Tax
Centre Expands Collateral-Free MSME Financing To ₹10 Crore Under Revamped CGS; Clarifies Subsidy, Equity Support Figures
The Central Government in response to details of financial support and credit facilitation for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has clarified that effective April 01, 2025, the Ministry of MSME has expanded collateral-free financing by enhancing CGS coverage up to Rs. 10 crores with reduced guarantee fees. Under the credit-linked subsidy schemes, tabulated statistics indicated that Government has in the last three financial years i.e FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25 assisted ...
'Invested Substantial Savings': Delhi High Court Permits Redemption Of Labourer's Gold Bar Seized By Customs
The Delhi High Court recently permitted a labourer, working in the middle-east, to redeem gold bars confiscated by the Customs Department, after a four-year delay.In doing so, a division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Renu Bhatnagar took note of the Petitioner's financial status, which purportedly prevented him from paying the redemption fine in time.“Bearing in mind the fact that the Petitioner is from an economically weaker section, is working as a labourer in Saudi Arabia and may...
NRI Entitled To Bring Personal Jewellery/Watch For Re-Export: Delhi High Court Orders Release Of Rolex Seized At Airport
The Delhi High Court has ordered the Customs Department to release the high-value Rolex watch of a NRI, citing Supreme Court's ruling in Directorate of Revenue Intelligence v. Pushpa Lekhumal Tolani (2017).In the said judgment, the top court had held that foreign tourists are allowed to bring into India jewellery even of substantial value provided it is meant to be taken out of India with them.A division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Renu Bhatnagar observed,“The Petitioner being a...
GST Bill | Lok Sabha Tables Manipur GST (2nd Amendment) Bill 2025; Track-And-Trace Mechanism Proposed For Select Goods
The Union Government on Wednesday introduced the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha to bring the State GST law in line with amendments made under Sections 121 to 134 of the Finance Act, 2025 and decisions of the 56th GST Council. The Bill proposes significant changes relating to input tax credit, distribution of credit, return filing, appeal pre-deposit, treatment of credit notes and, notably, introduction of a track-and-trace mechanism with...
Delhi High Court Pulls Up GST Authority For Issuing Personal Hearing Notice Saying Assessee's Attendance Not Needed
The Delhi High Court recently criticised the GST Authorities for issuing a “strange” personal hearing notice to an assessee, which said that the assessee need not attend the hearing as the notice is issued only for the purpose of uploading final order.“The personal hearing notice is also quite strange to say the least that no personal hearing was granted before the Commissioner Appeals but a hearing was fixed for uploading of the order. Such a practice is inexplicable and deserves to be...
No Service Tax On Cost Allocation For Pet-Care Products Of Mars International: CESTAT Hyderabad
The Hyderabad Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has held that Mars International is not liable to service tax on cost allocations for developing pet-care products. The bench further opined that the arrangement with the group companies did not involve a service provider-service recipient relationship, and therefore, the service is not taxable. ANGAD PRASAD (Judicial Member) and A.K. JYOTISHI (Technical Member) found that the Mars...
LiveLawBiz: Business Law Round-Up: November 29 - December 1, 2025
IBCIBC | Terminated Contract Not Corporate Debtor's Asset; Moratorium Won't Revive Extinguished Contractual Rights : Supreme CourtNCLT Mumbai Rejects Indo Global Employees' Claims Filed 18 Months Late, Says Stakeholders Must Be VigilantLiquidator Must Recover Assets Even If Attached By Third Parties, Attachment Cannot Override IBC: NCLT BengaluruBuyers Of Commercial Units Are Not Homebuyers; Cannot Be Recognised As Financial Creditors: NCLT MumbaiNCLT Ahmedabad Orders Liquidation of Girdhari...
Tobacco Transport By Individual Truck Owners Not Goods Transport Agency: CESTAT Quashes Service Tax Demand
The Hyderabad Bench of Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has set aside service tax demand on Indian Tobacco Traders under the heading Goods Transport Agency (GTA) Service, as tobacco leaves were transported through individual truck owners. In an order dated November 28, 2025 the Bench comprising Mr. A.K. Jyotishi (Technical Member) and Mr. Angad Prasad (Judicial Member) clarified that even if a person had provided Goods Transport Service but has not issued the ...
Bunker Supply Of Fuel To ASEAN Explorer Is Duty-Free Export: CESTAT Quashes Excise Demand Against Bharat Petroleum
The Bangalore Bench of Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) has stated that bunker supplies of High Viscosity Furnace Oil (HVFO) made by Bharat Petroleum to the vessel to 'cable ship ASEAN explorer' qualify as duty-free exports under Rule 19 of the Central Excise Rules, 2002, read with Notification No. 46/2001-CE(NT). P.A. Augustian (Judicial Member) and Pullela Nageswara Rao (Technical Member) examined whether the supplies of High Viscosity Furnace Oil (HVFO)...
No Double Pre-Deposit For Same Tax Demand; Second Appeal Cannot Be Conditioned On Fresh Payment: Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court has held that when a taxpayer has already deposited the mandatory 10% pre-deposit for the same disputed tax amount before the State GST Appellate Authority, the Central GST authorities cannot insist on another separate pre-deposit for the same amount while filing a second appeal. The Bench stated that the law does not permit duplication of pre-deposit for the same tax demand, and therefore the taxpayer should be allowed to file an appeal without paying again. A...
Tax Weekly Round-Up: November 24 - November 30, 2025
SUPREME COURT'Seems Tax Department Has Not Trusted Even Its Lawyers' : Supreme Court Flags Procedural Delays In IT Dept's Petition FilingsCause Title: THE COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX (EXEMPTIONS) VERSUS THE HYDERABAD CRICKET ASSOCIATION, HYDERABADThe Supreme Court recently criticised the Income Tax Department for filing its Special Leave Petition after a delay of 524 days, observing that the Department, despite having an entire team of legal experts, failed to act on its own lawyers' advice and...
Finance Ministry Tables Bill To Hike Excise On Tobacco, Introduces New Cess On Pan Masala
On December 1, 2025, the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, which will replace the existing Compensation Cess. The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks “to give the government the fiscal space to increase the rate of central excise duty on tobacco and tobacco products so as to protect tax incidence”. The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill,...