cases and the requisite orders were sanctioned in 49 cases.
(Source : Internet Newswire, July 2008)
69 Stalin made a saint ? Holy
Christ !
The Orthodox Church in Russia is under growing
pressure to make former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin a saint if he wins a
popularity poll to nominate the greatest Russian in history.
The Soviet leader, responsible for the deaths of 15
million people during his 31-year dictatorial rule, is in second place in online
voting that seeks to nominate the greatest Russian historical figure. Stalin has
undergone a remarkable renaissance in recent years with opinion polls naming him
Russia’s greatest post-revolution leader after Vladimir Putin — PTI
(Source : The Times of India, 24-7-2008)
Subject : Inbound Investments and Recent Developments in
FDI Policy
Speaker : Mr. Somashekhar Sundaresan, Advocate
Venue : IMC Hall, Churchgate, Mumbai.
Date : 8th April, 2009
1.
Introduction of the Subject :
b) As a normal rule, investments of Non-Resident Individuals, Companies and other N.R. bodies in Indian Companies require approval of Govt. The issue becomes complex where the investment is made by Indian Companies in which there is already a foreign shareholding. Till recently, though the condition of getting approval from Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) was prescribed, the criteria and expected norms and preconditions to be fulfilled for getting such approval were never laid down or prescribed. Again, one has to keep in mind the various rules and norms applicable to investments, depending on category and nature of activity of Investee Co. For example foreign investment is prohibited in Defence-related sectors, whereas certain caps or ceilings on percentage of foreign holdings are applicable to other categories. There are also some automatic routes not requiring approvals. In software industry for example even 100% foreign investment is permitted. Where F.I.P.B. initiated action against companies for not taking required approvals, F.I.P.B. required the companies to get their offences compounded through RBI. In the absence of specific guidelines on the criteria to be applied, the position of so-called erring industries was unenviable and precarious.
c) After explaining the background, the Learned Speaker moved to detailed analysis of each Press Note and gave his comments thereon.
2. Press Note No. 2 of 2009
Press Note 2 has introduced a new concept of treating an Indian Company as a foreign Co., for the purpose of FDI, if it is owned and controlled by persons other than Indian citizens and Indian Cos. For deciding exact category of such investee Co., the concept of owning 50% plus one share will be the determining factor.
The concept of takeover and control regulation, where control is exercised without owning 50% plus one share is not adopted as is apparent from Press Note No. 2. What is being adopted is ability to control the composition of Board of Directors. The nationality of Directors is not relevant. So, if 50% plus one share is owned by foreign individuals and/or foreign body corporates, such Indian Co. will be deemed to be Foreign Co., for purposes of deciding the percentage of foreign investment in any Indian investee Co. For deciding the question of approval of F.I.P.B., it will also be necessary to look into issues like nature of activity, prohibited fields, sectoral caps on investments, etc. So long as investor Co. is owned and controlled by Indians, the existence of foreign shareholding in such Investing Co. can be ignored.
3. The line drawn by Press Note No. 2 is that so long as the percentage of foreign investment is less than 50%, the Co. will be treated as owned and controlled by Indians, giving it freedom to make investments in other Cos. and will be considered as investment by Indian Co. There is a general rule that the status of holding Co. whether an Indian Co. or foreign Co, decides status of its wholly-owned subsidiary. If there is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a deemed foreign holding Co. and the holding Co. in turn is owned and controlled by foreign interest, even then the subsidiary Co. will not automatically become deemed foreign Co., but the degree of foreign control will be measured by percentage of foreign stake in the holding Co. This is a departure from general rule made by Press Note No. 2.
4. Press Note No. 3 of 2009
This Note deals with issues arising from transfer of shares. Earlier the Reserve Bank Master Circular of October 2004 dealt with threshold caps, cross-border transfers and pricing of such transfers. Now, as per this Press Note, any transfers of shares from Resident to Non-Resident, if not resulting in a change in ownership and control from Indian hands to foreign hands, does not require approval of F.I.P. Board.
5. Press Note No. 4 of 2009
a) This deals with downstream investment where an Indian Co. having foreign shareholding invests in another Co. If such Co. makes investment in shares of other Indian Co., it is called downstream investment.
b) Any economic sector in which such Indian Co. is operating will be its operating field. This will include even Non-Banking Financial Cos. Investment of such operating Co. in another Co. is considered by this Press Note.
c) If the activity of a Co. is not prohibited as in case of Defence-related fields, then investment in that Co. through FDI will be permitted, subject to sectoral restrictions or ceiling on percentage holding. To illustrate, a software activity is not a prohibited activity, so any investment in such software company even by deemed foreign company is not prohibited, nor will it be violation of Exchange Control Regulations. However, where a company wants to act purely as investment company and does not participate in the activity of investee Co., then the approval of F.I.P.B. will be required.
d) In respect of Non-Banking Financial Cos. having many activities such as financing, hire-purchase, underwriting shares and rendering other services, then approval will have to be taken by NBFC.
e) Where a foreign company wants to buy and sell shares on Indian stock market, FII Registration will be necessary. There are restrictions on holdings and dealings of Foreign Institutional Investors in Indian companies; percentage caps, sectoral restrictions govern such investments. In contrast with restrictions on purchase of shares, sale of shares by Non-resident on stock exchange is permitted. After such sale, the proceeds can be repatriated without any prior permissions or approvals.
f) There is restriction on buying shares on stock exchange. Where shares are purchased for investment purposes, the approval of F.I.P.B. will be necessary. For operating-cum-holding company the real test will be whether ultimate investee company is on automatic route or whether there exist any restrictions qua activity, or percentage holding.
6. The learned Speaker thereafter ably replied various questions raised by participants. The meeting then terminated with a vote of thanks to the learned Speaker Mr. Somashekhar Sundaresan.
Subject : MVAT Audit — Some important issues
Speaker : Govind Goyal, C.A.
Venue : I.M.C. Hall, Churchgate, Mumbai.
Date : 21st January 2009
(1) While introducing the subject, the speaker said that
Notification of October 2008, introduced new Form No. 704 being Report of the
Auditor. The Commissioner of Sales Tax issued a Circular stating that all
Reports submitted after 10th November 2008 shall be in new Form No. 704 and not
in old Form.
(2) After studying the new Form, the WIRC of the Institute
made representation to the Commissioner of Sales Tax (CST) that certain clauses
in the new Form need to be changed, since they cannot be certified by Chartered
Accountants and are inconsistent with provisions of law. After discussion, the
Commissioner agreed that those clauses need to be changed. Another Circular was
issued in December 2008 clarifying that for year 2007-2008, the Auditor will
have an option to submit his Report either in the old Form or in the new Form
No. 704 and the same should be submitted before 31st January 2009.
(3) In Part-I of old Form No. 704, there were 9 statements to
be certified by the Auditor. This number is now increased to 15 certificates. He
has now to certify that he has read and understood the instructions given in the
new Form. He has also to certify that the dealer was carrying on his business
activity from the principal place and additional places registered with the
Sales Tax Department. It is difficult for the Auditor to issue such certificate.
His duty is to audit books with the supportings. Similarly, the new Form
requires him to certify that all transactions recorded in the books of accounts
are reflected in bank statements. This is not possible particularly when the
dealer followed mercantile system.
(4) In Part-II, general information about business of auditee
is required to be given. Now certain ratios are to be reported and they are :
à
Net turnover to total turnover
à
Cash Sales to Total Sales
à
Cash Purchases to Total Purchases
However, neither the MVAT Act nor the Central Sales Tax Act
defines Cash Sales or Cash Purchases. It is not clear whether they include
cheques, or credit card.
(5) The auditor has to certify details of purchases over
Rs.5,00,000 from new local suppliers. The term new local suppliers means persons
from whom no purchases were made in preceding year. This casts additional
responsibility to find out the position for preceding year also. This makes the
Auditor’s duty onerous.
(6) Part-III of Report contains schedules :
In one schedule, the Auditor has to certify figures of
Sales/Purchases per returns, the figure determined from books and
re-conciliation of differences with reasons.
(7) In reporting, the Auditor has to give details of the
Auditor who has certified the accounts statements under the Income-tax Act. The
speaker observed that this is again inconsistent because there may be cases
where audit is conducted under the Companies Act or Co-op Societies Act or Trust
Act; but those may not be required under the Income-tax Act.
(8) Determination of Gross Turnover of Sales and Purchases :
Turnover means aggregate of Sale Price or Purchase Price of
transactions effected during the year. Sales/Purchase includes not only
Sale/Purchases of goods traded or manufactured by the dealer, but also covers
spares, components, packing materials, fuel. It also includes Capital goods. Net
turnover will not include taxes collected or paid. However, the gross turnover
of Sales/Purchase will include tax collection. Labour charges are to be excluded
since they are not sale of goods. Deduction should also be made of goods
returned within 6 months from the date of sale. While determining the turnover
the Auditor must take note of sale/purchase of scrap, sale/purchase of capital
goods like plant and machinery and miscellaneous purchases included in printing
& stationery, in repairs and maintenance charges, and in sales promotion
expenses. The Auditor must keep in mind the accounting standards, and the
guidance note of the Institute states that taxes collected by dealer as well as
excise duty shall not form part of income. If any portion of collection of tax
and duty has remained unpaid, the same should be shown as liability.
(9) For determining turnover of inter-State sales, deduction
is also to be made of freight and transport charges included in sale price.
Thereafter for Gross turnover of sales, the taxes collected and excise duty is
to be added.
For quantifying taxable sales in Maharashtra, deduction is to
be made of inter state sales, exempt sales, labour charges and taxes and excise
duty collected, to arrive at net taxable turnover liable for MVAT.
Computation of Tax : The taxable turnover is to be
bifurcated into five Schedules according to their categories. The tax rates are
NIL for Sch. A (exempt goods), 1% for Sch. B Goods, 4% for Sch. C and specified
rate for petroleum and liquor referred in Sch. D and for residuary goods in Sch.
E the rate is 12.5%. The Auditor will determine and state net taxable sale under
each schedule giving entry No. and tax rate. If the dealer has collected excess
tax, the same stands forfeited in favour of Government.
(10) In turnover of purchases after necessary deductions, the
Auditor has to verify taxes paid on purchases for determining set-off or input
tax credit.
Conditions for allowance of set-off :
b) The entries in the register should be supported by tax invoices.
c) The purchase register and tax invoice should give the date, invoice No., name and address of supplier, registration No., net purchase price and VAT charged separately. The provisions of Rules 52, 53 and 54 dealing with set-off working should .be borne in mind. If the VAT charged is not mentioned separately, set-off will not be granted. The aggregate amount of set-off is subject to statutory deduction per Rule 53 and negative list per Rule 54.
11) Tax on purchase of goods and packing materials used for manufacture and packing of tax-free goods is not allowed for set-off.
12) Where there is difference in tax due or set-off claimable per working by Auditor and per returns of dealer, the auditee should be advised to file revised return and pay the difference before finalising and submitting Form No 704. A note should be taken of revised return. In the said report, the auditor should also state the period for which further set-off is due and resultant refund due.
13) Works contracts:
In works contracts, determination of taxable quantum of sale forming part of Final Bill and the tax rate applicable thereon is the most complicated region in M-VAT Audit.
14) Whether a particular contract is a works contract or a sale simpliciter is a matter of controversy. Judgments of the Apex Court on works contracts of almost similar nature vary from each other. Assuming a particular contract is a works contract, determination of sale component is equally challenging. The gross amount of bill is a composite figure involving sale of material and sale of services. Tax is not leviable on service element under MVAT. Rule 58 prescribes mode of determination of sale price. From gross amount of bill eight items of deduction are to be made; some of which are:
i) Architect’s or designer’s fees
ii) Labour and service charges in respect of contract
iii) Water charges
iv) Profit margin of dealer in respect of Labour/ service charges. The balance constitutes sale price on which tax is payable @4% or @12.5% (general rate) or @ 8% under the composition scheme, depending on category of goods involved.
15) In actual practice, dealers undertaking works contracts are reluctant to disclose items like expenses on services, architects fees and their profit margin. To overcome this, the State Government has evolved a table for various types of contracts, such as construction contract, fabrication, painting, air conditioning, repairing and annual maintenance contract. The rate of deduction for component of services are mentioned against each category of con-tract. To illustrate, in building construction contract the value of services will be taken” at 30% and the balance of 70% will be treated as sale of material liable to VAT.
16) In Practice, it was found that contractors felt that in spite of prescribed table, it is not possible for them to make invoice. A representation was made to design a scheme akin to composition scheme. So u/s.42 of the MVAT Act, composition scheme is designed providing 8% of total contract value will be regarded as MVAT payable. Another representation was made requesting for reduction of rate of 8% on construction contract which was reduced to 5% from 20th June 2006.
If construction contractor is opting for composition, then their set-off on purchases is reduced.
17) Where composition is not opted, the normal set-off as per Rule is permitted. If, it is opted, the set-off claim is scaled down, if composition is un-der 8% scheme, set-off amount will be reduced by 36%. If composition is under 5% scheme, set-off clause will be reduced by an amount being 4% of total purchase price. The normal composition rate is 8% applicable to all works contracts, whereas building contractors can opt for 5% for construction contract and 8% for contract other than construction contract. The set-off on works contract other than construction contract is to be scaled down by 3% of purchase amount and for construction contract this scaling down is by 4%.
18) Unlike the composition scheme applicable to hoteliers or retailers where entire turnover is required to be considered, construction contractors can opt composition @ 5% qua contract. Similarly, under other composition scheme the dealer is not permitted to collect tax from customers. But under the works contract composition scheme, the dealer can collect tax. These aspects must be kept in mind while determining gross turnover and net turnover. While going through profit & loss account, the Auditor should verify whether hire charges are credited to profit & loss account. These may be in respect of leasing of goods. Earlier there was a separate Act-‘Right to use goods Act’. All amounts received for leasing of goods, machinery, furniture were liable to MVAT atapplicable rates which are 12.5% for leasing of machinery, furniture and 4% for computers. So these receipts should be considered in determining gross and net turnovers.
19) Provisions applicable to mandap decorators, hotel industries, 2nd-hand car dealers, retailers and bakary dealers:
Though the composition scheme to mandap decorators was announced in 2007, the same was made applicable from 1-4-2005. All these dealers can discharge their tax liability by paying 1.5% tax on total turnover.
In case of dealers in hotel industries, second-hand car trade, retailers and bakery dealers, the Auditor should verify weather they have applied for in prescribed form to the Revenue authorities for coming under the composition scheme. Application has to be made either at the time of registration or at the beginning of financial years. Once the dealer opts for the scheme, he cannot come out of the scheme till the end of that financial year. Similarly these dealers are not permitted to collect tax from customers. This is a pre-condition. Therefore, sale price will not be treated as inclusive of tax. The tax @ 8% will be payable on entire sale price. In case of hotels charging rent for rooms, since rooms are immovable property, the rent earning is not liable to MYAT tax.
Where room hire charges are inclusive of breakfast or breakfast & lunch or breakfast, lunch & dinner, the charges attributable to these facilities are determined by applying the following table to gross rent collection, viz. :
For breakfast – 5% of total rent
For breakfast & lunch – 10%
For breakfast, lunch & dinner – 15%
The amount worked out at applicable rate to gross room rent will have to be considered for arriving at taxable sale price.
20) Determination of taxable turnover in case of C.F.I. Units located in backward area:
Where units are enjoying incentives whereby they do not have to pay any tax on turnover of sales, turnover of sales and purchases are determined in normal manner but set-off on purchases will not be allowed, but they are entitled to claim refund of taxes paid on purchase including tax paid on capital goods.
CFI unit in backward area, similar deduction is to be made. From final bill, the payment is made to CFI units for purchase of goods used in works contract. The remaining amount will be liable to tax @ 4% or 12.5% as the case may be.
21) As regards refunds till March 2007, the refunds due per return up to March 2007 were allowed to be carried forward. But refunds due for 2007-2008 cannot be carried forward. Refund due as per return or revised return for March 2008 or due as per Audit Report cannot be carried forward.
22) Re : Medicine dealers if pharmacies:
Till June 2007, turnover was determined as per MRP Scheme. From July 2007 the determination is to be made as done in normal dealers. Till June 2007 tax was collected from manufacturers on basis of MRP. The said scheme is discontinued. All medicine dealers had to submit stock statement as on 30-6-2007.
23) MVAT applicable to liquor licence dealers: S. 61:
Turnover limit of Rs.40 lakhs applicable to normal dealers does not apply to liquor licence dealers.
The dealer may permit other dealer to use his licence for liquor trading. The person using the licence has also to get his accounts audited, irrespective of the amount of turnover.
24) As regards Kirana merchants, they can opt for the composition scheme. If they have opted for the composition scheme, the tax rate will be 5% or 8%. If they have not opted, difficultly arises in determination of turnover of various categories of goods liable for different rates e.g., sugar, wheat, pulses are tax free, whereas on items like toothpaste, tax is 5% and on sale of dry fruit the rate is 4%. Very often he makes one cash memo for all these items, so also he does not make cash memo but records sales in his diary. As per Circular of the Commissioner and guidance note of WIRC, in all such cases, the turn-over of sales is to be determined in ratio of turnover of purchases as per purchase register. By applying above ratio, the sales turnover is determined.
25) Textile processors:
Till 31st March 2005, they were exempt from tax. This was withdrawn under the MVAT Act. Processing is a works contract. On basis of purchases of chemicals and other materials, the taxable turnover is determined. In response to representation of Textile Processors Associations, the Finance Minister in Budget speech, assured that textile processing will not be treated as works contract and their trade will be exempt. Notification was then issued granting exemption to textile processors. Set-off will not be allowed on taxes paid on purchase of materials and capital goods. However, per Notification of 23rd October 2008 as per Rule 53(10) they will be entitled to claim set-off on purchases of capital goods and taxes on material used for processing. The exemption being applicable from 1-4-2005, those textile processors who have paid VAT as works contractors, can revise their returns and claim refund of taxes paid.
The revised Audit Report will have to be submitted giving reasons for revision. Revised Report should be filed only after the revised returns are filed by the dealer.
26) Verification of CST Returns:
S. 5(1) to S. 5(3) describe three different categories of inter-State sale, export sale & export sale without taking delivery of import. In such cases the ultimate consumer should pay charges of Bill of Entry, Customs duty and forwarding charges. Otherwise claim u/ s.5(2) may get disallowed.
S. 5(3) deals with transaction where the sale is effected to actual exporter. Such dealer should furnish declaration Form H which can be given for inter-State purchases as well as local purchases. Sale on Form 11 is treated as inter-State sale even if exporter is located within Maharashtra.
Export of goods without taking delivery through negotiation of Railway receipt or lorry receipt. The movement of goods should not be broken, if the claim of inter-State sale is to be proved. Secondly all dealers in the transaction must be registered dealers. Under CST, it is also necessary to collect Form E-1 from the selling dealer and Form ‘C’ from the purchasing dealer. In the event the dealer negotiating the documents fails to collect Form E-1, but collects only Form C, then such transaction will be treated as inter-State transaction liable to CST. The dealer negotiating Railway or lorry receipt has to issue Form E-2 to the purchasing dealer.
S. 6A of the CST Act deals with branch consignment transfer.
(27) Branch transfer and consignment sales:
Where movement of goods from one State to another State is otherwise than under contract of sale, then it is to be considered as branch transfer or consignment transfer. The conditions for falling under category of branch transfer are:
a) Sale is not under contract of sale
b) The consignee or branch should furnish declaration in Form F.
The Auditor should make note of missing Form C and Form F, and if the same are expected to be received, tax difference need not be paid. The revised return also need not be filed if dealer is confident of receiving missing forms. Suffice if the Auditor clarifies his stand in final report on chances of receiving missing forms.
(28) Time limit for submitting Audit Report:
As regards due date for submitting Audit Report in Form-704 it is 31st January 2009; the speaker informed that representation is made to the Commissioner for extending the date up to 31st March 2009. The speaker advised that without waiting for such extension, the Auditor should file report by 31st January 2009.
The learned speaker then replied queries raised by some members. The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the learned speaker.
Speaker : Rajesh Kothari, C.A., Past President, B.C.A.S.
Venue : I.M.C. Hall, Churchgate, Mumbai.
Date : 13th May, 2009.
1. Mr. Kothari, while introducing the subject remarked that the provisions of TDS are not only complex, difficult to interpret and still more difficult to implement. It expects the deductor to discharge his duties gratis on time bound basis. For due performance there is no reward but any failure on his part attracts not only interest, penalty and prosecution but he has to suffer disallowance. The injustice is aggravated where procedural changes are made in last week of March made effective from 1st April of the year following. For example, introduction e-payment of TDS is to be made after 1st April, 2009 instead of using paper challans. On 11th April, 2009, the Press Note has extended the time limit for e-payment till 1st July, 2009. Till then TDS can be paid by using challans presently in use.
2. Changes made in Sections & Rules :
i) Sec. 199(1) of the Act dealing with grant of credit of TDS was amended to provide for a situation where income becomes assessable in the hands of person other than the recipient due to operation of Sections 60, 61, 64, 93 & 94 of the Act.
ii) In case of AOP or Trust, the Rule provides that where the income is assessed in the hands of a member, the credit for TDS thereon will be available to him.
iii) In case of a Trust the credit will be given to Trustee. Where the income is assessable in hands of beneficiary, the credit will be available to him.
iv) Where the asset generating the income is held by Partner on behalf of firm, the credit for TDS will be available to the firm.
v) Where deductee is holding asset as Karta of his HUF the credit of TDS will be available to the HUF. A practical difficulty may arise where asset of HUF is held by a member other than Karta, the income though gets assessed in hands of HUF, the credit of TDS may be in jeopardy. Similar difficulty may arise in case of partial partition of HUF. In that case, the assessment of income will get continued as HUF income even though the partitioned asset will go outside the books of HUF.
vi) In case of a property deposit, security, units or shares held by an individuals jointly with others the credit of TDS will be given in the ratio of share of deductee and other co-owners.
3. The mechanism provided for claiming of Credit :
In the above situations the concerned deductees have to furnish a declaration to the deductor giving details of names, addresses and PAN of or co-owners to whom the credit of TDS is to be given. There is no specific Form of Declaration. It can be given on plain paper also. Though no time limit is prescribed for furnishing the information to deductor, the deductee should ensure that such declaration is submitted before deductor effects deduction.
The deductor has to issue certificate of deduction in the names of persons mentioned in the declaration.
4. Method of Accounting decides the Year of Assessability
The speaker observed that different methods of accounting followed by deductor & deductee may cause mismatch of information given by deductor to I.T. Dept. and the year in which the deductee is submitting such income to tax. The deductee will be entitled to get credit.
5. Judicial views on TDS provisions :
Delhi High Court as well as P & H High Court have taken a stand that credit should not be denied to the assessee on technical ground.
i) In case of Escorts Ltd. the company was following accrual method. The Certificate for TDS was not available at the time of filing the return. The assessment was completed. The assessee claimed the credit in the year in which TDS certificate was received.
ii) The Delhi High Court held that Sec.155 (14) empowers the Assessing Officer to consider the TDS even after 2 years from completion of assessment. Hence the A.O. should have given the refund of tax even though the assessment was completed.
iii) In case of Sonal Bansal before the P & H High Court, the assessee, holding Deep Discount Bonds, received proceeds on maturity. The difference between maturity value and issue price was treated as interest by Bond issued and TDS was effected thereon. However, these bonds were purchased in the market at premium. The bond holder treated the difference between maturity value and his cost as interest since the seller of Bonds to him had paid Capital gain tax. So in such case, interest accounted will be less than income adopted for TDS. The Court took the view that he is entitled to tax credit because otherwise no one would get credit for TDS suffered.
6. Other Procedural Amendments
i) Rule-38 has been amended. There is no change in time permitted for effecting payment of TDS to Government. The only change is applicable to tax deducted by Government. Such tax had to be paid into the treasury on same day. Now, the time limit as is applicable to Non-Government organisation will apply even to Govt. So now the time limit will be 7 days from end of month in which tax is deducted. The time limit of 2 months will not apply, as the Government accounts are on cash basis.
ii) The payments can be made quarterly after obtaining permission of A.O. The mode of payment is for the first time prescribed in the Rule. Instead of challan No.280, now the challans should be in Form No.17 to be paid electronically.
iii) No consequences are prescribed for not paying challans electronically after 1st July, 2009. Tax deducted prior to 31.03.2009 can be paid by old challans.
iv) The new mode of payment will also apply to Government. In Form No.17, there is no need to put Assessment year but Unique Transaction Reference No. (UTN) is to be put. The challan has to make reference deductee-wise, giving the PA Nos. of the deductees , if they are ten or less. If the deductees are more than ten, a separate statement is to be prepared. In the Challan you have to give PAN of Deductor & the name of his Bank. Last year on 14th July, 2008, CBDT has come out with a Circular No.5 of 2008 to deal with payment from third party’s Bank A/c. The software will develop unit Transaction No. which is to be given in all statements submitted to LT. Department. There may be situations where PAN is not validated or where deductee’s PAN is wrong put, there may be some difficul ties.
v) Challan No.17 does not provide for the information under which Section the tax is deducted. However, in Form 26Q the section under which payment is made is to be given; as well as Name and PAN of deductees section-wise. Therefore Form No.17 must be used separately for each section.
vi) Form 27Q applies to TDS from payment to Non-Residents or Residents but not Ordinary Residents.
Similar difficulty may arise in case of concerns having multiple branches and multiple PAN Nos./TAN Nos. Difficulties AI will arise in matching payments. Though payments can be made by credit card or Debit card, no facilities are available in software on websites. Similarly, in case where service tax is paid in a Bank other than permitted Bank, the assessee can’t be asked to pay tax again.
vii) As regards Tax Collected at Source, the Press Note states that the time limit will be 7 days from end of month & the time limit of 2 months does not apply to TCS.
7. Amendments in time limit for Issue of TDS Certificates
i) Rule 31 deals with issue of IDS Certificate. It applies from 01.07.2009. Formats of Form No. 16 & 16A remain unchanged. In respect of provision made in the accounts at year end, the TDS was payable before 31st May. Thereafter deductor was duty bound to issue certificate within 7 days i.e. 7th June. Now, it is provided that certificate should be given within one week from date of payment to Government. A Consolidated Certificate can therefore be issued within 1 month from close of the year. So, in cases where tax is paid after 30th April to 31st May, a separate certificate will have to be given.
As regards duplicate certificate the only change is that deductor should certify it as duplicate certificate.
8. Additional Information to be provided in Forms of TDS Certificates & in the Returns
i) Form No.16 has been modified. The new form includes TDS certificate No.(optional), UTN, Information whether PAN is uploaded and validated by LT. Department, Information about Gross Amount paid/ credited to such employee. This amount will be different from amount chargeable as salary due to perquisites and exempt allowances. The details of perquisites are required to be given in Form 12-BB (though now not in existence).
ii) Form 16A certifies payments other than Salary. Certificate of TCS is to be given in Form No. 27E. Earlier there was a provision for issue of consolidated certificate, the consolidation of TCS between two periods, April to September and October to March is now deleted. Now TCS Certificate is to be issued every month.
iii) Rule-31A – Quarterly Statement of TDS and TCS – This is to be furnished in Form 24C. If any deductor has to cancel the TAN, he has to approach TDS Officer for cancellation. Till the cancellation is not effected, obligation of filing Returns, Challans & other information continues.
iv) It is now provided that Form No.24C is to be filed on quarterly basis whereas Forms 24Q, 26Q, 27Q should be compiled on quarterly basis but the same are to be e-filed collectively before 15th June of succeeding financial year. Uptil now the obligation to submit Form 24Q and 26Q on software like diskettes or CDs was applicable to bodies corporate or concerns and individuals to whom Tax audit was applicable or where number of deductees are less than 50. Now, since every assessee has to make e-filing, hence filing through diskettes or C.D. Rom is not necessary.
v) The time limit for submitting Form 24C is 15th July, 15th October, 15th January and for March quarter it will be 15th June. Form 24C is newly introduced and is designed afresh. The information is to be filed on quarterly basis.
9. Filing of the details of total expenses incurred each month under each head to which TDS applies i.e. Sec. 192 to 195
i) The total expenses will include revenue as well as capital expenditure on which IDS is deductable. It will also include the amounts on which tax is not deducted due to submission of declarations or orders of Assessing Officer permitting non-deduction.
ii) Where u/s:194C, TDS is required to be made the debit effect may be to various account heads like Printing and Stationery, Advertisement and Publicity, Repairs and Maintenance etc. Therefore, Form 24C should contain the details of all such account heads and expenses from which IDS is made. This creates the need to keep back up support if TDS assessment is taken up.
iii) As regards salary, the Form requires you to mention expenses for the month on which TDS is liable to be deducted as well as the amount of salary on which IDS is deducted. As per law, for working out TDS on Salary, a bonafide estimate of salary for the whole year is required to be made for ascertaining TDS amount. As regards exemption and allowances, it is difficult to ascertain on monthly basis.
iv) As regards Returns for Tax collection at source, Similar Form Nos. 24Q, 26Q & 27Q are not to be filed every quarter though the back up information is to be maintained. Form 16AA is omitted.
10. New Requirements of Form No.27 BB applicable to TDS on payment to Non Residents. (applicable Forms No. 15CA & 15CB)
As per Form 15CA, information is to be given by a person making payment to NR. Such person has first to obtain certificate from Chartered Accountant. Such certificate will be in Form 15CB and remittance cannot be made unless this Form is submitted. After the Form is submitted electronically thereafter print out is to be signed and submitted to tax authority through deductor. The PAN of the recipient is also to be given.
11. Recently, Bombay High Court has held (293 ITR) that even if deductor has not deducted the tax, it cannot be recovered by the LT. Department from the deductee.
12. In 115 TTJ it is held that if the employer is not issuing certificate in Form 16 to employee then the A.O. must use his statutory power to enforce compliance from employer.
13. In Hindusthan Coca Cola’s case it was held that if the tax is deducted from employee, he will not be liable to pay to Govt. any shortfall in deduction for any mistakes of the deductor. In such cases, deductor may suffer disallowance u/s. 40(a).
14. In case of Mahindra and Mahindra vs. DCIT it was held by Special Bench that time limit for reopening as applicable to normal assessment will also apply to l’DS assessment. No enquiry can be initiated after expiry of 4 years or 6 years depending on facts and circumstances.
15. Supreme Court in Larsen and Toubro case has held that employer is not under obligation to collect supporting evidence in respect of claims of employees. Similarly, TDS is required to be deducted from salary to foreign employee even if income is not liable to tax.
The meeting then terminated with a vote of thanks to the learned speaker Mr. Rajesh Kothari.
Subject : Certain issues on Accounting Standards with
special emphasis on AS-22
(Deferred Tax) and AS-10 (Fixed Assets)- Revised.
Speaker : Narendra P. Sarda, Past President, ICAI
Venue : Walchand Hirachand Hall, IMC
Date : 23-4-2008
1. Scope and coverage of subject :
The speaker dealt with recent developments, revisions and
reviews of existing Accounting Standards, as well as the new Accounting
Standards which will be taking effect from accounting years ended 31st March
2008 and subsequent two years. He divided the subject into five heads, viz. :
(i) AS-22 — Accounting for Taxes on Income
(ii) AS-10 Fixed Assets — Revised Standard (yet to become
effective).
(iii) AS-11 — Accounting for Changes in Foreign Exchange
Rates — Certain Issues and Developments.
(iv) AS-15 — Employees Benefits — Certain Issues and
Developments.
(v) Recent Pronouncement of Institute in respect of
Derivative Instruments.
2. General :
The Institute has announced that Company’s Accounting
Standards Rules are applicable to any accounting year commencing on or after 7th
December 2006.
Issues :
A question arises in cases where certain deviation in
existing standard is recommended by the Institute but not yet incorporated in
Rules, then for reporting on compliance of Accounting Standards u/s.210, whether
the Auditor should report such deviations as and by way of information or should
qualify true and fair view of accounts. The speaker said that the deviation
should be reported as information and not as qualification.
3. AS-22 — Accounting
for Taxes on Income :
Issues and Developments in respect thereof :
(a) Timing difference considers tax effects of differences
in book income and taxable income. Timing differences get reverted in future
and are taken care of by incorporating Deferred Tax Assets and Deferred Tax
Liability. The permanent differences are due to disallowances. They are
ignored for Deferred Tax treatment.
International Accounting Standard (IAS-12), takes Balance
Sheet approach for deferred tax treatment. Such situation arises in
revaluation of assets, as well as in amalgamations and mergers.
(b) Tax outgoing is treated as an expense chargeable to
Profit & Loss Account. It includes two elements, current tax and deferred tax.
In a situation when there is no profit from current year’s activity, but
surplus in accounts is due to reversal of deferred tax liability. In such case
whether the dividend can be declared out of such surplus ? According to the
speaker, it is permissible.
(c) For determining the liability under MAT, not only
current tax provision but deferred tax provision is also to be added back.
(d) Accounting of Deferred Tax Asset — When turning
differences are having the effect of reducing accounting income below taxable
income, it gives rise to deferred tax asset; whereas when accounting income is
more than tax income, it results in deferred tax liability. For deferred tax
asset, Para 15 and Para 17 of AS-22 are relevant. Para 15 states that if there
is a reasonable certainty of recovering the losses in future, then only
deferred tax asset should be recognised.
Para 17 talks of virtual certainty of future profits
sufficient to absorb current and brought forward losses and depreciation.
Before creating deferred tax asset, the auditor should ask for convincing
evidence about certainty of future profit. Accounting Standard Inter-pretation
(ASI) No. 9 provides guideline for verification of credibility of evidence
propagated by client companies. This factor assumers still greater importance
when the current years’ losses include long-term capital losses. This is
because such losses can be set off only against long-term capital gains.
(e) Financial Report Review Board (FRRB) of the Institute
verifies the published accounts recognising deferred tax assets and ascertains
from concerned members whether due care is taken by them in this regard
i.e., virtual certainty of future profits, particularly when the amount is
material.
(f) Reassessment and review of deferred tax asset created
in earlier years can be made if the circumstances demand such adjustment after
proper review.
(g) In amalgamation of two companies or absorption of
loss-making by profit-making company, the deferred tax assets/liabilities of
loss-making company should be dealt with after considering profits and
profitability of amalgamated company ASI-11 deals with both situations.
If the loss-making company is taken over in amalgamation
scheme and that company has not created deferred tax asset due to
non-existence of virtual certainty of future profits, then the profit-making
company taking over such loss-making company can create deferred tax asset in
its books, since it will be entitled to claim set-off of such losses.
(h) There may be a situation that a newly started company
has losses and unabsorbed depreciation for last 3 years, which gives rise to
deferred tax asset. At the same time, it has provided depreciation in accounts
which is less than depreciation allowable under the IT Act, in such case it
will give rise to deferred tax liability. Therefore both deferred tax asset
and liability will require consideration. Unless there is virtual certainty of
future profits, deferred tax asset should not be accounted. Since to the
extent of deferred tax liability there is certainty, the deferred tax asset
can be accounted to that extent. This issue is covered in background material
of the Institute on AS-22.
(i) As regards tax rate, if at the end of the year the
budget has provided for a change in rate of tax, it should be given effect to.
No discounting of rates is permitted.
j) Presentation of deferred tax asset/liability. Earlier year’s brought forward balances should not be mixed up with current year’s figures and current year asset/liability cannot be net out. In Schedule VI, the deferred tax liability should appear after unsecured loans but before current liabilities and provisions, so also deferred tax asset should appear after investments but before current assets.
k) If deferred tax effect is not accounted in earlier years, but is proposed to be accounted in current year, then such adjustment can be made through revenue reserve. It there is no reserve, then it should be debited to profit and loss account.
l) If a company is having tax holiday for certain years, say, u/s.80IA or u/s.80IB, then though there is timing difference in accounting income and tax income, ASI-3 provides that if out of timing differences, some figures are going to reverse after tax holiday period, it is necessary to provide deferred tax liability only on such amounts. ASI-5 considers the situation where company’s income is covered by exemption u/s.l0A and u/s.l0B.
m) ASI-4 deals with losses under the head Capital gains, which are adjustable only against future capital gains. Therefore normally there cannot be virtual certainty. So ASI-4 advices not to create deferred tax asset with reference to capital loss.
n) ASI-6 considers situation under MAT liability where book profit is higher than taxable income, the tax is payable with reference to book profit @ 7.5% plus surcharge. In such cases, on timing differences the tax at normal rate of” 30% plus surcharge should be considered.
o) In respect of quarterly reporting of income for listed companies, the average rate of tax on an income should be ascertained. Such rate should be applied to the income for the quarter.
II. AS-IO – Fixed Assets – Revised Standard (yet to become effective) :
i) Exposure draft was issued in 2006. After considering the views thereon, Press Note of the Institute, announced in August, 2006 that the draft is finalised. It was proposed to make it effective from 1-4-2009. Yet the effective date is not announced, presumably because the Company Law Board will have to modify the Accounting Standard Rules suitably.
There are some conceptual differences in the Revised Standard. This is so in respect of spares and components which are purchased or in stock at year end. If these components are exclusively for use in plant and machinery, then requirements of Revised Standard will have to be complied with.
ii) The Revised AS-10 will be dealing with Accounting of Fixed Tangible Assets as well as Depreciation Accounting, which was hitherto governed by AS-6. So earlier AS-6 will stand withdrawn after its merger with revised AS-10. From the earlier AS-10, Para 14 & Para 24 will continue. Para 14 deals with assets held for disposal, so also Para 24 deals with non-current assets for disposal.
iii) Institute has issued ASI-2 on machinery spares which has discussed the circumstances when it will be machinery spares and when it will be fixed assets. This interpretation will also become inoperative after revised AS-lO becomes operative. After such date, machinery spares, which can only be used in machinery will be treated as machinery and not as part of inventory spare and components under current assets. So ASI-2 dealing with inventory will not apply to machinery spares.
iv) For real estate developers, the applicable Accounting Standard will be AS-10 and not AS-7. For revised treatment to machinery spares, the test of economic benefits will be required to be satisfied. So also cost thereof should be’ ascertainable. For subsequent expenditure on existing fixed asset, current repairs will be charged to profit and loss account, but substantial expenditure which increases existing capacity of machinery will be capitalised and depreciated thereafter.
v) Revised AS-10 also deals with component accounting. While accounting, the WDV of component replaced should be transferred to profit and loss account and cost of new components should be capitalised and depreciated. Alternatively, old component’s WDV can continue and of new component to be debited to Profit and Loss account. These are the two options given.
vi) Where inspection of useful balance life is a costly affair as in case of aircrafts or where major replacement is a feature of, say, every four years, it was earlier recommended to spread such cost over four years by creating provision every year. But, now it is not permitted by AS-29. This Standard does not permit provision where expenditure is not actually made. Provision can be made for existing obligation and not for future obligation.
vii) The solution is to capitalise such expenditure and then amortise over certain years and write off old unamortised amount. Cost of dismantling of old asset can be added to new asset and depreciated.
viii) On the issue of Revaluation of Fixed Assets, the speaker listed the rules to be followed, viz. :
a) Revaluation should be done uniformly for en-tire class of assets like building machinery, etc. Revaluation at fair value and not any ad-hoc value.
b) Revaluation should be done uniformly every year to arrive at fair value.
c) For depreciation Para 13 of AS-10 dealing with depreciation accounting, the rates should be at prescribed rates unless circumstances warrant higher rates. In any case, lower rate than pre-scribed rate cannot be adopted.
d) Para-16 of AS-10 (revised) describes depreciation as a systematic allocation of cost over useful life. Components, having different useful life, should be depreciated at different rates. The rate and depreciation should be reviewed every year in the light of information about useful life.
e) Method of depreciation should also be reviewed every year. When there is a change in rate, it is change in estimate and not change in accounting policy. When method is changed from SLM to WDV, it is change in accounting policy. For this the change should be prospective.
f) In the past when asset is revalued the book value goes up. Additional depreciation due to revaluation should be adjusted by withdrawing such differential amount from revaluation reserve. However, in Revised Standard, depreciation on revalued asset will appear in profit and loss account – Now withdrawal from revaluation reserve will not be permitted.
III. AS-ll (Revised) Accounting of changes in foreign exchange rates:
This Standard was originally passed in 1993. It was revised in 2003 and made effective from 1-4-2004. In earlier Standard it was provided that increase in liability for repayment of unpaid price of fixed assets like plant and machinery had to be capitalised. A view was taken while finalising the Revised Standard that such change is a finance charge and credit or debit should be taken to profit and loss account. However, as Schedule VI needed capitalisation, the Institute announced that Schedule VI will prevail over Revised Standard i.e., Capitalisation was approved.
Now, this position is again changed. In respect of accounting year commencing on or after 7-12-2006, the Companies Accounting Standard Rules are coming into play. While Government agreeing with the Institute’s views re: finance charge has put a note to Accounting Standard Rules that in spite of Schedule VI, such exchange difference can be taken to profit & loss account. On 17-7-2007 the Institute issued pronouncement that the note to A. S. Rules should be given effect in respect of capitalisation, made between 2004 to 2007. For assets acquired between 1993 to 2003, the position will not be disturbed. Between 1-4-2004 to 6-12-2006, Schedule VI protection is still available. A legal view is taken that since Schedule VI is part of the Companies Act, it will prevail over Rules in spite of the view taken by the Government and the Institute.
IV. AS-15 – Retirement Benefits for Employees:
The Standard was originally issued in 1993 and revised in 200S. The new Standard covers entire gamut of benefits except share-based benefits. This was originally to become effective from 1-4-2006 which date is postponed to the year commencing after 7-12-2006. The issues are:
The liability accrues at the point when the service is rendered and not at the time of payment. The Institute has issued FAQs containing 18 questions and replies thereto. This Standard applies when employer-employee relation subsists.
i) In case of gratuity which becomes payable only after completion of five years still provision has to be made for the liability accruing each year. The liability is to be quantified by actuarial valuation.
ii) Leave encashment is also required to be provided. Maximum accumulation is 240 days whereas availment each year is 30 days. In such case the actuary should evaluate the liability.
iii) As regards P.P. contribution by employer the liability is determined, but as regard gratuity it is to be evaluated.
iv) In revised Accounting Standard AS-IS, the matter is not left entirely to actuary. It now provides that liability to be ascertained by applying Projected Unit Credit method (PUC).
v) As regards VRS benefit, the amount paid is amortised over five years. But the new Standard provides that it is an expenditure of current year and cannot be deferred, because it is not an asset. VRS paid up to 31-3-2009can be amortised, but payments thereafter cannot be amortised but to be wholly debited to profit and loss account, so also earlier year’s amortisation cannot be carried beyond 1-4-2010.
vi) Where earlier year’s liability is sought to be provided for the first time, the prior year’s liability can be debited to revenue reserves or another option of amortisation over five years is given by revised AS-IS. However, such treatment should be reported by way of note as information or disclosure and not as qualification to true and fair view.
v) Derivative Instruments Accounting and Institutes Views:
i) The Institute’s announcement dated 28-3-2008 on issues is applicable for accounting year ended 31-3-2008.
Derivative instruments being financial instruments are covered by Accounting Standard-30 which will be applicable from 1-4-2011. Till then it is recommendatory. The foreign exchange derivative contracts as well as other derivative contracts put the company to huge liabilities. Derivative contracts comprise of index, exchange and commodity derivatives. Though AS-30 is not put in operation, still AS-1 is applicable insofar as concept of prudence, for providing for losses.
ii) Where there is profit in some and losses in other derivatives, whether provision should be made contractwise or classwise or on global basis. The global treatment is certainly not correct. The categorywise treatment is recommended. If net is a loss it should be provided, if net is gain the same is to be ignored.
iii) Hedging transactions – if in underlying contract of purchase/sale there is a loss and in derivative contract there is a gain, then both are to be netted.
(iv) If there are derivative contracts covered by AS-11, Paras 36 and 37 talk about hedging, whereas Paras 38 and 39 talk about derivatives speculation and trading. If on 31st March the position shows a loss, but on subsequent Balance Sheet date, there is a gain, such subsequent event accruing in next year cannot be taken into accounts.
The meeting was terminated with a vote of thanks to the speaker.
Subject : Royalties and Fees for Technical Services in
International Trade.
Speaker : Pinakin D. Desai, Chartered
Accountant, Past President, BCA.
Venue : Walchand Hirachand Hall, IMC.
Date : 7th May 2008
(1) Scope and coverage of the subject :
The learned speaker first set out the scope and coverage of
the subject he will be dealing with. He clarified that he would not be dealing
with situations where such incomes are received by resident assesses, but he
would consider situations where the resident assessee is effecting the payments
to a non-resident individual firm or company, since obligation to withhold tax
will arise only with reference to such payments. A resident payer has to put a
question to himself whether the non-resident has a liability to pay tax in India
on royalty or on fees for technical services (FTS) received by him from a
resident company. It is only then that he becomes liable to withhold tax.
(2) Fundamental Rules :
(a) Normally a person is liable to pay tax on his income in a
country in which he is resident. However, there are exceptions to this rule
e.g., A U.K. company though liable to tax in its own country on income
received in India, all the same, tax laws in India may fix a liability on such
company to pay tax in India on Income accruing, arising or received in India. In
such case a simultaneous obligation is cast on an Indian payer to withhold tax
on such payment to the U.K. company.
(b) Where a non-resident is having a business connection or
permanent establishment in a source country, say, India, then such non-resident
is liable to pay tax on income from business connection or from permanent
establishment.
(c) In respect of royalty or technical services, the
liability to Indian Tax arises even if the services are rendered outside India.
In such cases, one has to look to provisions of treaty under D.T.A. Agreement.
If the tax is payable in source country under the treaty as well as under
domestic law, then withholding at prescribed rate will have to be made. In
another circumstance where tax is payable under domestic law but not under the
treaty, or conversely tax is payable under the treaty but not under domestic
law, or where the tax is required to be paid at lower rate, then such
non-resident recipient company can make payment in each case, at a rate most
beneficial to him.
(d) Tests to be applied to applicability of treaty
provisions : It is advisable to read all provisions of the treaty since
prima facie impression about non-taxability may get negatived by some other
provisions in the treaty. To illustrate, in the India-U.A.E. treaty the articles
are saddled with a number of barriers and conditions.
(e) Concept of beneficial ownership : Concessional or
beneficial treatment is allowable, provided the recipient is the beneficial
owner of that income. Where such recipient acts only as a conduit between the
payer and the actual beneficial owner, then benefit of concession gets lost. In
Nat West case the AAR held that the company in Mauritius is only an intermediate
vehicle between the payer and the real beneficial owner. Hence, it will not get
exemption.
(3) Fees for technical services : Applicable provisions :
(a) Domestic Law : When an Indian company makes
payment of fees for technical services, then per S. 9(1) (vii) tax is leviable
regardless of situs and nature of services; whether managerial, technical or
consultancy service. All these are regarded as technical services and there is
tax withholding obligation. Technical service means a service requiring
application of required skill and knowledge of service provider. It does not
include a normal or routine commercial service; like that of an agent promoting
sales outside India of products of his principal in India. Hence, determination
of exact nature assumes importance. There are three concepts :
(i) Whether payment is for a product or a service. Where a
readymade product is acquired, there is no element of service. But when such
product is customised or tailor-made according to requirement of customer, it
involves supply of service.
(ii) Whether it is a service from equipment or whether it
is payment for user of equipment. To illustrate, where rent is paid for use of
car or house, it is payment for use of that asset. But, where the payment is
to hotel for boarding and lodging, it is a service, so also use of taxi with
driver or payment for rail or air-travel fare. In these cases use of equipment
is incidental to use of service.
(iii) Technical service v. technology-driven
service : Examples :
(a) Live telecast music event : Though this
involves use of highly sophisticated equipments, the user is in fact
interested in the product that is entertainment programmes. So also on-line
game on portal or Internet service or on-line tax information provider’s
services. All these services are technology-driven services and not
technical services.
(b) Physical service v. electronic service. Due to
development of electronics, one can instead of purchasing a book from shop
or purchasing rail or air ticket on counter can avail the same from website
or by e-booking. All the same, the nature of service remains
technologically-driven service.
(c) In recent decision of the Mumbai High Court in
Diamond Co. case reported in 169 Taxman, the Hon. Court has analysed the
concepts of technology-driven services, royalty and fees for included
services. The company was engaged in services of grading the diamonds
involving specialised knowledge of gemologists. After applying various
tests, the certificate of gradation was given. This was regarded as
technologically-driven service.
(4) Different facets of technical service :
The Supreme Court in Ishikawa jima-Harima Heavy Industries Ltd. reported in 288 ITR 409 (SC) has held that the liability to pay tax under domestic law arises only when there is a live connection or a live territorial nexus between the service and the place where services are rendered. This is a prime condition before applying S. 9(i)(vii), as the said Section itself provides that when an Indian company has availed of any technical service from non-resident in respect of source of income outside India then such payment will not be regarded as accruing in India, since such payment is for earning income from source outside India. The explanation to S. 9(i) (vii) provides a protection in this respect. If a UK company has undertaken a turnkey project or construction project in India, the project is located in India and technical services are provided by the UK company, then such services will be regarded as part and parcel of project and the same will be regarded as project executed by the UK company. The income from execution will be taxed in India. The UK company will be deemed to be having permanent establishment in India.
(5) In many treaties there is not only Article on fees for technical service, but also Article on Independent Personal Service (IPS) say professional service. If in a treaty there is no Article dealing with Fees for Technical Services (FTS),but there is Article on Independent Personal Service, such Article can make a Brazil company liable to domestic tax, if it receives fees from an Indian company, even if there is no fixed base or PE in India.
(6) Where a payment is taxable under one article of treaty, but not under another article of the same treaty, the foreign enterprise may follow beneficial rule.
(7) Fees for Induded Service (FIS) :
This primarily deals with technical service, but its coverage is narrower than fees for technical service (FTS) and is akin to S. 9(i)(vii). Under this Article, tax will be payable by a Brazilian company in India on technical services received from Indian company even though services are not performed in India and it has no PE in India.
A treaty may have two sets of Articles, one dealing with FTS and other with IPS applicable to individual or firm. In a situation where fees for technical services are taxable in India and also under Article with FTS, but not taxable under Article IPS since such FE is not having PE, then FE can follow beneficial rule whereby IPS article will override FTS Article.
(8) Fees for Induded Service (PIS) :
It primarily is applicable to FTS. A technical service becomes included service in circumstances where the person giving service makes available technical knowledge, experience, skill, know-how or process or in addition to service makes available or transfers plan or technical design. The plans of architects or designs for installation and maintenance of machinery are illustrations, which are handed over to the payer of consideration. Similarly, software developed by a technician programmer makes available the software to his customer is another instance of included service.
Where a right to use a patent is acquired by an Indian company and if before effectively putting it to use, in conjunction with it his existing process set-up, and if there is a need for modification which is also provided by FE, then this additional service can be termed as included service. The tax will be payable at the time of making payment as per Article 12(4)(a).
(9) Most-Favoured Nation Clause (MFN Clause) :
Though on plain reading of treaty tax is payable, still there may be certain Articles whereby tax may not become payable, where there is MFN protocol. This clause is generally provided at the insistence of enterprise providing the service to ensure continued patronage of service receiver. However, the receiving company can provide for its freedom to enter into contract with some other service provider in future, whereby present contract will stand modified.
(10) Procurement of designs:
Where intention of receiving enterprise is to buy a product or a customised design and not standard design, the judicial views are divided.
In Abhishek Developers v. ITO, 3719-3722/B/04 (Bang.) and in Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. v. ITO, ITA No. SS3/M/2000 (Mum.), the customised designs were considered as products. As against this, in MRPL v. DCIT, (ITA No. 1826/M/04). In Centex Merchants Pvt. Ltd. v. DCIT, (94 ITD 211 Cal.) and in TAG Report of OECD such supply was treated as technical service.
In all these contracts intent or object behind availing service needs to be looked into. Is the object to buy a service or to buy a product? There can also be a mixed contract. S. USA taxes it at 10% plus Sch. If technical service is connected with a PE, then S. 44D becomes applicable and tax will be 40% plus Sch. after deducting expenses of the P.E. i.e., on net income. The IDS will still be at 10% even if receipt by FE is effectively connected with FE’s PE. One has to keep in view the probable litigation on application of S. 40(a)(i).
(11) Royalties:
This covers payment of royalties for branded products, payment for use of LP.R.s (Intellectual Property Rights).
Traditional view is, when use of intellectual property rights is made available for commercial exploitation, the consideration received is Royalty. Similarly providing use of confidential basis of information or right which is not in public domain gives rise to royalty.
Key question to be asked by recipient of consideration is what does the payer of consideration get in return for such payment, Does he get use of IPR ?
(12) Inherent features of IPR Grants:
(a) IPR is the result of owner’s skill, effort, exertion, intellect and/ or suffering.
(b) Owners possession usually constitutes his tool of trade.
(c) IPR’s are not in public domain, but are possessed secretly.
(d) Such IPRs mayor may not be registered or protected.
(e) Grantee is permitted to do what otherwise may be infringement.
(f) Grantee is enabled to do what owner could have done.
(g) Grantee can commercialise the product.
(13) Illustrative rights of copyright holder:
(a) Literary work is protected by the Indian Copyright Act (ICA)
(b) Literary work includes computer programme [So2(0) of the Indian Copy-right Act (ICA)]
(c) Exclusive rights of copyright holder are described in S. 14 of LCA. and they are,
(i) To reproduce work
(ii) To issue copies to public
(iii) To make translation
(iv) To make adaptation
(v) To sell or offer for sale.
(14) The learned speaker then illustrated and displayed a chart illustrating the exact nature of receipts in the hands of grantor & grantee of licence, is Product v. Underlying IPR.
Apprehended confusion ….Product v. Underlying IPR:
(15) Definition of Royalty – Expl. 2 to S. 9(i)(vi) :
This is to be viewed from point of view of payer When payer gets any of the following rights, then it is payment of royalty.Where payer is getting any right for use any patent, invention, secret formula or secret process or similar property or for use of any copyright of any scientific, literary, artistic book, (It covers music drama, software or IPR) then such payment is royalty.
(16) There are subtle differences in definition, scope of royalty including exceptions under the Income-tax Act and the definition under UN Model. The speaker elucidated those differences through display of studies. The same are as follows :
As per Explanation Z’to S. 9(1)(vi) the royalty takes in its fold consideration received for
(a) any transfer of all or any right (including the granting of a licence in respect of films or video tapes for telecast or radio broadcasting)
(b) transfer of any right to use equipment
(c) disclosure of any knowledge, experience or skill on technical, industrial, commercial matter popularly known as undivulged know-how;
Exceptions : The following is not covered
(a) Payment is for business or source of income outside India.
(b) Consideration for sale, distribution or exhibition of cinematographic films.
(c) Capital gain income from sale, transfer of IPR.
(17) U.N. Model definition:
Definition of royalties per S. 9(I)(vi) is very wide. Treaty definitions normally are more beneficial under U.N. Model, definition of royalty:
The term ‘royalties’ as used in this Article means payment of any kind received as a consideration for the use of or right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including cinematograph films, any patents trademark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process or for the use of or right to use industrial, commercial or scientific equipment or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience. Therefore what is not royalty is business income taxable in the country of residence.
(18) Judicial development in taxation of royalty:
(a) Asian Satellite Decision: In this case, payment was made for use of service from equipment service provider who had server and equipment at his disposal, satellite transponder was used. The payment received from such user, whether a royalty ? According to the assessee he was using only a commercial service, but per Dept. it was payment for use of process since the words in S. 9(i)(vi)are use of secret formula or process. Per the Tribunal, a formula may be secret, but process need not be secret. By use of process, the data becomes available to user, hence it is covered by term royalty. The other cases are of Grindwel Ltd. & Kotak Mahindra, holding that use of server, the consideration par-takes colour of royalty. According to speaker, these decisions require reconsideration.
(19) Equipment hire v. Service:
As definition of royalty includes consideration for use of or right to use industrial, commercial or scientific equipment, the user has to ask two questions to himself, namely:
(a) Am I requiring the use of equipment, or
(b) Am I acquiring service of the equipment?
In the former case he needs physical possession, custody and control of property. There should be no concurrent user by other and thirdly the risk of operation is with him as user.
In the latter case, treaties are not uniform e.g., the India-USA DTAA covers equipment rental also. But in India-Netherlands DTAA, it does not. Impact of MFN clause. In Belgium treaty, the scope was amended due to favourable treaty with Sweden.
(20) TDS compliance:
TDS compliance assures great importance due to rigours of S. 40(a)(i). It is advisable to take certificate u/s. 195(2) to overcome chances of disallowance of expense and also to avoid litigation on failure to deduct, confrontation on interest and penalty for non-deduction and paying tax out of own pocket. The assessee payer has no authority to decide whether tax is deductible or not. It is advisable to follow safer course of withholding tax before payment to non-resident.
The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the learned speaker.
Date : 25th November, 2009
1. Bird’s-eye view of Development of International Accounting Standards from inception to date :
1.1 In 1973, Accounting Standards Committee was formed to propose International Accounting Standards. In 2001, the name of the committee was changed to International Accounting Standard Board and the standards that were prescribed by the Board were titled as International Accounting Standards (IAS). The Accounting Standards hitherto published will be merged with IFRS. In the course of time, new standards may be formulated which will get added. Under the old regime of IAS, forty-one International Accounting Standards were introduced, out of which 12 standards were withdrawn or superseded by new standards, leaving twenty-nine International Accounting Standards. There are nine IFRS already in existence. The 9th IFRS has been issued on 12th November 2009.
1.2 So far, several interpretations were issued on International Accounting Standards (IAS). Henceforth, interpretations on new Standards (IFRS) will be included in literature on IFRS.
2. The global developments, their present status and issues embedded therein :
2.1 In India in 1987, decision was taken to set up at our Institute’s level an Accounting Standard Board. After its formation, it was decided to formulate our own independent Accounting Standards (AS), rather than verbatim adopting their international counterpart. Subsequently, in 2007, it was decided to convert present Indian standards to IFRS.
2.2 In 1997, it was decided to achieve comparability and to improve existing standards. It was decided to revise ten Accounting Standards, such as AS-2 Valuation of inventory, AS-7 Accounting for construction contracts, etc.
2.3 In 2003, another improvement project was undertaken by International Accounting Standard Board of revising fourteen Accounting Standards.
2.4 There exist three types of Accounting Standards, viz. US GAAP evolved by US, International Accounting Standards and National Accounting Standards of each country. US GAAP was competing with International Accounting Standards. On many issues. However, it was decided to co-ordinate and close down the differences by taking up long term/short-term projects in that direction.
2.5 There is one fundamental difference between US GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standars, namely, US GAAP lays down the rules, whereas IFRS sets out the principles.
2.6 On 15th November, 2007 a decision was taken that companies located outside the US can follow principles of IFRS which need not be reconciled with US GAAP. But, if any company has to enter US capital market, then it must reconcile its accounts with US GAAP requirement.
2.7 The European Union with its twenty-seven member countries and their respective parliaments decided that consolidated financial statements of listed companies should be as per IFRS. As regards unlisted companies or stand-alone units like holding companies and their subsidiaries it was left to discretion of member states. The trend of thinking of these governments is to make IFRS mandatory even to unlisted companies and stand-alone accounts. Thus, there are three-tier arrangements presently existing for dealing with presentations, disclosure requirements and the rules applicable to listed companies and stand-alone companies.
2.8 Pursuant to this decision, the UK Parliament has passed legislation that all listed companies and even stand-alone companies will have to prepare consolidated account statements as per IFRS principles. For unlisted companies, IFRS applicable to SME i.e., Small & Medium Enterprises sector will be used and for very small enterprises (Micro Units) another standard as prescribed will be used. Similarly, for companies in the US, there are three-tier arrangements for presentation and consolidation.
3. IFRS for SMEs :
3.1 The printed materials by way of Accounting Standards, Interpretation iterature in case of US GAPP runs into 17,000 pages and in case of IFRS, this runs into 2,500 pages. For small and medium sector companies, IFRS printed material is only 250 pages which, such SMEs will have to follow.
3.2 In Europe, all the 27 member countries took a decision to totally adopt and follow IFRS and parliament passed suitable legislations accepting IFRS.
3.3 Countries like Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and Sri Lanka have adopted IFRS, subject to their right to exercise their option about additional disclosures.
3.4 A need to have a second look at the disclosure requirements of IFRS is being felt. A project called project on evaluation of disclosures is being undertaken to avoid conflict between IFRS requirements about disclosures, local requirements and economic situation in India. A decision is taken keeping in mind the strong view taken by IFRS that though guidance note can be provided, it should not conflict with principles pronounced in IFRS. Such guidance notes will not form part of the standards prevailing in the country. The IFRS Board is very assertive on this point. This makes it a difficult task to convert Indian Standards into IFRS with narrow scope for variation. In Europe, its twenty-seven member countries as well as countries in rest of the world have decided to go nearer to IFRS, but at the same time, retaining their right to deviate if local situations so demand. Though many changes are not permitted, the countries can decide about the dates/years from which the new standards will become applicable. So, many countries have decided to go for modified standards which will be close to IFRS instead of adopting IFRS directly.
3.5 The regulators of Accounting Standards in India hold the same view. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, SEBI, RBI, IRDA & ICAI are unanimous on issuing Indian Standards and not to endorse IFRS directly.
3.6 Global situation : The countries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand made their own standards. The countries like Korea, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong followed the IFRS verbatim. But, Singapore and Philippines accepted some of the standards and dis-agreed with some others. For example Interpretation Note No. 2 & 15 were not accepted by Singapore. Obviously, they cannot certify IFRS compliance. Some countries like India have made new standards applicable from 2011. So also Pakistan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam are trying to go nearer to IFRS in next four years. China has prepared thirty-eight Accounting Standards, which are at par with IFRS.
4. Issues and controversies arising from IFRS :
4.1 Recent global development and the financial crisis : In the last two years, a lot of debate has generated on whether crisis is due to accounting failure or due to some other reasons. The final view is that the crisis is attributable to failure of economic system. Banks were advancing loans on mortgage of properties. Attention was given only to value of property and not to repayment capacity and integrity of borrower. This practice worked well till property prices were rising. But this over-optimism brought about the disaster when property prices started dwindling. The borrowers opted to surrender properties, overflowing the banks’ balance sheets with properties in place of recoverable loans. In India, however, due to proper monitoring by RBI about secured loans against mortgage, restricting the discretion of banks on the extent to which such loans can be given, the disaster could be avoided to some extent.
4.2 Another reason for the economic crisis was that in India, the bankers not only look into the sufficiency of security but also verify integrity of bor-rower. But in the USA the scenario was that when loans were transferred to another bank, the portfolio of investments held as security were also transferred as financial products. The insurance companies gave guarantee. But when portfolio became bad, the recovery of debt became doubtful. The financial products, valuation of which is complex, when transferred to other bank, no conservative principles were followed. So also, when loans were given against property, the erosion in value of property resulted in losses to lender institutions. In the process of finding solution, it was decided that the standard-setters of financial reports should come out with new standards. As financial products are complex for evaluation, the standard-setters should give guidance on principle to be followed for financial instruments. IAS-39 is proposed to be revised by issuing IFRS-9. Another reason for the crisis was that many companies are having financial commitments which remain outside the books and do not get reflected in balance sheets. To illustrate, companies enter into Derivative contracts, the profit or loss gets crystallised when contracts are settled or options are exercised at future dates. Some companies enter into forward contracts for covering foreign exchange risk pertaining to purchase/import of raw materials. The fluctuations in import prices are very high. So, very often companies suffer heavily on actual settlements of contracts entered into, say, before 12 or 24 months. Such obligations do not get reflected in the accounts. This is a lacuna. In March, 2008, the Institute came out with Notification about derivative instrument in AS-30 which is not yet made mandatory, but recommendatory. Still, if a company desirous of following it, keeping in mind concept of prudence as per AS-1, can make suitable provision for losses that are likely to arise in derivatives, forward contracts and make account statements transparent and realistic. The financial failures of business enterprises due to such contracts of derivatives also have contributed to economic crisis.
4.3 As a step in the direction of solution, Financial Advisory Board was appointed by International Accounting Standard Board. US Financial Advisory Board is advised to study the situation and submit its report and recommendations.
4.4 The Board has observed that failure of the economy is not due to erroneous accounting but due to inherent system failure in incorporating liabilities and losses arising from derivatives, forward contracts, credit policies of granting loans against properties and financial instruments. It also recommended simplification of Accounting Standards on Financial Instruments (IAS-39) by issue of guidance note. International Accounting Standard Board took review of IAS-39. The issues arising therefrom touching subjects of presentation, disclosures were incorporated in IAS-32 issued in 1995. The other complex issues like recognition, measurement and valuation and other difficult issues were taken up in 1999, which were incorporated in IAS-39. For presentation and disclosures, IFRS-7 was issued. Now the AS-32 will contain only disclosure requirements. Some radical changes were made in basic concepts in accounting hitherto followed. For example, in IFRS, redeemable preference shares are not treated as capital or shareholders’ funds. It is a liability and not equity. Similarly, for IFRS, fully convertible debentures are considered as equity and not liability. Hence, when AS-32 will become effective, Schedule VI of the Companies Act will have to be revised. For IFRS, substance is more important than form. Therefore, for giving effect to IFRS, changes will have to be made in Financial Instruments Standard by simplifying it. These changes will be necessary in IAS-32 on financial instruments and in IFRS-7 on disclosures. The impact of financial instruments of liabilities arising through forward contracts, derivatives and other liabilities not appearing in balance sheet, age analysis of credit risks, portfolio valuation based on rate of interest. All present disclosures in standards on fixed assets and inventory does not cover issues arising in financial instruments.
The applicable standards are :
IAS-32 for Presentation
IAS-39 on Recognition Measurement and Valuation
IRRS-7 on Disclosures
4.5 IAS-39 on Recognition, Measurement and Valuation is being discussed globally on simplification. In India, on this issue AS-30, AS-31 & AS-32 are introduced; AS-30 deals with Recognition and Measurement. AS-31 is on Presentation and AS-32 is on Disclosure. The contents of these standards are at par with corresponding International Standards, but they are yet to be made effective. A project is undertaken in three parts by International Accounting Standards Board.
4.6 In the first part, issues on recognition, measurement and valuation are dealt with.
In the second part, impairment of investment and in third part, issues on hedging will be dealt with.
The first part is completed on 12th November, 2009 called IFRS-9. The second and third part will be completed in last quarter of 2010.
5. Classification, recognition & valuation of financial instruments :
5.1 There are four categories — Financial instruments include investments, loans and advances, deriva-tives and other financial assets and on liability side it includes every debt and equity other than current liability. The principles of valuation in IFRS-39 require adoption of fair value and not market value. So, if the inflow of actual yield of interest and amount due on maturity is known, then the fair value will have to be arrived at. To illustrate, investment of Rs.100 is purchased at Rs.91 which on maturity after 3 years will fetch Rs.100 and in inter-mediary years, it is fetching interest @ 7% and market value is, say, Rs.95. For fair value, one has to find out discounted value. In this case, the inflow will be @ 7% for 3 years and Rs.100. On maturity. after three years, suppose, discounted value is Rs.97, then for IFRS, the historical cost of Rs.91 as well as market value of Rs.95 is not relevant but discounted value Rs.97 will have to be adopted. This method of valuation is called amortised cost method. There are two methods in IFRS either amortised cost or fair value. This method can be followed if inflow is known and certain. The present value of such inflow is considered.
5.2 In IFRS-9, there are three methods of classification. First is fair value and second is amortised cost or discounted cost. Third is loans and advances to be valued at amortised value. To illustrate, if the loan of Rs.10 crores is given on security of property of Rs.8 crores and recovery is not likely, then under IFRS, for valuing security offered, the time that will be required for realisation of security will be taken into account. If the time for realisation is, say, 3 years, then discounted value of security of Rs.8 crores will be considered at say Rs. 5.50 crores. The difference between loan of 10 crores and present worth of securities i.e., Rs. 4.50 crores will be charged to Profit & Loss account by way of provision for bad and doubtful debt. The value of secured advance will appear at Rs. 5.50 and not Rs.8 crores for IFRS and the advance will become performing asset for presentation in balance sheet. So, the time value of money plays an important role in IFRS.
5.3 In IFRS-4, the following principles are extremely important. They are :
1. Historical costs do not play any role. It is always the present worth or discounted value, because user of financial statements is not interested in historical cost but present worth or fair value. For arriving at fair value, allowance is to be given to discounted value.
2. Time value of money : If the asset subjected to valuation carries normal interest which is realisable, then no discounting is necessary. But where no interest is likely to be received, then the value of asset needs discounting.
3. Substance over form : This is illustrated by a hypothetical case. If a company has declared VRS for its employees giving certain time allowance to opt, the company expects that, say 10 employees will accept retirement. But, actually, say, only 3 employees have opted and the company accepted their retirement. Then, as per IFRS, the provision for liability should not be only for three employees, but for all the likely employees, since the liability exists on balance sheet date. Such liability can be discounted. So, though legal obligation has not arisen, the constructive obligation requires consideration under IFRS.
In case of holding and subsidiary companies, for deciding whether consolidation will be required, the company will have to consider effect of the powers vested in holding company. If company ‘A’ is holding 49% of shares of company ‘B’ and under a contract or a MOU, the right to appoint managing director and finance director is vested in company ‘A’, then though holding is less than 50%, still the company ‘A’ holds right to decide effective financial management of the company ‘B’. Hence, consolidation of both Balance Sheets will become necessary. The same situation will prevail if majority of directors can be appointed by the company ‘A’. So, lead control test is satisfied. Thus, in IFRS substance over the form requires consideration.
4. For IFRS, the balance sheet plays more important role. Normally, the Profit & Loss account is considered important, since it decides profit for the year, the tax liability, the quantum of staff bonus, the dividend policy and other effects. In IFRS, balance sheet is supreme, since user of financial statements is more concerned with real state of affairs of the company. He needs an assurance that all provisions are made for actual or constructive liabilities and assets are valued not by historical cost but at fair value by making provision for impairment. At the same time, extra prudence through excessive provisions should not harm the interest of existing shareholders. The balance be-tween interests of existing and prospective shareholders is expected to be maintained. IFRS-9 will become mandatory from the year 2012.
6. Difference between IAS-39 and IFRS-9 :
6.1 Instead of the above four categories of principles in IAS-39, the fourth terminology for categorisation of shares and securities, is securities available for sale. Where securities cannot be termed as trade investments or long-term investments or other investments, then the same can be categorised under the head ‘Securities available for sale’. If value of such investments have materially appreciated, then the difference can be recognised by considering investment at fair value or realisable value and crediting other comprehensive income which shown in the balance sheet under ‘Reserves’.
6.2 In IFRS-9 instead of four methods only two methods are suggested, namely, fair value and amortised cost or discounted value of future proceeds. The intention for making investment will decide its category. Considering practical difficulties in determining fair value, International Accounting Standards Board, in its exposure draft has provided guidance on measurement of fair value. If there is active market for investments, then such value or in absence of active market, there is an alternative formula in finding out fair value. First level is evidence of trend of active market, second level is comparison of your security with similar security in active market. The third level is to consider cost of investment as surrogate of fair value.
6.3 When security is intended to be held till maturity and its amortised cost is considered, the variations in market value will have no effect on value, since it is to be held till maturity. But, if any of such securities are disposed of before maturity, still as per IFRS-9, revaluation need not be carried out. In IAS-39 on valuation of investment there were different rules to deal with appreciation and depreciation. In IFRS-9, these rules are substituted by simple principles viz., the impairment is to be identified with specific investments.
6.4 As regards valuation of equity shares, the principle in IAS-39 deals with embedded derivatives. In derivative contracts, what a party can receive or pay depends on price of commodity, rate of inflation or rate of exchange or rate of interest. An embedded derivatives are still complex. If asset is given on lease and if the rent is made depend on say rate of inflation say if inflation goes up by 1% the rent will go up by say 20%. This is contract of embedded derivative where outcome cannot be preciously determined. IFRS-9 covers only financial assets and not financial liabilities. Impairment of holding are to be considered later.
7. The present status of IFRS-9 & IAS-39 applicable to India :
7.1 The concerned authorities in India are ICAI, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, SEBI, RBI, Insurance Authority and the companies. The issues to be tack-led are — whether IFRS is to be adopted in total in the same form whereby Indian standards will cease to exist.
7.2 The trend of thinking of the above authorities is that IFRS can be applied only to public interest entities and Indian Standards will continue to apply to other entities.
7.3 Public interest entities need to be defined. It will include top listed companies or corporations, which have borrowed abroad or companies having subsidiaries abroad or have issued equities abroad. Therefore, IFRS will be applicable from 1-4-2011 to Insurance, Banking and Financial Institutions.
7.4 From 1-4-2013, the IFRS will be applicable to category 2 companies which will include all listed companies or companies having turnover over Rs.2,000 crores or borrowing more than Rs.500 crores.
7.5 For all the rest of companies, the question is whether they should follow existing AS or IFRS. These categories are SME’s (Small & Medium Enterprises), which are not equipped with advanced knowledge, required for IFRS. They can follow simpler accounting standards in India and progressively be prepared to follow IFRS by knowing its under-lying principles. A change in their mindsets and taking steps towards appreciating differences between Indian Standards and IFRS is the need of the day.
The learned speaker thereafter replied the questions raised from audience and concluded his speech.
The meeting was terminated with vote of thanks to the speaker.
to sense it and stub it.
19 Rajshree Sugars takes Axis to Court
Coimbatore-based company files case in Madras HC over Forex losses
Chennai : The markets were rattled when Hexaware announced
late last year that it has provisioned for $ 20 to $ 25 million to cover its
forex losses. Even as the company was trying to deal with the issue, there were
murmurs that Hexaware was only the tip of the iceberg and that corporate India
is sitting on a time bomb. More credibility has just been added to the fears.
The latest to join is Coimbatore-based Rajshree Sugars and
Chemicals when it filed a case against Axis Bank in Madras High Court alleging
that the forex derivative product sold to them by the bank did not take care of
their needs. The currency involved and the quantum of losses is not known yet.
R. Varadarajan, chief operating officer of Rajshree told TOI that his company
has indeed filed a case around a forex derivative sold to it by Axis.
Even a conservatively-run Sundaram Brake Linings, part of the
TVS group, has pulled up its bankers and dragged them to the Courts, alleging
that their bankers have mis-sold derivative products. The monies involved here
is not much though. Sundaram Brake said that it has rejected a demand of Rs.1.76
crore from one of the banks saying that the contract was void. Small and
medium-sized companies are up in arms against their bankers. Many of these
companies have been caught on the wrong foot due to the weakening of US dollar
against several currencies, including the euro, Swiss franc and Japanese yen in
the current fiscal.
(Source : The Times of India, 20-3-2008)
18 Cost of fuel gone up ? Don’t feel so bad !
Over the weekend, I filled up my car’s fuel tank, and I
thought fuel has become really expensive after the recent price hike.
But then I compared it with other common liquids and did some quick
calculations, and I felt a little better.
To know why, see the results below — you’ll be surprised at
how outrageous some other prices are !
Diesel (regular) in Mumbai : Rs.36.08 per litre
Petrol (speed) in Mumbai : Rs.52 per litre
Coca Cola 330 ml can : Rs.20 = Rs.61 per litre
Dettol antiseptic 100 ml Rs.20 = Rs.200 per litre
Radiator coolant 500 ml Rs.160 = Rs.320 per litre
Pantene conditioner 400 ml Rs.165 = Rs.413 per litre
Medicinal mouthwash like Listerine 100 ml Rs.45 = Rs.450 per
litre
Red Bull 150 ml can : Rs.75 = Rs.500 per litre
Corex cough syrup 100 ml Rs.57 = Rs.570 per litre
Evian water 500 ml Rs.330 = Rs.660 per litre
Rs.500 for a litre of WATER ? ? ? ! ! ! And the buyers don’t even know the
source (Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)
Kores whiteout 15 ml Rs.15 = Rs.1000 per litre
Cup of coffee at any decent business hotel 150 ml Rs.175 =
Rs.1167 per litre
Old Spice after shave lotion 100 ml Rs.175 = Rs.1750 per
litre
Pure almond oil 25 ml Rs.68 = Rs.2720 per litre
And this is the REAL KICKER…
HP deskjet colour ink cartridge 21 ml Rs.1900 = Rs.90,476 per
litre ! ! !
Now you know why computer printers are so cheap ? So they
have you hooked for the ink !
So, the next time you’re at the pump, don’t curse our
honorable Petroleum Minister — just be glad your car doesn’t run on cough syrup,
after shave, coffee, or God forbid, printer ink !
And for all you Scotch drinkers . . . the comparison cannot
be made.
— BE HAPPY . . . .
14 App for docs : iPhone app to replace the
stethoscope ?
The iPhone could soon replace the doctors’ best
friend, the traditional stethoscope, thanks to a free application created by a
University College London researcher.
Peter Bentley invented the ‘iStethoscope’
application which monitors heartbeat through sensors in the iPhone as just a bit
of fun. And, more than three million doctors across the world are signing up for
the free application.
(Source : The Hindu, dated 1-9-2010)
13 IT Dept. worried with 50% TDS data mismatch
cases
Tax deducted at source (TDS) has become a
problematic issue with the Income-tax Department, as in more than 50% TDS refund
cases, it is facing an uphill task in matching the data provided in the
assessee’s income-tax returns with the TDS deductor’s information available with
the NSDL.
And the mismatch is resulting in the assessee
running from pillar to post to get back the refund due to him from the
Department.
“It’s a pan-India problem; the Government wants the
system to be fully computerised so that things are streamlined,” said Jamshedpur
Commissariat DCIT (TDS) S. M. S. Tauheed recently.
(Source : The Financial Express, dated
10-8-2010)
12 Govt. to change role of accounting standards body
The Government plans to redefine the functions of
the National Advisory Committee on Accounting Standards (NACAS) to convert it
into an independent regulatory entity to monitor the quality of audit undertaken
across the corporate sector in the country.
The proposal, made by the Corporate Affairs
Ministry to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance that looked into the
Companies Bill, 2009, says the revamped NACAS should be allowed to oversee and
monitor the performance of standard-setting bodies for the accountancy and audit
professions.
Autonomous institutions such as the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Institute of Company Secretaries
of India, under the administrative control of the Corporate Affairs Ministry,
are the standard-setting bodies for accountancy and audit professions.
The Ministry response came after the Parliamentary
Committee, which submitted its report last week, expressed concerns over the
global economic crisis and the failure of big companies and suggested the
formation of an independent regulator to recommend standards for corporate
financial reporting, corporate audit and the quality of service of professionals
associated with ensuring compliance with such standards. It also wanted this
body to oversee, monitor and supervise the bodies involved in setting such
standards.
(Source : Internet www.taxguru.in, dated
10-9-2010)
47 Debate over mobile phones and cancer
Three prominent neurosurgeons told the CNN interviewer Larry
King that they did not hold cell-phones next to their ears. “I think that the
safe practice ,” said Dr. Keith Black, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre
in Los Angeles, “is to use an earpiece so you keep the microwave antenna away
from your brain.”
Dr. Vini Khurana, an associate professor of neurosurgery of
the Australian National University who is outspoken critic of cellphones, said
“I use it on the speaker-phone mode. I do not hold it to my ear.” And CNN’s
chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon at Emory
University Hospital said that like Dr. Black he used an earpiece.
Along with senator Edward Kennedy’s recent diagnosis of a
glioma, a type of tumour that critics have long associated with cellphone use,
the doctors’ remarks have helped reignite a long-simmering debate about cell
phones and cancer.
That supposed link has been largely dismissed by many
experts, including the American Cancer Society. The theory that cellphones cause
brain tumours “defies credulity”, said Eugene Flamm, chairman of neurosurgery at
Montefiore Medical Centre.
(Source : The Times of India, 4-6-2008)
46 After Warren Buffett, who ?
Warren Buffett speaks
At the 1996 annual meeting, an investor asked what would
happen to Berkshire Hathaway if Buffett were to get hit by a truck. The question
pops up more often than toast at breakfast. “I usually say I feel sorry for the
truck,” Buffett sometimes quips. Over the years he’s tried various come backs.
1985 : In an article about Berkshire’s long-term
commitment to the company it acquires, Buffett noted : “The managers have a
corporate commitment and therefore need not worry if my personal participation
in Berkshire’s affair ends prematurely” (A term I define as any age short of
three digits.)
1986 : “This is the proverbial ‘truck’ question that I
get asked every year. If I get run over by a truck today, Charlie (Munger) would
run the business, and no Berkshire stock would need to be sold. Investments
would continue.”
Also, Buffett surmised that the stock might “move up a
quarter or a half point on the day that I go. I’ll be disappointed if it goes up
a lot.”
(Source : The Times of India, 25-5-2008)
45 Bust that stress
Stress is evil and can only wreak havoc on our mind, body and
spirit. One can learn to cope with the following survival kit :
(Inputs from
Dr. Bharat R. Shah, Psychiatrist, Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai)
(Source :
The Times of India, 25-5-2008)
44 Acts of exemplary leadership
1. Be
authentic
2. Establish
and maintain credibility
3. Create an
environment of respect and trust
4. Sense and
diagnose the work environment
5.
Communicate clearly
6.
Demonstrate common sense leadership
7. Manage
8. Inspire
hard work, attention to detail, and a commitment to quality.
(Source :
Internet news wires)
43 Indian carriers save Rs.15 cr. by
switching over to e-tickets
Within a week of shifting from carbonised air-tickets to
e-tickets, the Indian air carriers have managed to save estimated Rs.15 crore,
providing them a way to cut costs after the rise in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF)
prices.
(Source : Internet news wires)
42 Independent directors on audit firm
boards
U.S. Treasury panelists recommended independent directors at
auditing firms to improve their governance and transparency as well as to help
protect investors.
Currently, the largest accounting firms — Deloitte & Touche (DLTE.UL),
Ernst & Young (ERNY.UL), KPMG (KPMG.UL) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC.UL) — do
not have independent directors
and are at times criticised for lacking transparency.
Panelists assembled by the Treasury Department to develop
recommendations for the industry said they were “particularly intrigued by the
idea of independent board members with duties and
responsibilities similar to those of public company non-executive board
members.”
(Source : Internet news wires)
41 Audit quality
More than three-quarters (78%) of audit committee members who
participated in a recent survey commissioned by the Center for Audit Quality
rated overall audit quality ‘very good’ or ‘excellent,’ and 82% said it has
improved in recent years.
About 53% of the audit committee members agreed that overall
audit quality is ‘very good,’ while 25% described it as ‘excellent.’ About 87%
said the risk of inaccuracies in financial statements due to fraud is ‘not very
high,’ and 60% agreed that the risk declined after the passage of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) agreed that investors should have
more confidence in the markets as a result of the 2002 law.
The Internet survey of 253 audit committee members was
conducted between Jan. 7 and Feb. 20 by The Glover Park Group. Participants in
the survey represented a range of publicly-traded companies. All served on at
least one audit committee in 2007. Six in 10 served on two or more audit
committees, and half were committee chairs. About 56% began their service as
audit committee members prior to the passage of SOX.
Nearly all of the respondents (99%) said they devote more
time to their committee work as a result of SOX. About 90% said they work more
closely with external auditors.
(Source : Internet news wires)
40 PCAOB norms
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board today adopted
rules for annual and special reporting of information and events by accounting firms that are registered with the PCAOB.
S. 102(d) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 provides that
each registered public accounting firm shall submit an annual report to the
Board, and also may be required to report more frequently, to provide
information specified by the Board. The reporting requirements in the new rules
are the first such requirements adopted by the Board.
PCAOB Chairman Mark Olson said, “With today’s action, the
Board is putting in place requirements that will ensure that fundamental
information about each of the more than 1,800 firms registered with the PCAOB is kept up-to-date and that each firm promptly discloses certain
significant events. With this foundation in place, the Board can also, in the
future, add other reporting and disclosure obligations that may appropriately
serve the public interest.”
The reporting framework includes two types of reporting
obligations. First, each registered firm must annually provide basic information
about the firm and the firm’s issuer-related practice over the most recent
12-month period. Information to be reported annually includes, among other
things, information about audit reports issued by the firm during the year,
certain disciplinary history information about persons who have joined the firm,
and information about fees billed to issuer audit clients, in various categories
of services, as a percentage of the firm’s total fees billed.
Second, the rules and forms adopted by the Board identify
certain events that, if they occur with respect to a registered firm, must be
reported by the firm within 30 days. These reportable events range from such things as a change in the firm’s name or contact information to the
institution of certain types of legal, administrative, or disciplinary
proceedings against a firm or certain categories of
individuals.
The Board will make each firm’s annual and special reports
available to the public on the Board’s web site, subject to exceptions for
information that satisfies specified criteria for confidential treatment.
(Source : Internet news wires)
39 Management-oriented auditing
Today, the idea of detection or verification being the
‘be-all and end-all’ of internal auditing still prevails, but with improvements.
(It is not, however, the sole reason for internal auditing, which will be
explained in this article.)
The detailed checking to detect errors and fraud is giving
way to user-friendly systems designed to do the same thing. Internal auditors
today rely on up-to-date systems, which they have tested, to guard against
improprieties.
They substitute their knowledge of risks, operating goals,
systems, and management drudgery of item-by-item checking. They have moved from
simple verifiers/attesters to the broad management-orientated internal auditing.
Attributes of management-orientated auditor. He is not an
internal adversary, but a ‘management confidante’ whose role is akin to an
“internal consultant’s”. He is not the dreaded internal sleuth but a management
ally. Even though his role might be likened to the ‘eyes and ears of
management’, this attribute need not be associated to a spy or a snooper.
Modern-day internal auditors do what the chief executive
officer, manager or supervisor of an organisation would do in appraising
operations if he (that is, the CEO/manager) himself had the time.
Management-orientated auditing fundamentals. To be an
effective modern-day management-orientated internal auditor, a person needs to
be aware of the following skills : (i) knowing the modern methods, (ii) the
people they deal with, (iii) the population or audit universe to cover, (iv) how
and when to communicate (entailing good interpersonal skills), (v) knowing the
professional audit standards for his guidelines, (vi) awareness of his audit
goals, vii) knowing the facts surrounding the things he is auditing, (viii)
being aware of the controls in those surroundings, (ix) the causes of deviations
in those surroundings, (x) what effects that could arise as a result of the
present situation and finally, (xi) being able to suggest improvements or
positive (not negative) corrections.
(Source : Internet news wires)
38 FM’s observations at CC & DG meeting
The Finance Minister of India, Mr. P. Chidambaram, in his
inaugural address delivered at the 24th Annual Conference of Chief Commissioners
and Directors General of Income Tax in New Delhi on
the 9th June 2008, congratulated the Income Tax Department for direct tax
collection of Rs.3.14 trillion.
He, however, observed that the quality of tax scrutiny could
further improve if tax authorities repose more trust on taxpayers and not view
every case generated by the computer-aided scrutiny selection with suspicion.
[Source : Press Release No. 402/92/2006-MC (24 of
2008) Govt. of India/Ministry of Finance 17-6-2008]
37 Education needed for move to IFRS
All eyes are on the Securities and Exchange Commission as it
prepares to issue a detailed roadmap this summer for the transition to
International Financial Reporting Standards, but some representatives gave hints
about what might be in that roadmap at a conference held by the Financial
Accounting Standards Board in New York.
FASB Chairman Bob Herz likened the move to IFRS, while
accountants continue to use U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, to
“trying to ride two horses at once.” He said FASB was in the process of updating
its memorandum of understanding with the International Accounting Standards
Board on convergence, but said it was up to the SEC to give a date for the
transition.
AICPA CEO Barry Melancon said a modification of the Tax Code
by Congress would be the best way to handle differences such as the
last-in/first-out inventory method, which is not supported in IFRS. “The LIFO
issue is primarily a tax issue,” he said. He sees growing awareness among
corporate CPAs of the move to IFRS. He believes the time is now to set a date
certain for the transition. “You converge, converge, converge, but at some
point, you have to adopt,” he said.
(Source : Internet wires)
36 E&Y : Merger volume plunged 30%
Total global deal volume weighed in at $ 1 trillion during
the first 19 weeks of 2008, down nearly 30% from $ 1.4 trillion during the same
time last year, according to a new analysis by Ernst & Young LLP’s Transaction
Advisory Services group.
Nevertheless, deal activity remains strong in emerging
markets. So far in 2008, total transaction volume surged more than 14%, to
$ 90.7 billion in the so called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and
China).
The infrastructure, financial services, real estate, oil and
gas, media and entertainment and technology sectors lead overall transaction
volume, according to E&Y. Because of their currently undervalued assets, those
sectors also have the biggest chance to stimulate a market rebound, the firm
added.
(Source : CFO.com, 16-6-2008)
36 E&Y : Merger volume plunged 30%
Total global deal volume weighed in at $ 1 trillion during
the first 19 weeks of 2008, down nearly 30% from $ 1.4 trillion during the same
time last year, according to a new analysis by Ernst & Young LLP’s Transaction
Advisory Services group.
Nevertheless, deal activity remains strong in emerging
markets. So far in 2008, total transaction volume surged more than 14%, to
$ 90.7 billion in the so called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and
China).
The infrastructure, financial services, real estate, oil and
gas, media and entertainment and technology sectors lead overall transaction
volume, according to E&Y. Because of their currently undervalued assets, those
sectors also have the biggest chance to stimulate a market rebound, the firm
added.
(Source : CFO.com, 16-6-2008)
34 Are speculative traders parasites or making gold from
dross ?
The global financial market has become ‘a monster,’
responsible for ‘massive destruction of assets,’ according to the President of
Germany and former head of the IMF, Horst Kohler. It ‘grotesquely’ remunerates
its executives, he added.
According to Kenneth Griffin, founder and head of the $ 20
billion Citadel Investment Group — one of the biggest and most successful
American hedge fund companies — international finance has been functioning on
the judgment of ’29-year-old kids’ who ‘control the capital markets of
America . . . young guys right out of business school.’
As a general rule, the margin required to buy an oil futures
contract is 10%. Pledge $ 10,000 and buy $ 100,000 worth of oil. Or why be a
piker ? Put up $ 100,000 and buy a million-dollar contract. The price goes up
one dollar five minutes later and you’ve made a million.
These are not transactions between producers and consumers,
when the classical economic rules would function. These trades, unregulated,
have virtually no useful economic role. They have become a form of parasitical
professional gambling that distorts the transactions between producers and
buyers.
Kohler compared the speculative bankers with alchemists, who
purported to make gold from dross. It is not a bad comparison, and our
contemporaries have, thus far, done better than their medieval counterparts, who
often ended burned at the stake.
(Source : Daily News & Analysis, 25-5-2008)
33 Ex-UBS staff charged over tax fraud
Two bankers, including a former employee of UBS, the world’s
leading wealth manager, have been charged by US authorities with helping an
American billionaire evade income taxes on about $200 million of assets
deposited in Swiss and Liechtenstein bank accounts.
(Source : Business Standard, 15-5-2008)
The new alchemists
82
$ diplomacy : China using investments to build political influence on world
stage
Flush with more than $2
trillion in foreign exchange reserves, China has directed its state firms to
scour the globe for opportunities. As it does so, China is playing by its own
rules, giving its firms an edge over US and other multinational companies bound
by internationally mandated restrictions intended to promote fair competition.
In addition, Brazil and
other developing countries, which once saw China as an ally, are now realising
that Chinese companies are competing on their own turf for resources and market
share. And some analysts say the US has been slow to perceive that China is
using investment to build political heft.
Chinese firms have bought
stakes in Brazil’s electrical grid; they are building steel mills, car plants in
that country. A simple formula, or deviously foresighted? Time will tell — and
soon.
(Source: Hindustan Times dated 27th July, 2010)
11 House Panel calls for harmonisation of
Provisions of Companies Bill with International Financial Reporting norms
The Standing Committee
of the Parliament, which thoroughly examined The Companies Bill, 2009, has
observed that there are several matters included in the Bill, which need
modification with a view to harmonising them with the International Financial
Reporting Standards (IFRS). The Committee has, therefore, desired that all such
matters requiring harmonisation with IFRS should be considered and appropriate
amendments may be made in the relevant proposals contained in the Bill. The
Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) presented its Twenty-First Report, which
pertains to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, to the Parliament recently.
The Committee’s
examination of the subject and the replies of the Ministry received thereon
reveal that the following provisions/clauses of the Bill require modification
for achieving convergence with IFRS :
2(1)(b) :
(Definition of the term ‘accounting standard’)
46(2) : Utilisation of securities premium
account
49(1) : -do-
59(3) : Reduction of share capital
110(2) : Prescription of depreciation rates
117(1)
and
117(4) : Financial statements to comply with
accounting standards
201 :
Schemes of mergers and
amalgamations.
(Source : www.taxindiaonline.com, dated
8-9-2010)
The global forum of more than 90 countries, working towards
improving tax transparency and exchange of information, has launched the peer
review of member-nations, including India.
India is a Vice-Chair of the Peer Review Group, which is part
of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax
Purposes.
The review, which forms part of the international fight
against cross-border tax evasion, would initially start with 18 jurisdictions,
including India, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD).
“We are very happy that the Global Forum is now moving to
launching the peer reviews which are a guarantee that there are major progress
towards full tax cooperation.
OECD, which coordinates activities on international tax
standards, said the reviews would be carried out in two phases.
In the first phase, regulatory framework (of each country)
would be assessed while the second phase would look into the effective
implementation in practice.
Regarding the review procedure, the official said that each
assessment team would be made of two countries and someone from the secretariat.
“The reports would be presented to the whole Peer Review
Group (30 countries) for endorsement and then to whole Global forum (over 90
countries) for approval,” the official noted.
Other countries that would be included in the peer review
process are Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Botswana, Canada, Cayman Islands,
Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Jersey, Mauritius, Monaco, Norway, Panama,
Qatar, Trinidad & Tobago.
Apart from India, Japan, Singapore and Jersey are also
Vice-Chairs of the Peer Review Group. These countries have been chosen for a
three-year period. The Group would be chaired by France.
The review process is in response to the G-20 leaders’ call
to improve tax transparency worldwide, during their Pittsburgh Summit in
September 2009.
“This is the most comprehensive, in-depth review on
international tax co-operation ever . . . With these reviews we are putting
international tax co-operation under a magnifying glass. The peer review process
will identify jurisdictions that are not implementing the standards. These will
be provided with guidance on the changes required and a deadline to report back
on the improvements they have made,” the Global Forum’s Chair Mike Rawstron said
recently.
Meanwhile, the issue of exchanging tax information between
nations came into limelight after G-20 leaders pledged to crackdown on tax
havens during their London Summit in April last year.
(Source : Business Standard, dated 21-3-2010)
The Naxalite crime at Dantewada is a chilling reminder of how
political extremists are using tribal grievances as cover in their violent
attempt to overthrow the Indian republic.
There have been angry calls to escalate the conflict and send
in the army. But while gunfire will have to be met with gunfire, the authorities
should take care not to further alienate tribals, which is just what the
Naxalites want.
Their hero Mao Zedong once said : “The guerilla must swim in
the people as the fish swims in the sea.” Our India must try hard to win back
the confidence of tribal India.
Development activity is one answer. Business groups can play
a role here. The tribal areas are rich in minerals, but companies have cynically
ignored tribal interests in the rush to get mining rights, preferring to bribe
politicians instead. Mining camps run behind barbed wires are no answer.
Companies should reach out to tribals and try to understand their genuine
grievances, not as fashionable CSR, but as a core business strategy —even if it
costs lots of money.
(Source : Quick Edit in Mint, dated 8-4-2010)
OECD estimates $11 tn parked in tax havens
The
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has estimated
that about $11 trillion, more than 10 times the amount committed by G-20
leaders to revive the world economy, is held in tax havens, even as it
released the black list of non-cooperative nations. Estimates of the
value of assets held in tax havens range from $1.7 trillion to $11.5 trillion,
the OECD said while naming Malaysia, the Philippines, Uruguay and Costa Rica
as countries that have not agreed to implement international tax standards.
Mauritius, the country from where large amounts of investments are routed
to India, figures among the nations that have substantially implemented tax
standards. Among the countries that have committed themselves to the
internationally agreed tax standards but have not yet implemented them are
Singapore, Switzerland, Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, and Cayman
islands.(Source : Media
Reports & Internet, 03.04.2009)
Income-tax files throw up tough posers for political
parties
Did the
Bharatiya Janata Party spend the money collected in the name of the Gujarat
Relief Fund on itself ?Why did the
Income-tax (I-T) Department take a sudden U-turn to grant Income-tax exemption
to the Congress ? How can leaders of the Communist Party of India justify
purchase of shares in private limited companies with party funds ? And how can
political parties contest elections in Bihar when they are either bankrupt or
have meagre funds ?Questions,
and more questions, came up as DNA carried out an exhaustive analysis of the
I-T returns filed by the country’s major political parties seeking tax
exemption. These returns have for years remained secret, but thanks to recent
efforts and many spirited appeals by the Association for Democratic Reforms,
an NGO working for improving transparency in the electoral process, the
details are now tumbling out.Over the
past several days, DNA has been combing through these returns with the
assistance of experts. Several startling facts have emerged, foremost being
the callousness with which the I-T Department has been scrutinising these
returns. There are huge gaps in the claims of many political parties in their
I-T returns. How could the bankrupt RJD of Lalu Prasad contest elections in
Bihar year after year ? How was it possible for the Janata Dal (United) to
fight elections in Bihar with assets worth just a few lakh rupees ? The BJP’s
balance sheets for 2001-06 show that it collected Rs.2.68 crore as a ‘Gujarat
Relief Fund’ during this period, but not a single paisa from that was
disbursed for relief. Also, it’s not clear if this relief fund is part of
BJP’s net worth of Rs.102.70 crore in the financial year 2005-06.There were
two I-T cases pending against the Congress. Soon after the Congress-led United
Progressive Allian’The balance sheet of 2001-02 shows that the AO raised tax
demands of Rs.1.80 crore and Rs.14.79 lakh, respectively, on the two
donations. Strangely, the Congress returns do not show who donated these
amounts. In 2002-03, when the BJP-led NDA was still in power, the Assessing
Officer increased the tax demand on these donations to Rs.2.57 crore and
Rs.18.12 lakh, respectively. The Congress went in for fresh appeal to the CIT
(Appeals). Within months of coming to power, the party got a favourable order.
The CPI(M) had disclosed donations worth only Rs.27.70 lakh to the Election
Commission between 2003 and 2007, placing it among India’s poorest national
parties. DNA has published a series of reports on donations declared by
political parties to the Commission.But the
CPI(M) is among the richest parties in the country. According to its returns,
the party’s donations, a majority of which are below Rs.20,000 each, add up to
a whopping Rs.84.84 crore between 2001 and 2006.For the CPI,
the returns bring up some uncomfor-table questions. The party’s auditor, Pune-based
P. G. Bhagwat, has stated that several private equity shares running into
lakhs have been purcha-sed by CPI leaders. The auditors have, however, not
given out names of the CPI leaders in whose names the shares were purchased.
What makes things more suspicious is that 2 of the private firms, both based
in Mumbai, are shown to have closed business.(Source : DNA,
Media Reports & Internet, 06.04.2009 )
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) would soon come out with a clarification stating Press Note 1 of 2005 would not be applicable in cases where joint ventures involving foreign companies do not exist anymore. Press Note 1 makes it mandatory for a foreign company to get a no-objection certificate from its Indian partner before setting up a new business in the country in the same field. The Department is bringing out the clarification to clear confusion among foreign investors as they tend to seek Foreign Investment Promotion Board’s (FIPB’s) approval pertaining to PN-1 even if they have discontinued their partnerships.
The Income-tax (I-T) Department has sent a notice to Tata Industries, raising a demand of Rs.298 crore on capital gains on the sale of shares in Idea Cellular, held through a wholly-owned Mauritius-based subsidiary, Apex Investments, to Birla TMT Holdings in India.
In this connection, the Department depended on the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) filings made by US-based Cingular AT&T, the merged entity of Cingular Wireless and AT&T, when it sold its shareholding in Idea.
Earlier, the international tax division of the Department had sent a show-cause notice to the company for not paying tax deducted at source (TDS) on payments made to Cingular AT&T.
The Department has also said that the transaction violates Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) regulations on overseas investments by Indian companies in joint ventures and wholly-owned subsidiaries.
These investments, according to the notice, have also violated telecom regulations in India since Tata Industries held two licences simultaneously – one directly and the other through substantial holdings in Idea, which it has now exited, the report said. Officials said the Enforcement Directorate, which is responsible for enforcing exchange control laws, was also being asked to look into the issue. In a response to a questionnaire, a Tata Industries official said, “TIL has received an order from the I-T Department under Section 143(3) of the IT Act for assessment year 2007-08. TIL has filed an appeal with CIT Appeals and the hearing is awaited”.
(Source : The Times of India, 19.03.2009)
Welcoming the outcome of the G20 meeting, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said, “Recent developments reinforce the status of the OECD standard as the international benchmark and represent significant steps towards a level playing field. We now have an ambitious agenda, that the OECD is well placed to deliver on. I am confident that we can turn these new commitments into concrete actions to strengthen the integrity and transparency of the financial system”.
OECD’s future challenges :
Politics behind listing of tax havens : Since China and France locked horns over naming of tax havens, US President Obama had to broker a peace. And that is how Hong Kong and Macau escaped from being named as non-compliant tax havens. They were in the declaration mentioned only as China’s Special Administrative Regions. Even Swtizerland was named as a non-compliant ‘financial centre’ rather than tax haven. Three other tax havens which escaped the dragnet prepared by the OECD are Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey.
Three European Union Members which have been put in the gray list are Belgium, Austria and Luxembourg. All of them have protested but agreed to legislative amendments to peel off banking secrecy regulations.
(Source : Media Reports & Internet, 05.04.2009)
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has set up a special task force to suggest ways to prevent abuse of double taxation avoidance agreements (DTAAs), said a government official, who did not wish to be identified. The task force would look at the prevalent global best practices adopted by the US and others to see how they can be replicated here and ensure India’s tax treaties are transparent and promote information-sharing.
India’s attempts to amend the treaty with Mauritius, from where the country receives 43% of its foreign investments, have so far met with tremendous diplomatic resistance from the island nation.
The just-concluded G-20 summit on global financial crisis in London had raised the pitch on scrapping DTAAs. DTAAs are pacts between two countries that seek to eliminate double taxation of income or gains arising in one country and paid to residents or companies of the other country. The idea is to ensure that the same income is not taxed twice.
However, in some cases, these treaties are misused to avoid taxes, leading to a loss of revenue to a country’s exchequer. This is called treaty shopping, where residents of a third country take advantage of a tax treaty between two countries by routing their investments from there to avoid taxation. As per some available estimates, India loses more than $600 million every year in revenues on account of the DTAA with Mauritius.
New Delhi had also considered a limitation of benefit clause in the treaty, to prevent ineligible entities from taking advantage, the official said. Through this clause, the government can put in conditions such as listing on the local stock exchange in any of the countries, ceiling on turnover and cap on expenditure for carrying out operations in one of the contracting States.
The crackdown on tax havens is already being hailed as one of the good things to come out of the financial crisis. Rightly so. Now that punitive tax rates have disappeared, there’s no justification for errant rich states, pesky principalities and dodgy developing nations to profit from helping the rich of the world stay that way.
Looking at the threatened sanctions, it’s easy to see why the tax havens rolled over. The ‘toolbox’ of counter-measures includes cutting off aid to poor countries, withholding taxes on cross-border payments and not allowing tax deductions for business expenses in the bad lands. That’s enough to change tax evasion from a national profit centre to an economic disaster.
The G20’s success is welcome, but raises two impertinent questions. First, considering how quickly the promises of compliance came once the G20 nations got tough, why did it take so long ? The answer is simple. Politicians weren’t really keen to put substantial pressure on Switzerland, Luxembourg, Andorra, Vanuatu and the like. Tax havens — like offshore havens for gambling, prostitution and other vices — are fun to condemn but pleasant to use. Second, will the G20 nations stick to their resolve ? Post-crisis resolutions could easily prove as durable as the typical New Year variety. The newly beefed up global Financial Stability Board and the OECD’s Financial Action Task Force are supposed to ensure enforcement. They should work fast and hard to establish good habits. Otherwise, politicians and their rich friends will once again discover the need for a safe haven from populist extremists.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has started registering firms under the newly-enacted Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Act. However, a flow of applications is unlikely till tax laws are changed, say experts. At present, the Income-tax Act does not recognise LLP firms.
A limited liability entity is a hybrid of existing partnership firms and full-fledged companies. A minimum of two partners will be required for formation of an LLP and there will not be any limit to the number of partners, unlike the current limit of 20 members in a partnership firm.
On the other hand, in the traditional law on a partnership firm, every partner is liable, jointly with all other partners and also severally, for all acts of the firm done while he is a partner, irrespective of his stake.
India recognises several forms of business entities, including sole proprietorship, Hindu Undivided Families, partnership firms (which provide flexibility, but with unlimited liability jointly or severally) and companies, which have limited liability but far less flexibility and high compliance requirements.
Under the LLP model, chartered accountants, company secretaries or even advocates can set up multi-disciplinary firms that will act as ‘one-stop’ shop for people to avail of various professional services. Existing laws impose the restriction that these professional services cannot be carried out through companies, but only through partnership firms.
The Income-tax law does not recognise an LLP. There are two ways to tax an LLP : The first is to tax only the partners and not the firm. This is followed in the US under what is called a ‘pass- through vehicle.’ The second way it to tax an LLP firm on the lines of corporates.
Both the Corporate Affairs Ministry and the Parliamentary panel had recommended that companies and firms be exempted from capital gains tax for the purpose of conversion to LLP.
The ICAI Act hasn’t recognised LLP but it is being considered by the Council. A group has given draft recommendations to the Council, which would come out with a regulation soon.
(Source : Business Standard, 05.04.2009)
10 CVC Report — A plan to curb corruption
It’s a truism that corruption is pervasive in
India. An equally troubling aspect is that our leaders, administrators and civil
society are aware of the problem. And in spite of a plethora of laws to control
the problem, it only continues to grow.
Now the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has
issued a national anti-corruption strategy that it hopes will make a difference.
There is much to be said in favour of the report : It high-lights the issue very
well and makes a series of thoughtful solutions. But that is just about what CVC
can do. The levers that can ameliorate the problem lie elsewhere.
The matter is clearly highlighted in section III
of the report where CVC talks about the strategy to address political and
administrative corruption. The problem of funding electoral and other
expenditures of political parties is highlighted clearly. Insensitivity of civil
servants and their remoteness from citizens at large is also discussed.
The CVC’s solution to these problems is threefold.
One, strengthening political will to confront corruption; two, building ethical
competence in public officials; and finally, strengthening administrative
reforms. This is like putting the cart before the horse. If political will did
exist, then the matter would have been sorted out a long time ago.
By putting a large part of the onus on
strengthening of political will, CVC has taken the problem in a different,
psychological, direction. That is a different and intractable issue.
The solutions are fine on paper, as is the
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The reality is very different and altogether
nasty.
(Source : The Mint, dated 30-8-2010)
(Can legal and administrative measures alone
eliminate corruption ?)
9 National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme — A
joke worth Rs.1
Here’s the cruel underbelly of modern India :
Villagers in Rajasthan’s Tonk district are paid `1 per day for work under the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), and a State
Minister justifies it as consistent with the work done.
The political apathy and corruption that cause such
incidents are well known. But at issue are MGNREGS’ structural weaknesses which
make rooting corruption out a tough task. Why was the work not supervised for
quantity and quality ? Perhaps because, as a recent report suggests, village
leaders in the state discourage third-party supervision of MGNREGS.
Supervision is also required at higher levels — not
even the smallest amount of work justifies a wage of `1 per day. The problem is
little political will exists to undertake the high cost of monitoring
corruption. The results are conflicting responsibilities and interests for the
administration, and a cruel joke for the poor.
(Source : Quick Edit in The Mint Newspaper,
dated
30-8-2010)
[Is the cost incurred by our nation on our
non-performing MPs and MLAs and other political representatives justified ?]
8 SC — Damages for road deaths without deciding on
guilty
In two judgments last
week, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that in road accidents, insurance companies
should pay compensation under the ‘no-fault liability’ clause in the Motor
Vehicles Act, irrespective of the circumstances of the deaths. In one appeal,
Indra Devi v. Bagada Ram, the death was invited by the negligence of the
deceased driver himself. The Rajasthan HC asked the recipients of the
compensation to return the amount with interest to New India Assurance Co. as
the claimants were not entitled to the amount. The SC set aside the High Court
order and asserted the ‘no-fault liability’ u/s.140 of the Act did not depend
upon the conduct of the driver or the victim. In the second case, Eshwarappa
v. CS Gurushanthappa, the drunk driver and his four friends died while
rashly driving to a temple without informing the car-owner. The Accidents
Tribunal denied any compensation. However, the SC ruled even in such cases,
‘no-fault liability’ cannot be avoided.
(Source : The
Business Standard, dated 23-8-2010)
7 Eight gifts that do not cost a penny !
1. The gift of
listening :
But you must REALLY
listen.No interrupting, no
daydreaming,No planning your
response.Just listening.
2. The gift of
affection :
Be generous with
appropriate hugs,Kisses, pats on the
back, and handholds.Let these small
actions demonstrate theLove you have for
family and friends.
3. The gift of
laughter :
Clip cartoons.
Share articles and
funny stories.Your gift will say,
“I love to laugh with you.”
4. The gift of a
written note :
It can be a simple
“Thanks for the
help” note or a full sonnet.A brief, handwritten
note may be rememberedFor a lifetime, and
may even change a life.
5. The gift of a
compliment :
A simple and
sincere,“You look great in
red,”“You did a super
job,”Or “That was a
wonderful meal”Can make someone’s
day.
6. The gift of a
favour :
Every day, go out of
your wayTo do something
kind.
7. The gift of
solitude :
There are times when
we want nothing betterThan to be left
alone.Be sensitive to
those times and giveThe gift of solitude
to others.
8. The gift of a
cheerful disposition :
The easiest way to
feel good isTo extend a kind
word to someone.Really, it’s not
that hard to say,“Hello” or “Thank
You”.
(Source :
Internet)
5 With Rs.75K crore stuck in disputes, Tax
Department proposes e-solutions
The Income-tax Department has proposed a national
e-management system for quick disposal of tax disputes, with more than `75,000
crore, an amount close to a fifth of the Government’s annual direct tax
collections, locked in litigations.
The new system will allow the Tax Department to
make optimum use of its workforce, reduce painful wait for the disposal of tax
appeals and free up resources quickly.
The system would track the entire life cycle of
appeals to ensure expeditious settlement through a more equitable distribution.
More than 1.78 lakh appeals were pending with the
Commissioner Appeals (Income-tax), the first level of litigation, as on February
1, 2010, with amounts locked-up running into several thousands of crores.
(Source : The Economic Times, dated 30-8-2010)
(In our view, the real issues are lack of knowledge
and expertise, productivity and integrity in the Appellate machinery and
non-adherence to the decisions of the Higher Courts leading to repetitive
appeals.)
6 An obituary of Common Sense printed in the London
Times
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend,
Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old
he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He
will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as :
Common Sense lived by
simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and
reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to
deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set
in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing
a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a
teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost
ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had
failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even
further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun
lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student
became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the
will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better
treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in
your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise
that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was
promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was
preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by
his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his
4 stepbrothers :
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To
Blame
I’m A Victim
Not many attended his
funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him, pass
this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
(Source :
Internet)
4 I-T ex-official moves SC to make declaration of
foreign bank A/cs mandatory while filing returns
The Supreme Court has admitted a petition, filed by
a retired Chief Commissioner of Income-tax, which suggests that a legislation be
made to make it mandatory for taxpayers to declare offshore bank accounts while
filing annual returns. The premise behind the suggestion is to enable the
Government to take effective measures to seize wealth parked in Swiss and other
offshore bank accounts by Indian residents.
The petitioner is KVM Pai, retired Chief
Commissioner of Income tax, Mumbai and the suggestion it contains is in
consonance with the recent legislation passed in the US making it compulsory for
US residents to declare their offshore bank accounts, even if such declarations
do not yield any tax revenue. Mr. Pai also pitches for the setting up of an
intelligence unit under the auspices of the Income-tax administration to help
detect those who have illegal deposits in offshore banks and corroborate the
data with the information furnished in their tax returns.
Quoting a 1980 study carried out by International
Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Pai pointed out that Indians hold the largest share of
deposits in Swiss banks. Referring to other studies quoted in the petition, he
points out that there are deposits worth $ 11.6 trillion in tax havens. One such
reference relates to Raymond Baker’s ‘Capitalism’s Achilles Heel’ which holds
that half the world’s slush money lying in tax havens belongs to Indians. Mr.
Baker has recently estimated the annual capital flight to tax havens at $1
trillion per year.
Mr. Pai also states in his petition that the
governments of France and the US have been successful in securing the release of
huge unreported funds from Swiss banks belonging to US residents but the Indian
Government did not make any such serious effort except for scheduling meetings
with Swiss authorities.
Recently, due to pressure from the US and the UK,
the Swiss government agreed to disclose the names of account holders, but only
if the respective governments formally ask for it. It is understood that the
Swiss government has agreed to provide France the details of 3,000 French
customers who have deposits worth $ 4.3 billion in Swiss accounts and the US
government with details of 4,450 customers having $ 18 billion in deposits.
(Source : The Economic Times, dated 30-8-2010)
3 Return of double-dip fears — Jackson Hole
conference shows US still not out of the hole
We have come a long way from the ‘Great Panic of
2008’, but there’s a long road ahead to robust growth, confident consumer
spending and lower unemployment. That was the essence of US Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke’s speech at this year’s Jackson Hole conference last week.
It was a rather subdued Mr. Bernanke who sought to reassure his audience, by all
accounts. Confessing candidly that “central bankers alone cannot solve the
world’s problems”, Mr. Bernanke exuded guarded
optimism about the sustainability of the ongoing recovery in the US economy. He
conceded that the recovery “appears somewhat less vigorous than we expected”,
and did not rule out the possibility of deflationary tendencies reasserting
themselves. The thrust of Mr. Bernanke’s statement, which his critics have
attacked as “Nero fiddling while Rome is burning”, was to suggest that the good
news from the US economy was not good enough. Based on the latest national
income growth data for the US, released last week, US authorities have revised
downward the annual estimated rate of growth from the more optimistic initial
number of 2.4% to a significantly lower 1.6% in the quarter ending June 2010.
Export growth is near zero, unemployment levels are high and consumer spending
is still weak. “The prospect of high unemployment for a long period of time,”
said Mr. Bernanke, “remains a central concern of policy.”
Mr. Bernanke’s prognosis suggests that the spectre
of double-dip recession continues to haunt US policy-makers. It is now clear
that the economic slowdown the US faces is more structural than cyclical. This
means there are limits to monetary policy, a fact that Mr. Bernanke openly
confessed even as he assured his audience that the US Federal Open Market
Committee (FOMC) would be open to using all the weapons in its monetary policy
arsenal to stimulate growth, prevent deflation and ensure price stability.
Ending his speech, Mr. Bernanke said, rather chillingly, “Although what I have
just described is, I believe, the most plausible outcome, macroeconomic
projections are inherently uncertain, and the economy remains vulnerable to
unexpected developments.” That is more than a sobering thought. Are Mr. Bernanke
and his Jackson Hole companions being more cautious than necessary or more
optimistic than warranted ? Perhaps the Jackson Hole audience was trying to make
up for past hubris or is afflicted by the paranoia of failed magicians. The
problem for the US is that while monetary policy is unlikely to make much of a
difference, there isn’t much room for fiscal policy either, though the Barack
Obama administration has done more than most developed country governments to
use fiscal policy to stimulate demand. The US needs a boost of confidence in
itself and an investment in its capabilities.
(Source : The Business Standard, dated
30-8-2010)
2 Tax evasion at the top
The Government gave out some interesting numbers.
The Revenue Secretary told a news conference that nearly 96% of the 32.5 million
who pay income-tax reported a taxable income of under `5 lakh; and only 2.2% (i.e.,
715,000 people) reported taxable income of over `8 lakh. Why is this
interesting ? Because when you match these with the income numbers put out by
the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), on the basis of its
household surveys, some numbers make sense while others don’t. For instance,
NCAER projected for 2009-10 that some 32.3 million households would have annual
incomes of over `2 lakh — which is a reasonably good fit with the total number
of people paying income-tax (the threshold being taxable income of Rs.1.6 lakh).
When you look at the high-income category, however,
the numbers diverge hugely. NCAER says that in 2009-10, there should have been
3.8 million families with annual income of over Rs.10 lakh, a figure that is
more than five times the 715,000 people who report income over `8 lakh (on the
plausible assumption that taxable income of `8 lakh is broadly compatible with
total income of Rs.10 lakh, because of the various tax exemptions available).
Admittedly, some households have more than one income earner, so it could be a
case of clubbing the incomes of husband and wife. Still, it would appear that,
while there is probably not much tax evasion by the middle class, those in the
upper class continue to be predominantly tax evaders.
The good news is that the extent of evasion may be
coming down — sharply. Back in 2004-05, only 122,000 people reported taxable
income of over Rs.10 lakh, whereas nearly six times that number now report
taxable incomes of over Rs.8 lakh. While incomes have been rising rapidly at the
top of the pyramid, few would have expected that India’s highest earners would
multiply so rapidly over five years. In other words, tax compliance has improved
dramatically — but even then, the scope for much greater compliance exists.
That conclusion would be contested by Surjit Bhalla,
who has argued that the rich are the most tax compliant group in the country
(with only 50% practising evasion !). He has used National Sample Survey data to
contend that there were 250,000 people with incomes over Rs.10 lakh in 2004-05
(when there were only 122,000 people reporting that amount of tax income), and
that the population of high-income earners would have gone up to 360,000 in
2006-07. On that kind of track, the number by 2009-10 should have been about
620,000. But since we have 715,000 reporting taxable income of `8 lakh and more,
it looks like 100% tax compliance by the high-rollers —which strains credulity.
Still, if compliance is improving, thank the spread
of tax deduction at source, and the cross-matching of computerised data with
regard to credit card spends, mutual fund investments and the like. But if one
were to assume that three-box cars are bought by only those in this income
bracket, there is another data point worth looking at — because 350,000
three-box cars were sold in the country last year. On the assumption that most
people buy a new car after five years, this figure too suggests many more
high-income people than exist in the tax records.
The point of focussing on this group is that 60% of
all income-tax revenue (or Rs.72,000 crore) comes from these 715,000 people ! If
the number coming into this category were to double, income-tax collections
would go through the roof.
(Source :
The Business Standard, dated 4-9-2010
— Weekend
Ruminations by T. N. Ninan)
Miscellanea
Raman Jokhakar
Tarunkumar Singhal
Chartered Accountants
15 Centre moves SC on levy of service tax on
rental income
The Centre today sought the Supreme Court’s intervention in
deciding the constitutional validity of the Finance Act, 2007 that empowers the
Government to impose service tax on rental income from commercial properties.
A Bench headed by Justice B. N. Agrawal while seeking reply
from Retailers’ Association of India, Confederation of Real Estate Developers’
Associations of India and Multiplex Association of India
on the transfer petition filed by the Centre also stayed proceedings before
various High Courts.
The Centre through the Department of Revenue has sought
transfer of petitions pending before the High Courts of Bombay, Madras, Kolkata,
Punjab and Haryana and Kerala on the ground that there was a likelihood of
conflicting decisions.
According to the petition, retailers, real estate developers
and multiplex owners had filed writ petitions before various High Courts
challenging levy of service tax on leasing, letting, renting or any other
similar arrangement in respect of immovable property for use in furtherance of
business or commerce.
It further said that they had challenged the constitutional
validity of the Finance Act, 2007 on the ground that it was beyond the
legislative competence of the Union and thus Parliament cannot levy
such a tax.
(Source : Internet, 19-8-2008 —
Also widely reported in print media)
1 SC asks tax
authorities to seek technical help
The Supreme Court has asked the Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT) and other tax authorities to get help of technical experts
while deciding income-tax liability of cellular service providers.
The order came after a batch of appeals by
income-tax authorities against the ruling of the Tribunal favouring Bharti
Cellular Ltd. and other service providers. The question was whether manual
intervention was involved in the technical operations by which cellular service
providers were given the facility by BSNL/MTNL for interconnection.
A related question was whether TDS was to be
deducted by service providers when they paid interconnect charges/access/port
charges to BSNL.
“The problem which arises in these cases is that
there is no expert evidence from the side of the Department to show how human
intervention takes place, particularly, during the process when calls take
place,” the order passed by a Bench headed by Chief Justice S. H. Kapadia said.
“We are only highlighting these facts to emphasise that these types of matters
cannot be decided without any technical assistance available on record.”
The Supreme Court underlined “with the emergence of
our country as one of the BRIC countries and with the technological advancement,
matters like the present one will keep on recurring and hence, the time has come
when the Department should examine technical experts so that the matters could
be disposed of expeditiously and further it would enable the Appellate forums,
including this Court, to decide legal issues based on factual foundation.”
(Source : The Business Standard, dated
23-8-2010)
14 Cyber News
Design flaws in bank sites
A
majority of websites suffer from design-related flaws which could make their
customers vulnerable to cyber-theft, according to a recent study by Atul Prakash,
an Indian-American professor at the University of Michigan and his doctoral
students, Laura Falk and Kevin Borders. The team surveyed web-sites of 214
financial institutions and found that three-fourths of them had at least one
design flaw. Significantly, these were not flaws that could be fixed with a
patch, but stemmed from the very flow and layout of the sites, the researchers
revealed “Our focus was on users who try to be careful, but unfortunately some
bank sites make it hard for customers to make the right security decisions when
doing online banking,” Prakash said. Such flaws leave cracks in security that
hackers could exploit to gain access to private information and accounts, the
study noted.
Studying abroad
A
California-based education information provider recently launched
www.studyplaces.com, targeted primarily at Indian students who form a chunk of
overseas universities in many parts of the world. The portal disseminates
information, connects and guides students to over 2,00,000 courses from 10,000
colleges worldwide including universities in India, the US, UK, Europe,
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and West Asia. It utilises the
expertise of professionals, many of them alumni of Stanford, IIMS, IITS and
Wharton, to offer guidance to students looking for higher study options. “The
portal is an attempt to help students make the right career choice based on
credible information and professional counseling,” says founder Amitabh Nagpal.
It offers platform for career counselling and college planning and helps
students find, compare, evaluate and select the right course and institution. In
addition, it provides free online counselling and free practice tests for AIFEE,
GMAT, IIT-JEE, TOEFL, etc. The site has a team of 20 counselors, each
specialising in one or more educational domains, which use tools such as
psychometric tests to ascertain students’ aptitude and interests. The students
can also access information on fee structures, expenses involved, life on
campus, and application procedures.
Saving time
The
Wall Street’s www. ExecutiveLibrary.com is an amazing site for those interested
in accessing information for research and other uses. Since early 1990s, the
world has been using the Net to research finance, stocks, economic trends,
demographics, and industry information. And the problem has been not a lack of
information but a surfeit of data, with fewer and fewer sources providing useful
information. To address this, the portal has created a public directory that
lists only the most relevant business sites. Currently, the portal has links to
1,500 useful sites where users can read news, research companies, get answers to
legal questions, hunt for jobs, look up medical information, download software,
and find other information. In addition to a content-heavy homepage, which lists
hundreds of news and reference sources, users can avail the research link which
provides access to the government, financial market research, statistics,
economy, business and law, marketing and advertising information. In that sense,
it’s a great time-saver for those who use the Net for professional and credible
information on a regular basis.
(Source
: Business India, 21-9-2008)
13 Delhi High Court convicted
Senior
Advocates
The Delhi High Court convicted senior advocates R.
K. Anand and I. U. Khan in the BMW expose case for obstructing administration of
justice. “They are senior advocates and they did not tender either conditional
or unconditional apology for their conduct in the BMW case,” a Division Bench of
Justices Manmohan Sarin and Madan B. Lokur said, in their 112-page verdict in
the contempt case relating to the expose.
Recommending that they be stripped of their
designation of senior advocate, the Court asked them not to appear in the Delhi
High Court and its subordinate Courts for the next four months as punishment.
The Bench also imposed a fine of Rs.2,000 on each
of them and rapped them for their ‘irresponsible’ behaviour, saying “we are not
dealing with young lawyers. Both are seasoned lawyers and such conduct was not
expected of them.
(Source : Internet, 21-8-2008
— Also widely reported in print media)
12 Foreign cos must report exempted income to I-T.
Taxmen will now be able to keep a closer tab on
income exempt under foreign tax treaties. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
has said that any income arising in India, but exempt from the country’s tax
laws, because of a double tax avoidance treaty, must be first reported to the
Tax Department before availing the exemption.
Even if the income is taxable outside India, the
assessee must include it in the total income chargeable to tax in India, the
board has said in a recent notification. “Relief will be granted in accordance
with the method for elimination or avoidance of double taxation provided in such
agreement,” the Notification added.
With a large number of foreign companies operating
in India, the Department has found that there are many cases where either they
are not reporting their exempt income or underreporting it.
While the assessee can avail the same foreign tax
credit even now, the Tax Department will get a much better understanding of his
earnings, a Finance Ministry official explained.
The Department’s missive, however, only relates to
earnings of resident companies and individuals. Tax experts are of the view that
with increased movement of workers and the cross-border nexus between companies,
the Notification will help the Department get a better understanding of the
income of such assessees.
“It looks like the Department’s intention is to get
a complete picture of a person’s global earnings regardless of the benefits
under the tax treaties,” Amitabh Singh, partner Ernst and Young said. The
clarification is the latest in the CBDT’s efforts to plug loopholes in the
country’s international tax laws given that a large number of MNCs have set up
shops in India through back offices and subsidiaries and are availing benefits
under tax treaties.
(Source : Internet, 8-9-2008)
11 Plastic containers may be
deadly for your brain.
Plastic containers may be deadly for your brain.
Canadian researchers have found that Bisphenol A (BPA), the chemical used in
making plastic containers, might be responsible for impairing many brain
functions such as learning and remembering.
They also fear that it could be a factor behind
Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia and depression.
BPA is globally used in making plastic water
bottles, baby food bottles, food containers and dental prostheses.
In their study, the researchers at the University
of Guelph found that BPA might be leaking into the solid or liquid foods kept in
the plastic containers.
When these foods and liquids are consumed, they
said, the chemical might be getting into the human system, disrupting
communication between brain neurons which is vital in understanding and
remembering.
(Source : The Times of India, 5-9-2008)
10 MNCs seek detectives’ help to
check IPR violations
In order to provide brand protection and curb
duplication of products, IT, pharma, electronics, telecom and electrical goods
manufacturing giants are approaching private detectives to safeguard them
against Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violation.
Detective agencies have also been approached by
national and international industry associations to extend help for safeguarding
their products.
According to an ongoing study commissioned by the
Ministry of Human Resource Development, the estimated losses due to piracy in
motion pictures is 7.3%, sound recordings and musical compositions 24.5%, books
21%, and the highest is in the software domain, reaching 292.8%.
While recent trend of piracy has badly affected
Indian film and musical industry, we are doing our best to bring this fake
business to end.
To recommend improvements in the working of the
Intellectual Property (IP) regime in India in terms of IT enabling and
networking of operations and enhancing human resource capabilities, the
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (Ficci) and Department
of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
have also joined hands to set up a working group.
DIPP has taken note of Ficci’s recommendations and
it has been decided to digitise all the patents granted till date and open it up
for online public access.
Showing concern over the trend, the patent office
has started e-filing of patent and trademark applications through its website
http://www.patentoffice.nic.in.
The term ‘Intellectual Property’ reflects the idea
that its subject matter is the product of the mind or the intellect. These could
be in the form of patents, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial
designs, layout-designs (topographies) of integrated circuits, plant variety
protection and copyright.
According to the data released by the industries
body, the filing of patent applications has increased from 4,824 in the year
1999-2000 to 28,882 applications in the year 2006-07. The grant of patents has
shot up from 1,881 in 1999-2000 to 7,359 in 2006-07.
“Although companies and administration are doing
their best to stop it, we feel that a separate wing from the government to
tackle this crime would help us and the firms,” an expert said.
(Source : Business Standard, 25-8-2008)
9 Bridging the GAAP
The Asian Crisis in the 1990s made the world sit up
and recognise the need for corporate governance as a mechanism to safeguard
investments in public enterprises and heightened the importance of having a
global Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for comparability and
transparency of financial information across continents. The US accounting
scandals of Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia or the European scandals of Ahold or
Parmalat enforced the view that a framework of governance and global GAAP needs
to emerge to safeguard capital in companies, which in the digital age is without
the protection of political or physical borders.
David Tweedie, the Chairman of International
Accounting Standards Board said in the Europe Club of Canada on 25 April 2008
that : “In the midst of the Asian financial crisis, several companies whose
financial statements seemed to indicate that they were secure, suddenly went
bankrupt casting great doubt on the veracity of the statements and in particular
the national accounting standards in use. While it is important not to overstate
the role of accounting standards and practices in precipitating the Asian
financial crisis, it is clear that confidence in financial reporting practices
in that region disappeared.” “As a consequence, financing, much of it short term
in nature and not subject to any capital controls, was withdrawn. Interest rates
rose, investment ground to a halt, and an economic slowdown followed. In the
aftermath of the crisis, it was unlikely that confidence in the existing or any
revised national standards could be restored rapidly, indeed, if ever. The
obvious choice was to move to an internationally accepted set of standards.”
Since 2001, the mission given to IASB was to create a single set of
principles-based global financial reporting standards that are used throughout
the world’s capital markets. The overriding principle is that irrespective of
the country of origin of a transaction, whether in New York, New Delhi, or
London, the accounting should provide a consistent answer to the same economic
transaction.” The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, National
Committee of Accounting Standards and the government of India have affirmed that
India will transition into International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as
the accounting principles for the country from April 1, 2011. Entities which are
either listed companies or companies filing for a listing or companies having
over a threshold of sales of 100 crore or public debt of over 25 crore are
covered by the first wave. These are called public interest entities. The small
and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be covered at a later date which is yet to be
decided.
The dilemma — incremental or big bang approach ?
Nations around the world are faced with the dilemma of whether their national
accounting standards should be aligned to IFRS or take the big bang approach of
adopting IFRS as written by IASB and follow standards that are globally applied,
irrespective of the economic environment.
In India, a debate is raging amongst various
stakeholders, including the government whether we should converge or adopt IFRS.
While the former would mean that we amend and modify IFRS standards to be
relevant to India, the latter would mean that we adopt IFRS standards as they
are written by IASB to be the accounting language of India. ICAI in their
decision paper on convergence has stated, “Convergence with IFRS — all at one
approach — that IFRS will be adopted for public interest entities for accounting
periods starting on or after 2011”. But doubts are now arising due to differing
views of various stakeholders on how the roadmap to 2011 will be drawn.
IFRS with modifications by various countries would
result in multiple and possibly conflicting versions of IFRSs globally. A
misplaced sense of national pride or intense pressure from industries make
countries amend or alter IFRS principles to suit the national requirements. This
becomes IFRS as applied by a specific country as opposed to IFRS as issued by
IASB. This would defeat the purpose of global convergence, which is to move
toward a single set of high-quality accounting standards for use throughout the
world. This rationale is reflected in the US Securities and Exchange
Commission’s (SEC) announcement of the elimination of the requirement for
foreign private issuers to reconcile their IFRS financial statements to US GAAP.
The SEC has stated that the reconciliation requirement is being dispensed with
only for financial statements prepared using IFRSs as issued by the IASB so as
“to encourage the development of IFRS as a uniform global standard, not a
divergent set of standards applied differently in every nation”.
We have this wonderful opportunity to move into a
globally acceptable financial principles, which is considered comprehensive and
followed by over 120 countries in the world. By 2011, IFRS is expected to be
followed by 150 countries. How can we call ourselves a global power and not
adopt global standards as our own ? In due time, by virtue of India’s economic,
intellectual and geo-political weight, we will be a principal player in
formulating these standards.
Way forward the roadmap to 2011 needs to be
comprehensive as it has been detailed in the ICAI’s concept paper on convergence
with IFRS in India. Out of the 38 effective IFRS standards, there are only 2
standards in India that have no difference with IFRS and six have minor
differences. Eighteen standards of IFRS will need a level of technical
preparedness by the industry and the professionals for implementation or would
have conceptual differences with the Indian standards. Ten standards need
changes in laws and regulations for them to comply with the principles of IFRS.
The effort to harmonise is still huge as there has to be a consensus amongst the
various stakeholders including the government as some of the provisions of the
Companies Act or other Acts like the RBI Act etc., need to be amended for
compliance with IFRS principles.
The tax laws, companies law and other laws for specialised industries including banking, insurance etc., need to be reviewed to determine the differences with IFRS as we currently apply them and mechanism to deal with them on convergence.
Though IFRS has been written with the intention of global application, we would also need to evaluate whether under the Indian economic environment, application of any specific IFRS principle would make our industries vulnerable to the results and if there is a compelling reason that such applications will be inappropriate in India. Such deviations should be few and rare.
There is still a long road ahead. We need all the stakeholders – the industry, ICAI, government, RBI, SEBI, tax authorities and other regulators to engage in the transition process to IFRS. The debate we need to engage in is to holistic ally review, if any, application is inappropriate for India and address such issues in the transition provisions including those relating to first time adoption. The thought behind actions needs to be clearly articulated and debated. We have some time ahead and can meet the deadline of 2011, but clarity of thought and speed of action would be of essence.
We need all stakeholders – industry, ICAI, government, RBI, SEBI, tax authorities – to engage in the transition to IFRS, says Kaushik Dutta.
(Source: BusinessStandard,25-8-2008)
8 Large US banks may fail amid
recession
Credit market turmoil has driven the US into a
recession and may topple some of the nation’s biggest banks, said Kenneth Rogoff,
former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund.
“The worst is yet to come in the US,” Rogoff said
in an interview in Singapore. “The financial sector needs to shrink; I don’t
think simply having a couple of medium-sized banks and a couple of small banks
going under is going to do the job.”
The US housing slump has triggered more than $ 500
billion of credit market losses for banks globally and led to the collapse and
sale of Bear Stearns Cos, the fifth-largest US securities firm. Rogoff said the
government should nationalise Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the nation’s biggest
mortgage-finance companies, which have lost more than 80% of market value this
year.
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson asked Congress
on July 13 for emergency powers to inject “unspecified” amounts of government
funds into the companies if necessary.
Banks repossessed almost three times as many US
homes in July as a year earlier and the number of properties at risk of
foreclosure jumped 55%, according to RealtyTrac Inc, an Irvine, California-based
seller of foreclosure data. US builders probably broke ground on the fewest
houses in 17 years last month, according to a Bloomberg News survey.
Rogoff told a conference in Singapore that the
credit crisis is likely to worsen and a large bank may fail, Reuters reported
earlier. Rogoff, 55, is a professor of economics at Harvard University. He was
the IMF’s chief economist from August 2001 to September 2003.
The world’s largest economy is already in a
recession, and the housing market will continue to deteriorate, Rogoff said. The
US slowdown will last into the second half of next year, he said, predicting a
faster recovery in Europe and Asia.
The Federal Reserve, which has left its key
interest rate at 2% after the most aggressive series of rate reductions in two
decades, risks raising inflationary pressures, he said.
(Source : Bloomberg, Singapore — Business
Standard, 20-8-2008)
7 Two-thirds US firms paid no
income tax in 1998-2005
Two out of every three United States corporations
paid no federal income taxes from 1998 through 2005, according to a report
released by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of
Congress.
The study, which is likely to add to a growing
debate among politicians and policy experts over the contribution of businesses
to Treasury coffers, did not identify the corporations or analyse why they had
paid no taxes. It also did not say whether they had been operating properly
within the tax code or illegally evading it.
The study covers 1.3 million corporations of all
sizes, most of them small, with a collective $ 2.5 trillion in sales. It
includes foreign corporations that do business in the United States.
Among foreign corporations, a slightly higher
percentage, 68%, did not pay taxes during the period covered — compared with 66%
for United States corporations. Even with these numbers, corporate tax receipts
have risen sharply as a percentage of federal revenue in recent years.
The GAO study was done at the request of two
Democratic Senators, Carl Levin of Michigan and Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota.
In recent years, Senator Levin has held investigations on tax evasion and urged
officials and regulators to examine whether corporations were abusing tax laws
by shifting income earned in higher-tax jurisdictions, like the United States,
to overseas subsidiaries in low-tax jurisdictions.
Senator Levin said in written remarks that “this
report makes clear that too many corporations are using tax trickery to send
their profits overseas and avoid paying their fair share in the United States.”
But the GAO said that it did not have enough data to address the role of what
some policy experts say is a crucial factor in profits sent overseas.
That factor, known as transfer pricing, involves
corporations charging their overseas subsidiaries lower prices for goods and
services, a common move that lowers a corporation’s tax bill. A number of
corporations are in transfer-pricing disputes with the Internal Revenue Service.
Either way, the nearly 1,000 largest United States
corporations were more likely than smaller ones to pay taxes.
In 2005, one in four large United States
corporations paid no taxes on revenue of $1.1 trillion, compared with 66% in the
overall pool. Large corporations are those with at least $ 250 million in assets
or annual sales of at least $ 50 million.
At a basic corporate tax rate of 35%, all the
corporations covered in the study in theory owed $ 875 billion in federal income
taxes. But because the tax code allows corporations to claim legally an array of
deductions, write-offs, operating losses and tax credits, the actual taxes paid
were much lower.
Joshua Barro, a staff economist at the Tax
Foundation, a conservative research group, said that the largest corporations
represented only 1% of the total number of corporations, but more than 90% of
all corporate assets.
The vast majority of the large corporations that
did not pay taxes had net losses, he said, and thus no income on which to pay
taxes. “The notion that there is a large pool of untaxed corporate profits is
incorrect.” In 2004, a GAO study said that 7 in 10 of all foreign corporations
doing business in the United States, or foreign-controlled corporations, paid no
taxes from 1996 through 2000, compared with 6 in 10 United States corporations.
(Source : Business Standard, 14-8-2008)
6 Compliance Report of Transfer
Orders, 2008 — Scant respect for Government — CBDT directions
CBDT has noticed that nearly 50% of the officers
transferred are not relieved so far and so have not joined their new places of
posting. This is non-compliance of Government’s order and has been viewed
seriously by the Competent Authority.
Board notices that many officers are not being
relieved by CCIT (CCAs)/DGsIT on the pretext that their representations are
pending before the Board. Board wants the field to note that as per Para 11 of
Transfer Policy, further representations from the officer would be considered
only after the officer joins his place of posting and applies through proper
channel and such petition shall not confer any right whatsoever on the officer
to continue on their previous post in defiance of Government’s orders. Failure
to comply with the Governments orders would lead to actions both against the
non-complying officer as well as their Controlling officer.
Now the CBDT directs that, all officers under order
of postings may be relieved immediately and a consolidated report of their
relieving as well as joining dates may be sent to the Board by 18th August 2008
without fail. [CBDT F.No.A-35015/44/2008-Ad.VI, dated 13th August, 2008]. This
is today — we are almost sure that disobedience will continue. How can these
disobedient officers instill any discipline in their subordinates ?
Disobedience of the Board is not confined to CBDT;
CBEC is no better. On 16th August 2008, Saturday — a holiday for the CBEC, the
Board issued a transfer order of 11 Joint Commissioners/Additional
Commissioners. What was the urgent need for issuing this order on a Saturday,
especially when the whole of Government of India was on a vacation with three
holidays ? (CBEC office order No. 195/2008 dated 16-8-2008)
(Source : Taxindiaonline.com)
5 India’s Best Kept Secret — The
Official Secrets Act — An ‘Invalid’ Act ?
The State’s regressive omerta code, was never
notified. It isn’t actually a law !
Here’s the untold story of the Official Secrets Act
(OSA) 1923: It was passed in April 1923 by the Legislative Council. The Act was
never notified in the Gazette of India.
To become law, every Act must be notified in the
Gazette of India. The National Archives of India, Ministries of Home and Law say
they are
not in possession of any such Notification. None exists in the 1923 Gazette of
India either.
The OSA was amended twice, in 1951 and 1967, and
made more stringent. But only the amendments were notified in the ‘Extraordinary
Gazette of India’. Legal luminaries say that if an Act is not notified, it is an
‘invalid’ law.
Why The British wanted OSA :
In 1923, Bolsheviks could fester unrest in India
directly or indirectly. They have “increased our troubles on the North West
Frontier and Waziristan”. This could “lead to a rupture with Afghanistan”.
Prominent ‘Mussalman’ leaders have shown sympathy with the Afghans. Unwise to
disregard possibility of ‘fanatical Muslims in India’ acting in sympathy with
them. Increased Japanese activity in Burma calls for better means for ‘obtaining
information’, Post- (First World) War enemy powers are out to ferret secrets. In
the event of a war between Japan and America, the former may try to arouse
Indian feelings against the British Empire. There are no existing laws to deal
effectively with such activities.
(From the note prepared by General C. W. Jacob,
Chief of General Staff, in 1921. Document sourced from the National Archives of
India, Delhi.)
“I checked all the dates from 1923 and no such
Notification for the OSA exists.” Maj. Gen. V. K. Singh Ex-Raw.
“It’ll jeopardise any more future prosecutions
under the OSA. Technically, it’ll all be invalid.” Hosbet Suresh, Ex-Judge,
Bombay HC.
“If it has not been notified, the very validity of
the Act can be challenged in Court.” Rajindar Sachar, Ex-CJ, Delhi HC.
“After the RTI Act came into force, the OSA has no
place . . . even its relics cannot remain.” Veerappa Moily, Congress pointsman.
“The law was perpetuated by the bureaucracy, to
insulate itself from public scrutiny.” Aruna Roy, Ex-NAC Member.
In 2007, the Administrative Reforms Commission
(ARC) headed by senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily finally decided to bite
the bullet on the draconian Official Secrets Act (OSA). It put it on record that
an Act “enacted in the colonial era” (1923) had no place in democratic India.
The controversial piece of legislation had to either be amended or scrapped. But
as is wont to happen, a committee of secretaries set up later by the upa
Government examined and rejected the Moily panel recommendation. The status
now : a Cabinet subcommittee is taking a
second look at the suggestions put up by the ARC.
Meanwhile, research into the origins of the OSA has
thrown up a shocker, putting a question mark on the very validity of the Act.
Documents accessed under the RTI Act from the Ministries of Home Affairs (MHA)
and Law and Justice, as well as the National Archives of India (NAI), show the
OSA was never notified in the Gazette of India—a mandatory requirement to make
any Act a law.
(Source : An article by Saikat Datta, Outlook
India
— From Internet)
4 Revenue Department tells FIPB to
reject telecom FDI from tax havens
In another instance of Indian tax authorities
adopting a hard-nosed stance to prevent abuse of tax avoidance treaties, the
Revenue Department recently opposed a proposal of a Cyprus-based company to
increase its stake in an Indian telecom services company from 40% to nearly 74%.
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB)
rejected the proposal on security concerns and the Revenue Department is saying
the source of funds is not clear.
Advising FIPB, the nodal agency for approving
foreign investment proposals, to reject the proposal, the Department pointed out
that gains from the future sale of the shares in question would not be taxable
in India due to the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) with Cyprus.
The Revenue Department’s stance assumes importance
given that India is trying to renegotiate the Cyprus treaty with an eye on
taxing capital gains taxable in the jurisdiction in which the income is earned.
This is not the first instance of such an effort by India. In fact, it has
already reworked the DTAA with the United Arab Emirates and removed the capital
gains tax exemption clause. India is also trying to renegotiate a similar treaty
with Mauritius.
It may be recalled that the Tax Department is
currently in litigation with Vodafone on paying withholding tax for acquiring
Hong Kong-based Hutchison’s stake in a Mauritius-based outfit that held a
majority stake in Indian mobile service provider Hutch-Essar.
FDI is rising sharply from Cyprus and Mauritius,
compared with inflows from developed countries like the United States and the
United Kingdom. From an inflow of $ 58 million in 2006-07, FDI from Cyprus rose
sharply to $ 834 million in 2007-08. In the first two months of the current
fiscal, FDI from Cyprus stood at $ 177 million.
Similarly, FDI from Mauritius rose from $ 6.3
billion in 2006-07 to $ 11 billion the next year. In the first two months of the
current fiscal, FDI from Mauritius stood at $ 2.85 billion.
With overseas companies structuring their
investments to maximise benefits and minimise tax cost by routing investments
through tax havens, preventing abuse of tax treaties is high on the agenda of
the Indian Revenue authorities.
(Source : Business Standard, 19-8-2008)
Two Indian companies — Reliance Industries (RIL) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) — figure in the financial disclosure report submitted by Lawrence Summers, Director of President Barack Obama’s National Economic Council. The disclosure document, submitted on March 23, showed how Summers and other senior advisors to Obama earned large salaries from the companies they were involved with and served in lucrative positions on corporate boards.
The documents show that RIL paid Summers $187,500 in 2008 as ‘advisory board fees’. Asked about the disclosure, an RIL spokesperson said, Summers, besides other international luminaries, was part of the Reliance Industries International Advisory Board and the Reliance Innovation Leadership Council that guided the company on global issues. Summers had resigned from both these commitments before he joined the US Government on January 20, the spokesperson added. Summers’ disclosure form, which covers his income in 2008 and the first three months of this year, also shows that TCS paid him $67,500 for a ‘speaking engagement’ on September 21, 2008.
Summers also received ‘speaking fees’ of $67,500 from JP Morgan, $45,000 from Citigroup, $135,000 from Goldman Sachs and $67,500 from Lehman Brothers, which went bankrupt in the mortgage crisis last year. In fact, Lehman, which declared bankruptcy in September, paid Summers $67,500 for an engagement on July 30, the filing showed. Summers, a former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard University President, received $2.7 million in speaking fees from a range of organisations and companies.
77 Stress management
A stressor is a
situation, thought or stimulus that triggers your stress response. We all need a
little stress in our lives. Good stress makes us feel alert and stimulated. But
chronic, acute stress can cause anxiety, depression and disease. Different
people may respond differently to the same stressor. It’s important to identify
what stressors cause you distress. The more you learn about your stressors, the
more likely you are to diminish, control or eliminate them.
When you’re
stressed, you lose sleep. When you lose sleep, you feel more stressed. Sleep
deprivation doesn’t just make you tired. It interferes with the natural pattern
of stress hormone production . . . . Exercise protects the body against the
effects of physical and psychological stress. But there are some caveats. First,
to reap anti-stress benefits, exercise should be aerobic. Weight training has
important health benefits, but it’s not a great stressbuster. Second, you will
get more benefits if you exercise in bouts of at least 30 minutes. This is how
long it takes for the brain to produce endorphins — those natural opiates that
give you the ‘jogger’s high’.
Third, you might
not benefit if you don’t want to exercise. When animals are forced to exercise,
they become more — not less — stressed. Take a deep breath. This is one of the
oldest stress management tips around. Take a deep breath and exhale — slowly.
When you inhale, you speed up your sympathetic nervous system. When you exhale,
you slow it down — a minitress reducer.
(Source : The Economic Times, dated 31-7-2010)
76 Gururaj Deshpande
to co-chair Obama’s Advisory Council
India-born Gururaj
Deshpande, chairman of Tejas Networks, A123 and Akshaya Patra, has been
appointed co-chairman of US President Barack Obama’s National Advisory Council
on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He will support Obama’s
innovation strategy by helping develop policies that foster entrepreneurship,
create jobs and drive economic growth.
Popularly known as
‘Desh’, Deshpande is one of the 26 members of the council which includes serial
entrepreneurs, university presidents, investors and non-profit leaders. Steve
Case and Mary Sue Coleman will serve as the other co-chairs.
(Source : Business Standard, dated 23-7-2010)
75 ‘35kcr for
Commonwealth Games a waste, should’ve gone to poor kids.
A verbal spat was
initiated by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar when he was asked to comment on
the rainy morning by some media persons outside Parliament House. “I am
delighted in a way because rains are causing difficulties for the Commonwealth
Games. Basically, I will be very unhappy if the games are successful, because
then they will start bringing Asian Games, Olympic Games and all those,” the
former sports minister replied.
Explaining his
opposition to the Games, Mr. Aiyar said a whopping Rs.35,000 crore were being
spent on the sporting event, when it should have been spent on children who did
not have the basic facilities to play. “Those who are patronising the Games can
only be evil. They cannot be God. Thousands of crores are being spent on
circuses like these while the common children are being deprived of basic
facilities to play,” Mr. Aiyar said, adding that all ‘expectations’ from the
Games had been belied.
Mr. Aiyar also
alleged that India had bribed other Commonwealth nations for the Games. “To take
the Games, the Olympic association of every Commonwealth country was given $ 1
lakh . . . . it was given to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Britain. Those
countries did not need this money,” he said adding that “I would call it a
bribe.”
(Source : The Economic Times, dated 28-7-2010)
74 Desi lawyers teach
English to US attorneys
Many top US law
firms are hiring Indian lawyers to edit and make grammatical and syntax
corrections in legal drafts/contracts prepared by their lawyers. A Fortune 100
client of a US law firm, Smith Dehn LLP, has specifically requested that legal
research, analysis, writing, editing exercises that cost millions of dollars in
the US be done by Indian attorneys.
A recent American
bar council journal article compared the scenario to a man bites dog story. It
says highly-trained LPO (legal process outsourcing) attorneys in India have been
assigned the task of correcting grammatical and other mistakes of partners and
associates at some of the top 100 law firms in the US. It further said,
high-quality and effective English writing has been out of fashion in the US for
several decades.
Till some time
ago, Indian lawyers were seen to use lofty English British-style pomposity, a
vestige of colonial rule. Their sentences were long and
winding. There were too many usages of passive and indirect speech. Today, they
are good with plain, crispy, clear and clean English writing. In fact, LPO has
made them think global and grow global. American lawyers are liking it, a
high-quality second look at the draft, said Russell.
(Source : The Times of India, dated 26-7-2010)
72 Double standards
Case :
US :
Asbestos-related suits
India : Bhopal Gas
tragedy
Damage :
US : 700,000 people affected
India : 20,000
dead, 570,000 injured with possible generational impacts
Caused by :
US : Asbestos fibres
India : Methyl
Isocyante gas released from the factory
Liability :
US : Carbide and Amchem cases being fought by Dow
India : Dow
refuses to take liability of Carbide
Payments :
US : $ 487mn litigation costs, $ 1.5bn resolution costs & $ 839mn estimated
future liability
India : $ 470mn
paid by Carbide in 1989. Refuses any further payment.
(Source : The Times of India, 3-7-2010)
73 Online evaluation
sparks revolution
Engineering
students pursuing their PhDs needn’t fret over errors in their results anymore.
The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has introduced online evaluation
of answerscripts for its PhD students from 2010-11.
On a pilot basis,
VTU has already scanned the 750 PhD answerscripts. If all goes well, it’ll be
extended to MTech and MBA courses, too.
Manual evaluation
leaves multiple scope for errors. In case of multiple solutions, the evaluator
will have the freedom to decide. The process take only a few minutes and the
scripts get stored in the system. A software developed exclusively for digital
evaluation helps the evaluator open the answer booklet with just a mouse-click.
Next, the screen displays a series of register numbers. The evaluator can have
his pick. The question for the particular answer is displayed on the screen,
along with the scheme of evaluation. This also allows two evaluators to check
the same answerscript simultaneously. The final evaluator draws an average. In
case of a difference of 15 marks or more, the third evaluator reassesses the
script.
(Source : The Times of India, dated 15-8-2010)
71 IFAC president
warns against auditor rotation
Mandatory auditor
rotation makes no sense, according to International Federation of Accountants
president Robert Bunting.
“While firm
rotation might seem to remove any bias that may be attached to past decisions,
it makes no sense at all,” Bunting said.
“In most parts of
the world there are not enough choices to allow for this without forcing
companies to choose audit firms that have no expertise in their industry.”
Bunting said a
number of countries have experimented with mandatory rotation before abandoning
it as almost impossible to implement. Yet, it is still being considered as a
remedy to the Satyam scandal in India.
It would not be a
pragmatic solution and would set the country apart from nearly all of its
trading partners, Bunting said.
(Source : www.ifac.org)
70 10% and 30% of the
amount recovered to Whistle blowers – USA – SEC
In what could give new meaning to the phrase — “If you see something, say
something” — a clause within the financial reform legislation is offering big
cash rewards to whistleblowers who report fraud and other wrongdoing at
U.S.-listed companies and Wall Street banks.
Under the program,
which is already live, anyone who provides a tip that leads to a successful
Securities and Exchange Commission action will be able to collect between 10%
and 30% of the amount recovered — as long as the total amount exceeds $1
million. This means the minimum payout is $ 100,000. The whistle blower could be
a company insider or a private investor, if they’re able to offer information or
analysis that leads to an action. And with potential payoffs netting millions —
or even tens of millions — of dollars, experts are bracing for a surge in
tipoffs.
The program also
protects squealers against company retaliation. Any whistleblower who is fired,
demoted, suspended, threatened, harassed or discriminated against by a company
for providing info or testifying in an SEC investigation, can file an action in
the U.S. District Court. If they succeed in proving their case, the legislation
guarantees the person’s reinstatement, two times the amount of backpay owed, and
coverage of all court and attorney fees — so long as the action is filed within
a certain time period.
Even a mid-cap
company could wind up with a consent order or suit in the millions of dollars,
says Daniel Karson, executive managing director and counsel at Kroll, a risk
consulting company. “So 10% for making a phone call is a pretty good payday,” he
says.
(Source : TIME.COM, 19-8-2010)
Vodafone deal : Tax burden draws flak
The
Government’s attempt to change its tax laws in order to slap a $ 2 billion tax
bill on Vodafone for its roughly $ 11.1 billion purchase of Hutch Essar in
2007, is meeting with stiff resistance from powerful US investors. Claiming
that the move has killed investment appetite in India, US investors have
written to the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, asking for a review of the
Revenue authorities decision to tax cross-border investments with
retrospective tax legislation enacted in 2008.The strongly
worded letter, expressing concerns about India’s investment climate has also
been sent to principal secretary to PM, T. K. A. Nair, Cabinet Secretary K. M.
Chandrasekhar, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia
and the Commerce Ministry. The letter has been written by the National Foreign
Trade Council (NFTC), an association of 300 US business enterprises engaged in
all aspects of international trade and investment.According to
the NFTC, any necessary changes made to the laws should be with prospective
effect only, rather than through retrospective changes in interpretation of
current law or application of withholding tax provisions.The NFTC
warns that the move “creates an impression among foreign investors that
investing in India brings with it a significant risk of tax liabilities
arising from unforeseen new interpretations of tax laws and retrospective tax
changes’’. ‘‘Our members will have limited funds to invest overseas and this
new interpretation may cause several of them to reconsider investing in India,
looking instead to other countries which have not taken this position and
which act in a perceived less arbitrary manner in taxing foreign investors,’’
it added.Pointing out
that US-based MNCs have a history of robust investment in India, NFTC said ‘‘
Indian Revenue authorities have begun to argue that India is entitled to tax
certain capital gains on global M&As taking place outside of India.’’(Source :
Internet & Media Reports, 8-8-2009)
Right to education becomes law, puts India in
select league
India on Tuesday joined a select global club with the passage of the Right to
Free and Compulsory Education Bill, setting in motion an ambitious, if
much-delayed, scheme of providing education to every child between 6 and 14
years.
The law is unique as, while providing compulsory education, it would not fail
any student till Class VIII. It also enjoins all Government and private
schools to provide 25% quota to ‘disadvantaged’ kids. The law provides for
building neighbourhood schools in three years whose definition and location
will be decided by states.
The legislation, which has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha, will soon
be enacted after getting the assent from President Pratibha Patil. The RTE
would empower the seven-year-old 86th Constitutional amendment that made free
and compulsory education a fundamental right. The Bill sets down guidelines
for States and the Centre to execute and enforce this right. Earlier,
education was part of the directive principles.(Source :
The Times of India, 5-8-2009)
India to amend tax treaty with Mauritius
India is planning amendments to the Double
Taxation Avoidance treaty with Mauritius to prevent its misuse for avoiding
taxes. “Amendments to the Indo-Mauritius DTAC (Double Taxation Avoidance
Convention) to prevent its misuse and enhance exchange of information,
including banking information, are being pursued . . .,” Minister of State for
Finance S. S. Palanimanickam said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.The changes in the treaty are being worked upon
through a joint working group constituted for this purpose, he added. Many
companies route their investments into India through tax havens to avoid
paying taxes.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) has said that all countries should permit access to bank
information for all tax purposes, so that tax authorities could fully
discharge their revenue raising responsibilities, the Minister said.(Source : Business Standard, 5-8-2009)
UK amends citizenship rules
The automatic right for non-EU citizens,
including Indians, to apply for a British passport after working in the UK for
five years has been ended with the introduction of ‘probationary citizenship’,
under which they must demonstrate commitment to the country through voluntary
work and integration.There is a double benefit in the requirements to
demonstrate a commitment to Britain and a willingness to play a part in
community life. These allow the authorities to judge a person’s economic
potential and contribution to society. Crucially, migrants will be helped to
settle in, a particular challenge for people learning a new culture. Points
could also be removed for ‘bad’ behaviour.Under the new system, applicants for citizenship
require a total of 20 points to gain probationary citizenship either through
the work route — meeting the immigration rules (10 points) and passing
knowledge of life in the UK or the English language test (10 points).To gain full citizenship applicants must pass
knowledge of life in the UK or an English language test. Those who have failed
either test will have to retake it.(Source : Business Standard, 5-8-2009)
Companies routing funds to evade taxes face taxing times
The Government is mulling new laws to bring into the tax
net domestic companies which deliberately route their overseas investments
through tax havens to avoid paying taxes at home.The inclusion of new provisions in the existing tax laws,
called Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC) laws, was also suggested by the
Kelkar Task Force on tax reforms.India, however, is still debating on the modality of the
CFC, though the Kelkar report, submitted to the Government six years ago, had
recommended “introduction of anti-abuse provisions in the domestic law,
enacting of CFC regulations and the law relating to thin capitalisation”.The advantage of having CFC laws is that it will not be
affected by the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). Currently, the
profits of subsidiaries of Indian companies are not taxable in India, as there
are no laws to bring them under the tax net. In fact, foreign subsidiaries do
not declare their dividends to avoid being taxed in India.(Source : Business Standard, 3-8-2009)
Oh, for some
rectitude
You can’t spend more without
higher revenues. ‘Calculated risks’ is a euphemism for fiscal brinkmanship
“There has been an unsustainable increase in
Government expenditure. Budgetary subsidies, with questionable social and
economic impact, have been allowed to grow to an alarming extent. The tax
system still has many loopholes. The crisis of the fiscal system is a cause
for serious concern. The fiscal deficit of the Central Government, which
measures the difference between revenue receipts and total expenditure, is
estimated at more than 8% of GDP in 1990-91, as compared with 6% at the
beginning of the 1980s and 4% in the mid-1970s. This fiscal deficit had to be
met by borrowing. The burden of servicing this debt has now become onerous.
Interest payments alone are about 4% of GDP and constitute almost 20% of the
total expenditure of the Central Government.Without decisive action now, the situation will
move beyond the possibility of corrective action. There is no time to lose.
Neither the Government nor the economy can live beyond its means, year after
year. The room for manoeuvre, to live on borrowed money or time, does not
exist anymore.”
— From the first budget speech of Manmohan Singh, 24 July 1991.Today interest payments account for Rs.2,25,511
crore; defence Rs.1,41,703 crore; and subsidies Rs.1,11,276 crore. These three
alone siphon off 78% of Centre’s net revenue. None build infrastructure.
(Note : The above analysis remains valid even today. Our fiscal
situation is much worse than in 1991. Have we learnt any lessons in last 18
years ? Where are the remedial measures ?)(Source : Businessworld Magazine, 3-8-2009)
More than 600 years of British history and tradition ended
when Parliament’s upper chamber, the unelected House of Lords, ceased to also
be the nation’s highest court.The 12 ‘Law Lords’ convened in their debating chamber and
delivered the institution’s final seven judgments. The Lords of Appeal in
Ordinary, as they’re formally known, are moving to the Supreme Court of the UK
on October 1.The House of Lords has been operating as a court since
1399. Prior to that the full Parliament could weigh cases. While the House of
Lords has kept separate judicial and legislative functions since 1876, the two
weren’t physically divided. After hundreds of years it looks ‘unusual’ for
lawmakers to be involved in judicial affairs, and the Supreme Court is a ‘nice
symbol’ of modernity.The new court will be located in a refurbished building
overlooking Parliament Square. It will be made up of 11 of the 12 Judges that
worked in the House of Lords. Anthony Clarke will be the 12th Justice, and the
first to be appointed directly to the Supreme Court. Nicholas Phillips, now
senior law lord, will be the first President of the UK Supreme Court.While ‘constitutionally nothing will change,’ the symbolic
importance of physically separating the Legislature and the judiciary is
significant, head of Justice, a UK human rights and law reform organisation.(Source : The Times of India, 31-7-2009)
Subbarao spells out RBI’s five big challenges
The first challenge is managing the balance between the
short-term compulsions of providing ample liquidity to the market and the
potential for an inflationary pressure.The second challenge is to manage “the Government’s large
borrowing programme without crowding out present or potential private credit
demand’’. Despite active liquidity management by the central bank, Government
borrowing has led to hardening of yields. The third challenge is to maintain
policy rates and liquidity conditions that could spur private investment
demand. Having a fiscal consolidation process with a concrete roadmap was also
a challenge before the RBI.“Large fiscal deficits, if continued strictly beyond the
recovery period, can crowd out private investment and trigger inflationary
pressures”. “It is also necessary to focus on the quality of fiscal adjustment
while pursuing quantitative targets’’.For the medium-term, the challenge was to improve the
country’s investment climate to move forward with financial sector reforms “to
promote financial inclusion, further widen and deepen financial markets and
strengthen financial institutions’’.(Source : The Times of India, 22-7-2009)
Foreign
investment law in the works
The Government is working on a proposal to
introduce a new legislation relating to foreign investment aimed at removing
the distinction between various categories of overseas capital, a move
intended to ensure stability in policy and help Indian firms attract long-term
capital.The new Foreign Direct Investment Act would seek
to remove the distinction between various categories of overseas fund flows
such as portfolio investment, venture capital, private equity and direct
investment. Rules on external investment in Indian companies make a
distinction between portfolio investment, in which an investor buys shares of
a company from the secondary market, and foreign direct investment (FDI), in
which the investor normally acquires a relatively larger holding directly.
The new legislation would involve major changes to the existing Foreign
Exchange Management Act, or FEMA, which deals with both inbound and outbound
foreign investment.The new legislation would remove all confusion
and provide stability in terms of policy. The Finance Ministry has already
started work on the new legislation and would seek inputs from the Reserve
Bank (RBI) on it, the official said. The new Act will also give clearer
guidelines on convertibility.The RBI has consistently been of the view that in
the hierarchy of preferred capital flows, FDI ought to be at the top. The
current policy is largely ad hoc. It is governed by several rules that
are changed through so-called ‘Press Notes’ issued from time to time by the
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and FIPB. Interestingly,
the official said the Press Notes issued by the DIPP have no legal sanctity
since changes to guidelines on foreign investment require changes to FEMA
rules, which rarely gets done.(Source : The Times of India, 8-8-2009)
86 British Airways gets Rs1.44 billion tax
notice.
UK-based British Airways has been slapped a service tax
notice by the Revenue Department asking it to pay the balance of Rs.143.5 crore
(Rs.1.44 billion) liability on sale of tickets in India between May 2006 and
November 2007.
“We have issued a notice to the British Airways on July 25
intimating the company of its service tax liability,” a senior Excise and
Customs Department official said. He, however, clarified that the company has
already paid Rs.117 crore (Rs.1.17 billion) tax, although after a delay.
(Source : Internet News, 29-7-2008)
85 Are you addicted to your
BlackBerry ?
Its nickname, CrackBerry, says it all. There is no
recreational use of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry. It is a compulsive
addiction, or you’re not a user.
Academic studies back up the notion. It found that
a third of BlackBerry users show signs of addiction ‘similar to alcoholics’. The
BlackBerry found its first big pool of users in corporate America. Helping with
productivity and collaboration at work, it lets employees keep up with
colleagues, customers and suppliers even while away from the office.
But, like addicts, users of these devices are not
using the time savings and productivity gains to shorten their work hours.
Instead, they work longer. Glenn Wilson, a psychologist at King’s College
London, found that two-thirds of users check work e-mails out of office hours
and on holidays.
Getting more done, thanks to the speed of
communication, doesn’t necessarily enhance the quality of life.
Wilson found that a compulsion to reply to each new
message led to constant changes of direction, which inevitably tired and slowed
down the brain. The distractions of constant e-mails, text and phone messages
are a greater threat to IQ and concentration, he says, than taking cannabis.
Even those most reliant on this technology worry
about never-ending workweeks and the toll imposed by the constant interruptions
to family life and personal relationships—a result of having this umbilical cord
to work. People are always partly somewhere else, whether at dinner or in bed,
surreptitiously glancing down at the glowing screen and stroking the scroll
wheel.
And the suspicion must be that it is double the
trouble when both partners are constantly connected to Exchange servers more
than to each other—especially among couples dubbed DILS and DINS (for double
income, little sex, and double income, no sex).
One solution : Don’t slavishly respond to every
e-mail. In Europe, it is increasingly considered ill-mannered to read an e-mail
that arrives during a meal, let alone answer it, just as it would be considered
rude to read a book at the table during dinner.
King College’s Wilson found in a clinical trial
commissioned by Hewlett-Packard that one in five of those studied broke off from
meals or social engagements to receive and deal with messages. Although nine out
of 10 agreed that answering messages during face-to-face meetings or office
conferences was rude, one-third nonetheless felt that this had become
“acceptable and seen as a sign of diligence and efficiency.”
Stress and a compulsive addiction to overworking
aren’t solely caused by wireless push e-mail, though it makes it easier to get
hooked. And there is a generation that has grown up expecting to connect 24/7 to
friends and family by e-mail, IM and SMS that can separate work and social
never-severed connectivity.
If you are not one of them, you don’t have to go
cold turkey. Remember, even the CrackBerry has an off button.
(Source : Internet Newswires)
84 FlashGet (size 4.4 MB)
This is a download manager. It uses MHT
(Multi-server Hyper-threading Transportation) technique, supports various
protocols such as HTTP, FTP, BT, MMS, RTSP and has document management features.
FlashGet can call anti-virus automatically to clean
viruses, spyware and adware after finishing download. Check it out at
http://www.flashget.com/index_en.htm
83 Recover Files (Size 1.17 MB)
This is file recovery software that allows the user
to recover accidentally deleted files, even files removed from the Recycle Bin,
network drive, compact flash card, portable drives, in a DOS window, or from
Windows Explorer. Download from
http://www.download.com/Recover-Files/3000-2094_4-10715455.html
20. The progress challenge — Dean Linsey
In 2010, most of us take on too many
responsibilities, try to do too much, and even own too much. Being too busy is a
big source of stress in today’s get, get, get and go, go, go world. Often, we
are so chronically over-scheduled that we never give ourselves a chance to offer
our best or to enjoy the moment. Are your days fulfilling, or are they merely
full ? It is possible that we could get more out of life by doing less. When we
internalise the difference between full and fulfilling, we realise it’s not how
many events we attend, activities we get involved in, or how much stuff we have
that’s important. We do not have to say ‘yes’ to every demand on our time. And
we shouldn’t feel bad, since we are saying ‘no’ to the event or project, not the
person.
If we are committed to working and winning in this
world of change, we must know our limits and not limit our nos. Consider your
well crafted goals and your schedule before agreeing to additional work.
Simplify — get rid of the clutter and baggage in your life and in your house.
Start your own just say no campaign to regain quality time. Review priorities
and see if a request fits. When you see things that waste time or hinder your
progress, speak up. A polite way to say no to a request for your time : “I’m
quite committed. I can be your backup, but please keep searching.” Structure is
vital for becoming a Business Attraction Magnet. Solid self-management leads to
higher productivity and reduced stress. Our desks need to be workstations, not
storage space.
(Source : The Economic Times, dated 9-10-2010)
82 Stickies 6.5a (Size 975 KB)
Stickies is a PC utility to try to cut down on the
number of Post-It notes you leave stuck to your monitor. It is a computerised
version of those notes.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5501.html
10. India tops list for increase in tax misery score
France, China and Belgium have been named as having the top three harshest tax climates. Qatar, the UAE and Hong Kong have trumped other economies to retain the friendliest tax climate, according to the 2009 Tax Misery and Reform Index. About two dozen countries recorded a decline in their tax misery score and these jurisdictions include Switzerland, Italy, the UK, Canada, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Russia and Taiwan. Besides India, other countries that added to harshness in their tax climate include China, France, Finland, Turkey, Mexico, Luxembourg, Ireland and Thailand.
Jurisdictions with unchanged tax misery score include Germany, the US, Israel, Vietnam, Pakistan, Hong Kong, the UAE and Qatar. There are eight European nations among the 10 least tax-friendly countries on the list, published in the April 13 edition of Forbes Asia. “This year, most Asian jurisdictions continue to have more tax-friendly environment compared with other parts of the world. The survey shows that outside of China and Japan, the rest of Asia continues to enjoy stable, low tax advantage,” Forbes noted.
So now we know that while every fourth member of the Lok Sabha has a criminal record, virtually every member is a crorepati. Quite a few would even qualify for membership of the Business Standard Billionaire Club (those with assets of over Rs.1 billion, or Rs.100 crore). We also know that these standard-bearers of socialism (every political party has to swear to this creed if it wants to be registered with the Election Commission) have increased their wealth manifold in the last five years. All this suggests a range of possible hypotheses : that politics is India’s most lucrative profession, that those with criminal records make more money than honest tribunes of the people, that those who speak in the name of the poor and rail against capitalist excesses are actually plutocrats in mufti, that you can get fat on the ‘mammaries of the welfare state’ (every member can ask for Rs.2 crore to be spent on his favourite project, every year; that’s Rs.10 crore in a five-year term), that members can and do make money by asking questions in the House, that members can and do get offered money to vote in a particular way . . . . All this is true even when you do not occupy ministerial office (which brings with it access to more mammaries), and though you have to spend campaign funds vastly in excess of what the law allows . . . .
We should now take the next logical step. Every government employee should be asked to make similar disclosures, bearing in mind the latest story of the sub-inspector of police in Delhi who has accumulated assets worth Rs.30 crore, on a salary of Rs.30,000. And just so that government employees know what it is like to have the Central Bureau of Investigation on your tail, this hound dog should be asked to do a random check on all annual filings (more mammaries !). For, the truth is that our governments run vast armies of criminal gangs, which seem to be concentrated in places like the police and the tax-gathering machinery, but exist elsewhere too.
With one honourable exception (Jaswant Singh), hardly any finance minister has done anything to clean up these Augean stables; some of them have even increased the incentive for harassment by placing impossible revenue targets before officials and then cracking the whip, and by writing up the law in such a way that taxmen get extraordinary powers — which become more mammaries to milk. At the last meeting of the CII National Council, companies complained behind closed doors about how they were being asked, on the strength of oral orders, to pay up more tax — with the tax officials refusing to issue written tax demand notices !
The tragedy is that Jaswant Singh’s attempt to have taxpayers treated fairly and with respect, and his appointment of Vijay Kelkar to recommend ways in which the business could be made less extortionate, have been nullified. After demanding that certain tax filings can only be done digitally, the tax department has made sure that the digital system does not work (so you are in the Kafkaesque situation of being required to do something under the law that the creators of the law will not allow you to do). After mandating that tax evasion will be checked through the scrutiny of digital records, assessments done from a distance so as to minimise the human interface, and refund cheques automatically credited to bank accounts, tax officials do all the things that they have done for years, including waving refund cheques in your face and asking for a cut, not just for themselves but for their brother officers as well. It wouldn’t hurt to have some sunlight thrown on all these murky areas.
(How True ! There are more than 110 crore ‘Cows’ to be milked by the Establishment ! ! ! )
22 Missing in action
MPs’ absenteeism subverts Indian democracy
Inflation is a burning issue because it eats into the already
meager incomes of the poor, and our politicians are concerned. Right ? Wrong.
MPs revealed how much they really care about rising prices of essential
commodities as opposed to how much they would like us to believe that they care
— by largely playing truant when the matter came up for discussion in both
Houses of Parliament. In the Lok Sabha, even among the few MPs who bothered to
turn up, many staged a quiet exit soon after. The lack of quorum in the House
was dealt with simply by not drawing attention to the inconvenient fact.
Even though India is a democracy, this apathy makes it
resemble a dictatorship. A dictator rules by decree and has the power to silence
the opposition. In a democracy whose politicians are apathetic, the opposition
silences itself. Dissent in a dictatorship can be expressed only through street
protests or militant agitations. That’s also the idiom in which opposition
politicians like to express themselves in India.
In both cases there’s little scope for dialogue or rational
debate. Politics is reduced to posturing or making token gestures. If
politicians want us to believe that they are serious about the causes they
espouse, let them at least show up when the issue is tabled in Parliament. Scant
attendance of parliamentarians reduces democracy itself to a formal affair.
(Source : The Times of India, 16-4-2008)
23 Samsung chief charged with $ 114m tax
evasion. Also helped son gain control
Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun Hee will stand trial for tax
evasion and breach of duty, prosecutors said, after a three-month probe into
allegations of corruption at South Korea’s largest industrial group.
Lee, 66, was charged with evading 112.8 billion won ($ 114
million) of taxes, the special prosecutors said at a press conference in Seoul
on Thursday. Lee is also charged with breach of duty for incurring losses at
Samsung when helping his son gain control of units of the group. Nine other
Samsung executives were also charged. Lee, one of South Korea’s richest men, has
denied the allegations. Samsung Group, which accounted for about 20% of South
Korea’s exports in 2006, said it will reorganise its business and management.
President Lee Myung Bak, who took office in February, pledged during election
campaigning to increase corporate transparency and governance after scandals
involving South Korea’s biggest industrial groups.
(Source : Bloomberg)
21 Corrupt Govt. official’s wife is also
guilty : HC
The spouse of a Government officer in a corruption case who
has benefitted from his/her ill-gotten wealth is equally guilty, the Bombay High
Court has ruled. Justice V. R. Kingaonkar of the HC’s Aurangabad Bench recently
held Dhule resident Mangalabai Wagh guilty of abetment in a disproportionate
assets case for allowing her husband Bhaskar Wagh to acquire several properties
in her name.
The Judge upheld a Trial Court verdict sentencing Mangalabai
to three years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs.2 lakh. The HC
also dismissed an appeal by Wagh challenging his punishment of seven years’
rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.3 lakh awarded by the Trial Court.
‘Mangala held shares and immovable property as well as a
vehicle in her name despite not having any source of income,’ said the Judge.
‘It will have to be said that she abetted the commission of offence of criminal
misconduct by (her husband) Wagh,’ he added.
(Source : The Times of India, 9-4-2008)
20 Quotation of the month
‘All governmental orders must comply with the requirements of
a statute as also the constitutional provisions. Our Constitution envisages a
rule of law, and not rule of men. It recognises that howsoever high one may be,
he is under law and the Constitution. All the constitutional functionaries must,
therefore, function within the constitutional limits’.
(Source : Supreme Court of India,
The Economic Times, 7-3-2008)
The existentialist dilemma before Indian democracy is stark :
it cannot co-exist with financial honesty. It does not matter if you are
personally incorruptible; you have to be institutionally corrupt in order to
engage in the business of democracy. The moral code of elections is
uncomplicated : Don’t ask. Don’t tell. And for God’s sake don’t get caught.
— M. J. Akbar
in India Today, dated 10-1-2011
59 FDI’s free fall
Falling FDI in both absolute and relative terms indicates a
lack of investor confidence. It should jolt politicians back to governance and
building on the 1991 reforms. A UN report on FDI in 2010 makes this point
sharply. Though global FDI flows increased by a percentage point over the last
year, developing economies’ share jumped 10%. For the first time ever, more than
half of global FDI travelled to emerging markets. However, FDI inflows into
India declined by a whopping 31.5%. And that’s not in relative but in absolute
terms. In other words, it’s not just that India is getting a smaller share of a
bigger pie — indicating its relative uncompetitiveness among emerging markets.
It’s that the size of the pie itself has shrunk for India – by almost a third.
That ought to be enough to set alarm bells clanging for our economic managers.
(Source : The Times of India, dated 25-1-2011)
