SUSPICIOUS INCOME TAX REFUND CLAIMS UNDER I-T DEPT SCANNER
Suspicious income tax refund
claims have gone up in last three years and scrutiny assessments have been
initiated against taxpayers claiming high refunds inconsistent with the pattern
of income and investments, Parliament was informed Tuesday. Shiv Pratap Shukla in
a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha said there has been an increase in
detection of suspicious refund claims The number of suspicious refund claims
selected for scrutiny stood at 20,874 in 2018-19, 11,059 in 2017-18 and 9,856
in 2016-17. Scrutiny assessments have been initiated against taxpayers claiming
high refunds inconsistent with the pattern of income and investments. Wherever
after scrutiny the claim of refund was found to be inadmissible, the same was
denied and consequential action of penalty and prosecution was taken based on
the merits of the case, he said. The total amount of I-T refunds during 2018-19
(up to February 2, 2019) stood at Rs 1.43 lakh crore, 2017-18 (Rs 1.51 lakh
crore), 2016-17 (Rs 1.62 lakh crore) and 2015-16 (Rs 1.22 lakh crore). The
minister said I-T Department has also incorporated certain risk parameters in
its system which prevents refunds from being automatically cleared in cases
where suspicious refund claims are made in tax returns, especially those which
are filed from a single IP address or from a single locality or by a single
intermediary. Such cases are then examined for possible selection in scrutiny
or for electronic verification from the taxpayer. Swift action is taken by the
Department against persons found to be involved in any malpractices related to
refunds, Shukla said. In a separate reply, the minister said the number of
Income Tax Returns (ITRs) filed in 2018-19 up to January 2019, is 6.36 crore, a
rise of over 37 per cent over 4.63 crore ITRs filed during the corresponding
period of 2017-18. About 25 crore SMSes and e-mails were sent to taxpayers in
2018-19 reminding them to submit their ITRs in time. In addition,
advertisements were also placed in newspapers for timely submission of ITRs. A
provision for levy of fees of up to Rs 10,000 for late filing of ITRs has also
been introduced with effect from 2017-18 to discourage late filing of return,
Shukla said. Besides, the field officers have been sensitised about the
increasing trend of high-risk refunds and directed to take all necessary
precautions and conduct necessary due diligence before admitting a claim of
high refund, he said. The number of ITRs filed during 2016-17, 2017-18 and
2018-19 stood at 5.57 crore, 6.86 crore and 6.36 crore, respectively. Direct
tax collections for 2016-17 were Rs 8.49 lakh crore which increased 18 per cent
to Rs 10.02 lakh crore in 2017-18. Collections in 2018-19 (up to January 2019)
are at Rs 7.89 lakh crore, 13.4 per cent higher than the collections during
corresponding period of last year.
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GOVT TO EXPEDITE CAMPAIGN TO RID COUNTRY OF THE CORRUPT: MODI
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said on Tuesday his government will speed up the campaign to rid the
country of the corrupt claiming that only such people had a problem with him
while the honest trusted the 'chowkidar'. Modi sought people's support in the
campaign Swachh Shakti 2019. In 2014, you gave your votes for an honest and
transparent government. Middlemen and those who snatched the rights of the poor
have been thrown out of all the systems, he said. Every honest person in the
country trusts this 'chowkidar' (watchman) but those who are corrupt, have a
problem with Modi, he said. Even in Haryana, you are witnessing how some people
are worried because of probe by investigating agencies, he said without naming
anyone. All the faces of this 'maha-milawat' are indulging in competition of
threatening and abusing investigating agencies, court and Modi, he said. But
you rest assured, this 'chowkidar' will neither be threatened or browbeaten
with their threats and abuses, will neither stop nor bow down. Our 'safai'
campaign to rid this country of the corrupt and the dirt is going to be further
accelerated. For this campaign, your blessings should continue,he said.
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GOVT MAY EXEMPT DPIIT-CERTIFIED STARTUPS FROM ANGEL TAX
The government is
considering giving complete exemption to startups from angel tax once they are
certified by the Commerce and Industry Ministry, a move aimed at helping
budding entrepreneurs official sources sa The consideration assumes
significance as several startups have claimed to receive angel tax notices,
impacting their businesses. Various startups have raised concerns on notices
sent to them under the Section 56 of Income Tax Act to pay taxes on angel funds
received by them. Officials of the department for promotion of industry and
internal trade (DPIIT) and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) are holding
series of meetings to address the angel tax issue, the sources said. One of the
consideration being though about actively is to give complete exemption to
startups from Section 56(2)(viib) of the Income Tax Act, once they are
certified by the DPIIT, they added.This move may be gelled with capping the
investment to a much higher level of angel funds so that a good number of
startups do not face the taxmen. A notification in this regard is expected to
be issued by the department and board soon.Giving relief to budding
entrepreneurs last year, the government allowed startups to avail tax
concession only if total investment, including funding from angel investors,
does not exceed Rs 10 crore.
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TAXATION OF DIGITAL BUSINESSES
The Government has not
held any consultation regarding taxation of digital businesses as such.
However, to address the challenges posed by the enterprises who conduct their
business through digital means and carry-out activities in the country
remotely, the following measures have been taken: A new levy by the name of
‘Equalisation Levy’ was introduced vide Chapter VIII of the Finance Act, 2016.
The introduction of the levy was based on the recommendations of a Committee,
comprising of officers of the Income-tax Department and member of the general
public, constituted by the Government to deliberate on the issue of taxation of
the digital economy in the light of the report on Action Plan 1 of the OECD
Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project and suggest possible measures.
Presently, the levy is charged @ 6% of the amount of consideration for
specified services received or receivable by a non-resident not having
permanent establishment ('PE') in India, from a resident in India who carries
out business or profession, or from a non-resident having permanent
establishment in India, where the aggregate amount of such consideration
exceeds one lakh rupees in a previous year. Section 9(1)(i) of the Income-tax
Act, 1961 (‘the Income-tax Act’) was amended to bring in the concept of
Significant Economic Presence for establishing business connection in the case
of non-resident in India. Accordingly, significant economic presence shall
mean– Any transaction in respect of any goods, services or property carried out
by a non-resident in India including provision of download of data or software
in India if the aggregate of payments arising from such transaction or
transactions during the previous year exceeds the amount as may be prescribed;
or Systematic and continuous soliciting of its business activities or engaging
in interaction with such number of users as may be prescribed, in India through
digital means. In order to prescribe the thresholds as mentioned above,
suggestions/comments of stakeholders and the general public have been invited
in order to prescribe the thresholds to establish significant economic presence
of a non-resident in India. The comments and suggestions so received are under
consideration. If digital businesses operated by non-residents are structured
to artificially avoid establishment of a business connection or permanent
establishment in India, including by way of claiming the activities carried out
in India to be preparatory or auxiliary in nature, the GAAR provisions under
the Income-tax Act may become applicable to the income of such digital
businesses in India. Signing of the Multilateral Instrument is unlikely to
address the broader tax challenges of digitalisation of economy owing to the
redundancy of physical presence-based nexus. The imposition of Equalization
Levy has led to increase in tax collection The collection under the
Equalisation levy exceeded Rs. 550 crore for FY 2017-18. Further, the introduction
of taxation based on significant economic presence is also expected to increase
tax collection as it seeks to widen the tax base in India by establishing
business connection and charging to tax income earned by digital businesses
which operate out of jurisdictions with which India has not entered into a
Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). However, in respect of digital
businesses operating out of jurisdictions with which India has already entered
into a DTAA, significant economic presence will only be effective after
renegotiation of such DTAA which will be based on international consensus.
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CBDT, DPIIT NOTIFICATIONS UNLIKELY TO CLARIFY ON CONTENTIOUS
SEC 68
Notifications from the
Central Bureau of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) related to the contentious ‘angel tax’
issue are unlikely to provide any clarifications on Section 68 of the Income
Tax (IT) Act. The anticipated notifications will not provide any sort of
exemption to startups under Section 68 of the IT Act, and will only give a
blanket exemption to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
Trade-registered startups from Section 56. The notifications from the two
regulatory authorities tasked with looking into the issue that has dominated
the discourse across India’s startup ecosystem, are expected to be published
over the next 24-48 hours. According to the sources cited above, at most, there
could be a note from the CBDT asking assessing officers to consider that they
are dealing with registered startups that are exempt from Section 56. It is,
however, unlikely to be a binding directive. Section 68 states if no
explanation is given by the assessee, or the explanation given is not
satisfactory in the opinion of the income tax department, in respect of any
amount credited in the books of accounts of assessee, the amount is deemed to
be an undisclosed income, which would form part of the total income chargeable
under the Income Tax Act. This has proved to be a sore point for the country’s
startupventures, many of which have not given a satisfactory explanation in the
opinion of the IT department, thereby receiving notices under the section. The
lack of clarification from DIPP and CBDT are likely to raise more questions
from startup ecosystem, which has been vocal in its opposition to both Section
56 and 68, Startups to be given blanket exemption from Section 56(2)(viib)
under the notification without providing any clarification with respect to
notices to be issued under Section 68 will still leave an ambiguity in the
startup space, considering powers of the IT department under sections 56 and 68
are independent of each other, said Atul Pandey.
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DRI SLAPS RS 620-CR CLAIM ON IBM FOR UNPAID DUTIES
The Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence (DRI) has issued a notice to technology major IBM, asking it to pay
Rs 620 crore in unpaid customs duties for equipment imported into the country,
three people familiar with the development told. The agency has also issued two
additional notices, two of the people said, which could take the total dues to
Rs 900 crore. The over-200-page notice for Rs 620 crore details what the DRI
terms as omissions by the American company. IBM has been told that it has not
been paying customs duty on the operating software sold along with the
hardware, as well as duty on the warranty for this equipment. It has also been
charged with not paying customs duty on intra-company transfer of assets from
different geographies to India, according to the sources cited above.
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INFORMATION COMMISSION HAS A HUGE BACKLOG OF CASES IN
KARNATAKA
With about 19,000
applications before the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) waiting to be
disposed of, the effectiveness of Right to Information (RTI) is in question in
the state. The latest data (as on January 18) shared by the KIC shows a
majority of the pending applications (13,884) were filed in 2018. There were
already 4,000 pending cases from before 2018. As many as 900 cases have been
filed so far this year. Of the 19,289 pending appeals, about 12,000 are being
heard, 4,000 have been allotted for hearing (hearing is yet to commence), while
about 3,000 are yet to be allotted for hearing. Humungous as this sounds, the
situation is said to be far better than 2-3 years ago when over 30,000
applications were pending before the commission. With eight information
commissioners, including a chief information commissioner, handling 30-50 cases
each per day, getting a case resolved is no easy task for RTI applicants.
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IPS OFFICER RINA MITRA APPOINTED PRINCIPAL ADVISER TO BENGAL
GOVT
Rina Mitra, a 1983-batch
IPS officer, who retired on January 31 as special secretary (internal security)
in the Union home ministry, has been appointed as principal adviser (internal
security) in the Mamata Banerjee government. Mitra, a Madhya Pradesh cadre
officer and batch mate of CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla, had lost out in the
race for the post of CBI director recently A senior state home department
official said, Mitra has been appointed as principal adviser (internal
security) for the state. The government will soon issue a notification in this
regard. A government order, dated February 12, also said, the terms and
conditions of her service will be notified by a separate order. Confirming her
new position in the state, Mitra told, It is like homecoming.
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GOVERNMENT APPROVES 54 KILLER DRONES FROM ISRAEL FOR INDIAN
AIR FORCE
In a major boost for
Indian Air Force's unmanned warfare capability, the Defence Ministry has approved
54 Israeli HAROP attack drones which can crash into high-value enemy military
targets to destroy them completely. The Air Force already has an inventory of
around 110 of these drones which have now been renamed as P-4. These are
equipped with electro-optical sensors to loiter over high-value military
targets such as surveillance bases and radar stations before exploding them. A
proposal to acquire these 54 attack drones was approved by the Defence Ministry
at a high-level meeting last week, defence sources told. Americans have been
using the combat drones to carry out targeted assassinations of terrorist
leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan but the relatively slow unmanned
vehicles are not known to be very effective in warfare where the opposition
also has a strong air force.
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REVIEW PLEA FILED IN SUPREME COURT ON FACULTY QUOTA
The Centre has filed a
review petition in the Supreme Court on Tuesday to undo the Allahabad High
Court order on faculty reservations in universities. The Allahabad High Court
order of 2017 had made each university department the ‘unit’ for calculating
reserved category posts instead of treating the whole university as a unit as
has been the case so far. The apex court had, on January 22, upheld the 2017 HC
order and dismissed the Centre’s special leave petition challenging it. The
review petition is learnt to have cited latest data assessments from 20 central
universities that showed the impact of the order on reserved categories. At the
same time, general category representation could rise by 25%-40% if the HC
mandated formula is followed.
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NDA'S DEAL 2.86% CHEAPER THAN UPA'S IN 2007: CAG REPORT ON
RAFALE
Country's top auditor
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said in its report that the Rafale
fighter jet deal signed in 2016 was 2.86 per cent cheaper than the UPA's deal
in 2007 The much-awaited CAG audit report on Capital Acquisitions in Indian Air
Force was tabled in Rajya Sabha that include the government to government
Rafale deal signed between India and France. Blunting opposition charges of
overpricing, the 141-page CAG report has mentioned that the fly away price of
the jet is same as agreed in the 2007 by the UPA government.
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MAJOR PORTS REGISTER POSITIVE GROWTH OF 3.11%
The major ports in India
have recorded a growth of 3.11% and together handled 578.86 Million Tonnes of
cargo during the period April to January, 2019 as against 561.39 Million Tonnes
handled during the corresponding period of previous year. For the period from
April’18- January 2019, Nine Ports Kolkata (incl. Haldia), Paradip,
Visakhapatnam, Kamarajar, Chennai, Cochin, New Mangalore, JNPT and Deendayal
have registered positive growth in traffic.
Cargo traffic handled at
Major Ports
·
The highest growth was
registered by Kamarajar Port (15.56%), followed by Kolkata [inc. Haldia]
(9.86%), Cochin (8 %), JNPT (7.46%) and Paradip(6.4%)
·
Kamarajar Port growth was
mainly due to increase in traffic of Container (21.7%), Other Misc. Cargo
(41.23%), Other Liquids (11.63%),POL(9.14%) and Thermal & Steam Coal
(5.18%).
·
In Kolkata Port, overall
growth was 9.86%. Kolkata Dock System (KDS) registered traffic growth of 4.68%.
Whereas Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) registered a growth of 12.11%.
·
During the period April’18
to January 2019, Deendayal (Kandla) Port handled the highest volume of traffic
i.e. 94.55 Million tonnes (16.33% share), followed by Paradip with 89.98
Million Tonnes (15.54% share), JNPT with 58.6 Million Tonnes (10.12% share),
Visakhapatnam with 54.73 Million Tonnes (9.45% share) and Kolkata (inc. Haldia)
with 52.18 Millon Tonnes (9.01% share). Together, these ports handled around
60% of Major Port Traffic.
·
Commodity-wise percentage
share of POL was maximum i.e. 33.35%, followed by Container (20.8%), Thermal
& Steam Coal (14.95%), Other Misc. Cargo (10.51%), Coking & Other Coal
(8.26%), Iron Ore & Pellets (5.71%), Other Liquid (4.20%), Finished
Fertilizer (1.21%) and FRM (1.01%).
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MOST PARTIES HAVE REPOSED FAITH IN EVMS, SAYS
CEC
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said Tuesday most
parties have reposed their faith in Electronic Voting Machines but expressed
regret that some sections made it part of a motivated slugfest. He noted that
there was a difference between tampering and malfunctioning (of EVMs) and
asserted that not a single case of tampering had been established so far. The
CEC, however, remained non-committal on the demand raised by various parties
for counting of VVPAT slips though he said a vigorous exercise would be
launched to create awareness on the VVPATs. Most parties reposed their faith in
voting through the EVM, though some asked for counting of more VVPAT slips.
Some wanted more hands-on demonstrations of the machines to familiarise voters
on how to use these machines for voting to instill more confidence, the CEC
said. Arora said the group of experts from Indian Statistical Organisation and
National Sample Survey Organisation would submit its report soon on the
possibility of counting VVPATs.
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GOVERNMENT 'VINDICTIVE', HARASSING MY
75-YEAR-OLD MOTHER, ALLEGES ROBERT VADRA
Robert Vadra, who is being probed by the Enforcement
Directorate in various cases, Tuesday alleged the Modi government was being
vindictive and was harassing his 75-year-old mother as elections were
approaching. Vadra, asked as to why the government took four years and eight
months in calling him for questioning, a month before campaigning begins for
the general elections. Do they think people in India do not view it as an
election gimmick? he said in a Facebook post. Three deaths and all I did was to
ask her to spend time with me in my office, so I can look after her and we both
could grieve on our losses, while spending time together, he said. Vadra
alleged that his mother was now being accused, maligned and called to be
interrogated, for spending time in his office.
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SFIO TO INTERROGATE EIGHT ACCUSED IN YERAWADA
JAIL
The special MPID court on Monday allowed a plea of the Serious
Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) to interrogate all the eight accused arrested
in the DSK fraud case for two days from February 18 in the Yerawada central
jail. The ministry of corporate affairs on January 18, 2018, had ordered the
SFIO to investigate the DSK group of companies after an inspection report
submitted by the Registrar of Companies (ROC), Pune, on September 28, 2017, had
highlighted various fraudulent activities allegedly by developer D S Kulkarni
alias DSK and his group of firms for making unlawful gains. The ministry’s
western regional director in Mumbai had directed the ROC, Pune, to conduct the
inspection after regulatory body Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)
had forwarded a complaint against the DSK group to the ministry. On Monday,
lawyer Pradeep Yadav, appearing for the SFIO, moved an application on behalf of
the investigating officer seeking the court’s permission to allow them to
interrogate all the eight arrested accused in the jail. I am not authorized to
speak about the details of the SFIO investigation. The court has allowed
interrogation of the accused in jail on February 18 and 19, Yadav told.
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RELIANCE DEFENCE REJECTS RAHUL'S CHARGES,
SAYS 'PROPOSED MOU' CITED BY HIM NOT ON RAFALE
Reliance Defence on Tuesday said the proposed MoU mentioned in
a purported email cited by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his fresh
allegations on the Rafale deal was a reference to its cooperation with Airbus
Helicopter and had no connection with the fighter jet contract Gandhi on
Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of treason and violating the
Official Secrets Act by acting as Anil Ambani's middleman in the Rafale jet
contract, citing an email to claim the businessman was aware of the deal days
before India and France signed it. Purported email being referred by the
Congress Party is regarding the discussion between Airbus and Reliance Defence
regarding Civil & Defence Helicopter Programs under 'Make in India', a
Reliance Defence spokesperson said in a statement. Gandhi released to the media
an email dated March 28, 2015 purportedly written by Airbus executive Nicolas
Chamussy to three recipients with the subject line Ambani. He claimed the email
showed Ambani visited then French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's office
and mentioned an MoU in preparation and the intention to sign during the PM
visit (to France). The discussion on proposed MoU was clearly with reference to
cooperation between Airbus Helicopter and Reliance. It had no connection
whatsoever with Government to Government Agreement between France and India for
36 Rafale aircraft, the Reliance Defence spokesperson said. It is in public
domain that Airbus Helicopter has partnered with Mahindra for the Military
Helicopter Programme, the spokesperson added. Also, for the record, the MoU for
Rafale aircraft was signed between France and India on January 25 2016 and not
in April 2015. From the above, it is evident that the facts are being
deliberately twisted and reality being ignored, the company said.
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JAITLEY SLAMS CONGRESS FOR PEDDLING LIES ON
RAFALE TO SAVE SINKING DYNASTY
Arun Jaitley Tuesday accused the party of peddling lies on the
Rafale deal to save a sinking dynasty and manufacturing a new falsehood every
day. Jaitley, in a Facebook post, rejected allegations of conflict of interest
of CAG Rajiv Mehrishi saying he never dealt with any file or paper relating to
the fighter jet deal during his tenure in the Finance Ministry in 2014-15. How
many more lies will be peddled to sustain a sinking dynast? India, certainly
deserves better, Jaitley said. Stating that the contagion effect of falsehood
is fairly large, Jaitley said the lies spread by the Congress have spread to
other colleagues in the Mahajhootbandhan. In relation to the Rafale deal where thousands
of crores of public money has been saved a new falsehood is manufactured on a
daily basis. The latest is in relation to the present CAG and his participation
in the decision making process of Rafale, Jaitley said. I say this without fear
of contradiction that no file or paper relating to the Rafale transaction ever
reached him nor was he in any way, directly or indirectly, associated with the
decision making on defence purchases. Expenditure to be incurred on purchases
by various departments of the Government needs the approval of Secretary
(Expenditure), he said. Jaitley said the dynast knows that his 500 crore vs
1600 crore kindergarten argument was a fictional story. No one would ever buy
it because facts don't support it. Even before the contents of CAG report are
known, a 'Peshbandi' attack on the institution of the CAG is launched, Jaitley
said. Without naming Gandhi, Jaitley said the dynast and his friends have in
the past even attacked the Supreme Court when it rejected the writ petition on
Rafale. The Rs 30,000 crore favour to a private company is non-existent. The
use of sliced document by a newspaper is unprecedented in the history. The use
of an incomplete document is certainly not in consonance with the spirit of
free speech. The 'no integrity pact' argument is belied by the fact that even
in earlier purchases through inter-governmental agreement with Russia and the
United States, such pacts were not there. Now without a shred of evidence, a
fictional conflict of interest of the CAG is invented, he said. Jaitley said
truth is both precious and sacrosanct and in mature democracies those who
deliberately rely on falsehood are banished from public life.
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ONLY THE CORRUPT HAVE PROBLEMS WITH
CHOKIDAAR: PM MODI HITS BACK AT RAHUL GANDHI, SAYS HONEST HAVE FULL FAITH IN
GOVT
Hitting out at the Congress
party and the Grand Alliance of opposition parties, Modi said that the
government under his leadership has eradicated the scourge of middlemen Middlemen
and those who loot rights of poor have been eradicated from the system. Today,
all honest people have faith in ‘chowkidaar’, Modi said. He added, Lekin jo
bhrasht hain unko Modi se kasht hai (But those who are corrput have are in
pain). The faces of ‘mahamilavat’ are in a competition among themselves to
threaten court, CBI, and abuse Modi. The Prime Minister laid the foundation
stones of five projects in Haryana that include three projects of the health
and Ayush ministries alone.
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CHINA'S FILM INDUSTRY IS PARALYSED AND A $ 1.7-BN TAX DEMAND
IS THE REASON
One day last July, Fan
Bingbing, China’s highest-paid movie star, seemed to vanished from the face of
the earth. Her disappearance occurred around the time the government opened an
investigation into Chinese film industry tax practices Both her fans and film
executives feared the worst. But in October Fan reappeared as mysteriously as
she had vanished. She made a public apology to her fans and agreed to pay more
than $100 million in back taxes. The 37-year-old Fan’s public humiliation
unleashed a deep chill in an industry that until recently had been humming
along. Every week brought fresh reports of stars and companies under scrutiny.
Industry tycoons coughed up a stunning $1.7 billion in back taxes after the
government urged them to engage in self-examination and self-correction. That,
in turn, has prompted a flurry of TV and movie cancellations and even the
liquidation of entire companies. Some of the biggest stars and directors are
being looked at very closely, says Albert Lee, a former executive at Hong
Kong-based Emperor Motion Pictures. That makes people very, very nervous.There
have been faint attempts to push back at what many see as unfairly tarnishing
an entire industry. In December, a group of prominent directors published a
letter accusing the government of forcing law-abiding filmmakers to pay for the
sins of a few. We express greatest anger toward some unfair public opinions
that stigmatize the entire industry, the China Film Directors' Guild wrote.
Between 2008 and 2018, the number of movies produced in China nearly doubled to
around 1,000 while the number of movie screens climbed from 4,000 to more than
40,000. The domestic TV business, meanwhile, has surged thanks to billions of
new investment from technology companies Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu.
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DID ANDHRA GOVT SANCTION RS 11 CR FOR NAIDU'S DELHI PROTEST?
TDP DIFFERS
If the Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s one-day long hunger strike in Delhi did
indeed cause the state exchequer a whopping Rs 11 crore protests are becoming
an expensive affair. The state government reportedly released an order on
February 6 allocating Rs 11.12 crore as part of the protest expenditure. The
state government booked two special trains with twenty coaches each to ferry
those attending the protest. The government reportedly sanctioned Rs 1.2 crore
for the same and released another Rs 10 crore for meeting the expenditure of
the one-day protest in New Delhi. Around 1100 rooms were also booked for those
attending the protest. Government of Andhra Pradesh has decided to hire two
special trains with 20 compartments each from South Central Railways,
Secunderabad, i.e., starting one (1) train from Ananthapuramu and another from
Srikakulam to reach New Delhi by 10.02.2019 to transport interested Political
parties, organisations, NGOs associations, etc.. to participate in one day
Deeksha (Protest) at New Delhi on 11.02.2019 to be led by the chief minister,
stated the government release. The government order stated that the money was
to be spent on transportation of participants from different regions of Andhra
Pradesh and payments of other bills.
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MADRAS HC JUNKS PLEA TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO TAKE OWN FOOD INTO
THEATRES
The Madras high court on
Monday dismissed a PIL seeking direction to cinema theatres to permit public to
bring their own food and eatables to the movie halls A division bench of
Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad passed the dismissal order
while noting that theatre is a private property and that there is no
constitutional or any statutory rights recognised under law permitting public
to carry their own food to theatres. The plea was moved by advocate S
Tamizhventhan. He wanted the court to direct the chief secretary to consider
his representation seeking to take steps to permit public to bring their own
food to cinema halls. According to the petitioner, even the basic requirements
such as water bottles, breads and biscuits, snacks, food for children are not
permitted while there is no law prohibiting such items into theatres.
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INDIA SIGNS CONTRACT WITH U.S. FIRM FOR 72,400 ASSAULT RIFLES
After repeated attempts to
equip the infantry soldier with a basic rifle, the Army on February 12 signed a
contract with Sig Sauer of the U.S. for 72,400 SIG 716 assault rifles for the
frontline soldier deployed in operational areas. A contract for procurement of
72,400 assault rifles through Fast Track Procurement (FTP) was signed with Sig
Sauer of U.S. on February 12, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Of the
72,400 rifles, 66.400 are for the Army, 2,000 for the Navy and 4,000 for the
Indian Air Force. The broad parameters for the assault rifle are an effective
range of 500m and weigh less than 3kg. The entire quantity would be delivered
within 12 months from the date of signing the contract.
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WITH PAPER PLANES, CONGRESS MPS PROTEST OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT
OVER RAFALE DEAL
Raising slogans against
the Narendra Modi government, Congress lawmakers protested outside Parliament
on Wednesday over the Rafale deal. Party president Rahul Gandhi led the
demonstration in which Congress lawmakers were seen carrying paper planes and
posters, alleging scam in the multi-crore fighter jet deal. UPA chairperson
Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were also present in the
protest near the Gandhi statue in Parliament complex. Stepping up his attack on
Modi over the Rafale issue, the Congress president cited a media report to
claim that the prime minister's argument of better pricing and faster delivery
of the jets to defend the deal has been demolished. His attack came after a
report in The Hindu newspaper claimed that the Rafale deal was not on better
terms than the UPA-era offer.
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133 MN NEW JOBS MAY EMERGE IN SHAKE UP BETWEEN HUMANS AND
MACHINE:OECD
The OECD has estimated
creation of over 133 million new jobs by 2022 in the shake-up between humans
and machines. At the same time, 75 million jobs, however, may be displaced, it
was revealed at the World Government Summit. The Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) called on governments and institutions around the world to
collaborate far more closely around the Fourth Industrial Revolution to harness
opportunities of technological change to end poverty, curb inequalities,
confront discrimination and ensure that people are not left behind. Globally,
200 million fewer women are online than men. Gurria said countries across the
world are at different stages of the digital revolution and some people will be
left behind.
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LIES OF 'MAHAJHOOTBANDHAN' STAND EXPOSED BY CAG REPORT ON
RAFALE DEAL: ARUN JAITLEY
Union Minister Arun
Jaitley Wednesday said the lies of the Congress and opposition parties stand
exposed by the CAG report on Rafale, which reaffirms the dictum that truth
shall prevail. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on Rafale,
tabled in the Rajya Sabha, said that the deal negotiated by the NDA in 2016 was
2.86 per cent cheaper than what was negotiated by the UPA in 2007. It cannot be
that the Supreme Court is wrong, the CAG is wrong and only the dynast is right.
Satyameva Jayate - the truth shall prevail. The CAG Report on Rafale reaffirms
the dictum, Jaitley said in a series of tweet. He said, the CAG report outlines
that 2016 deal terms were lower in terms of price, faster in terms of delivery,
while ensuring better maintenance and lower escalation. The lies of
'Mahajhootbandhan' stand exposed by the CAG Report. How does democracy punish
those who consistently lied to the nation?, he questioned in the tweet.
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CENTRE APPROVES JUST 19% DROUGHT RELIEF FUNDS FOR STATES
States that faced droughts
in three years (2015-16 to 2017-18) were left to fend for themselves as the
Centre approved a meagre assistance of 19 per cent against the help sought by
them to tackle droughts. The State governments had asked for financial
assistance of ₹1,23,605 crore during the three years under the National
Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). However, the Centre provided just ₹23,190
crore. The data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
show that Tamil Nadu was the least favoured as it received just 4 per cent
funds against the total demand. In 2016-17, the Tamil Nadu government had urged
the Centre to sanction ₹39,565 crore from the NDRF. Out of 16,682 revenue villages in
the State, 13,305 villages were identified as drought-affected. The ground
assessment exercise carried out in 1,564 villages had revealed that in about 87
per cent of the area, the extent of the damage was more than 50 per cent
indicating that the drought was ‘severe’ in a majority of the villages.
However, the Centre released only ₹1,748.28 crore to the
State. The State did not ask for any funds under NDRF during these three years
after the Centre’s rebuff. Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh demanded funds every
year under NDRF. Rajasthan asked for ₹21,648 crore and received ₹2,387
crore or 11 per cent of the total funds sought. Andhra Pradesh sought
assistance of ₹5,193 crore and received ₹1,065 crore (21 per cent).
Among the States that received maximum funds, Uttarakhand topped the list. It
received 76 per cent of the assistance sought. However, the State had asked for
just ₹91,97 crore in three years. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra
received 45- per cent and 38-per cent assistance respectively. Majority of the
States had asked funds for tackling drought. But Rajasthan asked for assistance
of ₹4,372 crore to tackle hailstorm in 2015-16, while Maharashtra
asked for ₹3,373 crore to help farmers control pest attack.
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RAO, CBI LEGAL ADVISOR LEAVE COURTROOM AFTER
SERVING SC'S DAY-LONG SENTENCE
M Nageswara Rao and the probe agency's legal advisor S
Bhasuram left the courtroom after serving their day-long sentence for contempt.
The apex court held them guilty of contempt for wilfully disobeying its order
by transferring CBI Joint Director A K Sharma, who was probing the Bihar
shelter home sexual assault cases, as additional director general of CRPF on
January 17. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi did not allow the
second attempt of Attorney General K K Venugopal at 3:40 pm that the contemnor
officers be allowed to leave. Go to one corner of the court and sit down till
the rising of this court, the court had said in the forenoon.
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SC REFERS TO 7-JUDGE BENCH ISSUE OF
DETERMINING CORRECTNESS OF MINORITY STATUS TO AMU
The Supreme Court Tuesday referred to seven-judge bench the issue
of determining the correctness of minority status granted to Aligarh Muslim
University. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi referred
the matter to the larger bench for defining the parameters for grant of
minority status to educational institutions. The then UPA-led centre government
had filed an appeal against the 2006 verdict of the Allahabad High Court
holding that the varsity was not a minority institution. The varsity
administration had also filed a separate plea against the high court verdict on
the issue. The BJP government at the Centre had in 2016 told the apex court
that it will withdraw the appeal filed by the erstwhile UPA government. It said
a five-judge Constitution bench in 1968 in the Aziz Basha case had held that
AMU was a central university and not a minority institution. After the 1968
verdict, the AMU (Amendment) Act, 1981 came into force.
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RAJASTHAN: PROPERTIES WORTH RS 100 CR ATTACHED BY INCOME TAX
DEPARTMENT
The Benami Prohibition
Unit (BPU) of the Income Tax Department Rajasthan has taken big action on
Jaipur-Delhi Highway. The department has attached 66 anonymous properties worth
Rs100 crore under the Benami Property Transaction Prohibition Act, 1988. In
Kukas and Khoramina villages, Ramji Lal Meena and Ramdhan Meena had invested
heavily in the land, but their financial condition was not good to buy these
properties. This is the biggest action in the state till date. The documents
obtained in the search conducted at the Jagatpura residence of the member of
Investigation Branch of the Income Tax Department Ram Kripal Sisodiya proved
that Sisodia was the real owner of these benami lands. Along with these
attachments, the BPU of Rajasthan has attached 317 anonymous assets so far,
whose total value is about Rs 1050 crore. In the investigation of the BPU, it
was revealed that separate accounts were opened in the names of Ramjilal Meena
and Ramdhan Meena in Kotak Mahindra Bank at Sardar Patel Marg and Punjab
National Bank at Raja Park to buy these lands. A total of 29 lands are under
Ramji Lal and 33 under Ramdhan’s name. It was also revealed in the report of
BPU that a total of Rs20.63 crore was invested in the name of Ramjilal to buy
these lands, out of which, Rs 16.27 crore was invested in cash. Similarly, in
the name of Ramdhan, a total investment of Rs. 14.42 crore was invested, out of
which, Rs. 6.46 crore was in cash.
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PRIME MINISTER SHOULD BE BOOKED UNDER OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT:
RAHUL GANDHI
Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday
said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be booked under the Official Secrets
Act for allegedly divulging confidential defence information relating to the
Rafale fighter aircraft deal to industrialist Anil Ambani. Citing an e-mail,
Mr. Gandhi said Mr. Ambani was already in talks with the French government and
had told them about signing of a memorandum of understanding days before the
Rafale deal was signed. This is breach of Official Secrets Act. The Prime
Minister who was aware of the deal told Mr. Anil Ambani. The PM is acting as
Anil Ambani's middleman. This nothing less than treason, he said.
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HC SEEKS CENTRE'S REPLY ON TATA SKY PLEA
AGAINST SEIZURE OF STBS FOR NOT DECLARING MRP
The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought the Centre's response on a
plea by direct broadcast satellite television provider Tata Sky challenging
seizure of its set-top box (STB) packages for not declaring the maximum retail
price on them. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued
notice to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs seeking its stand on the petition
that has also challenged the constitutional validity of a rule which makes it
mandatory to declare MRP on STB packages. The court directed the ministry to
indicate its stand on the issue by March 1, the next date of hearing. Besides
seeking the setting aside of the seizure report of January 17, the Tata Sky
also requested the Rule 4 of the Legal Metrology Rules, which makes declaring
of MRP on STB packages mandatory, be quashed. It also said that since the
packages were not for sale, there was no need to indicate the MRP on them.
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CHANDRABABU NAIDU MARCHES TO RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN,
DEMANDS SPECIAL STATUS FOR ANDHRA FROM PRESIDENT
N Chandrababu Naidu along with TDP MPs and MLAs met President
Ramnath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday and raised demand for special
status for the state The delegation marched from Andhra Pradesh Bhavan to Rashtrapati
Bhavan and presented a memorandum to the President with 18 demands, including
the Bifurcation Act promises and special status to the state.
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PRIME MINISTER IS NOT CHOR BUT PURE, ONLY CURE TO ALL
PROBLEMS: RAJNATH SINGH
Rajnath Singh on Tuesday
said it is shameful that the president of a national party uses such words for
a PM. Singh added that Modi is not chor but pure A president of a national
party is making such allegations against our prime minister. I want to say that
our prime minister is not chor but pure. And his becoming prime minister again
is for sure, said Singhh. As the workers chanted ‘Modi Modi’, Singh asserted
this is the only cure to all the problems of this country.
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DELHI COURT SENDS RAJEEV SAXENA TO JUDICIAL CUSTODY TILL FEB
18, ORDERS HIS MEDICAL CHECK-UP
A Delhi court Tuesday sent
Rajeev Saxena, arrested in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland money laundering
case, to judicial custody till February 18. Special Judge Arvind Kumar also
directed Saxena's medical check up at AIIMS and sought a report by 2 pm
tomorrow. Saxena, whose ED custody ended today had sought to talk to judge
Kumar in private, without the presence of his lawyers, after which the court
had initiated in-camera proceedings in the case.
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BJP SLAMS CHHATTISGARH GOVT FOR RENAMING FIVE SCHEMES
The newly-formed Congress
government in Chhattisgarh has rechristened five schemes named after late Jan
Sangh leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya by the previous BJP-led dispensation.
These schemes of the urban administration and development department have now
been named after former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and
architect of the Indian Constitution Dr. B R Ambedkar. The opposition BJP,
however, expressed unhappiness saying the step indicated political
vindictiveness. The order to rename the schemes was issued on Monday night, a
senior government official here told. As per the order, Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya
Swavlamban Yojna has been renamed as Rajiv Gandhi Swavlamban Yojna while Pt
Deendayal Upadhyaya Sarvasamaj Manglik Bhavan Yojna will now be known as Dr. B
R Ambedkar Sarvasamaj Manglik Bhavan Yojna, the official said.
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JANUARY CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS: INDIA RAISES THE MATTER WITH
PAKISTAN
India has strongly raised
the matter of ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the month of January. There
were 216 ceasefires violation by Pakistan in the month of January 2019 in which
two BSF personnel were injured and one martyred. 2018, on the other hand, saw
2140 ceasefire violation by Pakistan in which 14 BSF personnel were martyred
and 53 injured. Hansraj Ahir said, Diplomatically, India has repeatedly
emphasised, including at the highest level, the need for Pakistan to uphold the
sanctity of the Line of Control (LC) and abide by the ceasefire commitments
along the International Border and LC.
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CARLOS GHOSN PAYMENTS UNDER-REPORTED; NISSAN BOOKS ADDITIONAL
$84 MILLION IN EXPENSES
Nissan Motor Co said it
had booked around $84 million in charges related to under-reported compensation
for ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn, and slashed its annual profit outlook on
weaker global sales. Ghosn, arrested and detained in Tokyo since Nov. 19, has
been indicted in Japan on charges of under-reporting his salary at Nissan over
2010-2018. He has denied the deferred pay was illegal or required disclosure. Nissan
said on Tuesday that it had recognised around 9 billion yen ($84 million) in
additional expenses linked to payments to Ghosn. The statement was part of
Nissan’s quarterly results announcement, its first since Ghosn’s November
arrest on allegations of financial misconduct. The scandal at Nissan comes at a
time when the automaker, together with its domestic rivals including Toyota
Motor Corp, is struggling with sluggish sales and falling profit in North
America, a key market. Their margins have been squeezed as they resorted to
steep discounts to drive up demand in a competitive U.S. market where sales
have plateaued near record highs. The Japanese automaker cut its full-year
profit forecast to 450 billion yen from 540 billion yen previously on
persistent weakness in global sales.
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NO SOVEREIGN GUARANTEE WITH RUSSIA IN S-400 DEAL
India’s S-400 missile
defence system deal with Russia doesn’t have a sovereign guarantee as the
process of inter-government agreements with countries like Russia and the US
are already streamlined, top IAF officers said on Tuesday. The statement comes
at a time when a political controversy has erupted over a media report about
Indian government having made concessions by allegedly dropping some key
clauses relating to anti-corruption penalties and sovereign guarantee in the
controversy-hit Rafale fighter jet deal with France. While opposition parties
have raised questions about such clauses having been dropped, the ruling BJP
and the government have rejected corruption allegations. Replying to a question
here during a press interaction on the IAF’s fire power demonstration Vayu
Shakti 2019 at Phokran ranges later this week, Air Marshal V R Chaudhari,
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, said, There is no sovereign guarantee in the
S-400 deal with Russia The process of the government-to-government agreement
with Russia and America are generally already streamlined, or should I say
evolved. With other countries, it may not have evolved, as the
government-to-government (agreement) may have been the first or just initiated,
he said.
#For Source of Information copy and paste the heading in google.
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
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