Customs Procedures Simplified for Shipping

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE CENTRAL BOARD OF EXCISE & CUSTOMS NEW DELHI CIRCULAR NO 02/2015-Cus., Dated: January 15, 2015 To The Chief Commissioner of Customs/Customs (Preventive) The Chief Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise The Commissioner of Customs/Customs (Preventive) The Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise Subject: Simplification of Customs procedures for shipping - regarding. The avoidable delays on account of non-uniform Customs procedures adopted at some ports/Customs stations not only increase transaction cost and time of clearance but also prove to be major constraints in making Indian ports international transshipment hubs. Therefore, a Committee was set up by Ministry of Shipping for simplification of shipping related Customs procedures. The Committee has made, interalia, certain recommendations for implementation by Customs: 2. Board has examined the recommendations of the said Committee in consultation with identified Chief Commissioners of Customs. Accordingly, the following decisions have been taken to streamline the extant procedures at various ports: (i) It is reported that the number of hard copies of Import General Manifest (IGM) filed by shipping lines/steamer agents varies from 2 to 6 at various ports. Board, has noted that the Customs is already receiving the IGM electronically as well. The requirement of large number of hard copies of this document leads to unnecessary escalation of compliance cost. Therefore, taking into account the requirement of Customs as well the fact that an electronic version of IGM is already available, Board has decided that henceforth the number of hard copes of IGM required to be submitted by shipping lines/steamer agents at a Customs House shall be restricted to 2 (two) only. (ii) The port clearance requires submission of numerous documents on behalf of other agencies - Lighthouse Dues Certificate, NOC for Immigration, Port Health Certificate etc. At present, the port clearance is given on the strength of a bond and a guarantee which are given each time a vessel enters. As a measure of simplification, Board has decided to give an option to the steamer agent to (a) give a continuity bond and (b) merge the guarantee with the continuity bond. This would reduce the number required documents from 2 (two) to 1 (one) and periodicity (of submission) would also get reduced drastically. (iii) Reportedly, in case of transshipped cargo, shipping lines send multiple hard copies of 'Sub Manifest Transhipment Permit' (SMTP) to the destination ICD despite the same also being transmitted electronically. However, there may be situations warranting hard copy of the document such as when amendments have to be made. Recognizing the need for reducing number of copies of SMTP, Board has decided that only 1 (one) copy of SMTP would be sufficient and Customs at ICD should not insist on more number of hard copies of SMTP. (iv) Currently , separate permissions are required whenever the mode of transport of transhipment containers changes from train to road or vice versa. The view is that this may be dispensed with since the carrier has already executed a bond for safe carriage of the goods to the destination port/ICD. With a view to boost inter-modal transportation of transshipped cargo and simply procedure, Board has decided that henceforth no separate permission is required from jurisdictional Customs in case of change of mode of transshipment under the Goods Imported (Conditions of Transhipment) Regulations, 1995. However, the carrier is required to intimate the change to the jurisdictional Commissioner of Customs who will ensure the bond covers both modes of transport. 3. Chief Commissioners of Customs/Customs and Central Excise are requested to ensure that the aforementioned decisions are complied with strictly by field formations in their jurisdiction. Suitable Trade notice/Public Notice may also be issued for guidance of trade and staff. 4. Difficulty, faced if any, may be brought to the notice of the Board. F. No. 450/221/2014-Cus IV (Pawan Khetan) OSD ( Cus IV)

Supreme Court Stay on Service Tax Audit

SC stays Travelite India (Delhi HC) judgment striking down service tax rule 5A(2)

January 12, 2015[2015] 53 taxmann.com 238 (SC)

 

Service Tax : Supreme Court stayed operation of judgment of Delhi High Court in Travelite (India) holding that : (a) only type of audit contemplated under law is under section 72A, i.e., a special audit; (b) Parliament did not intend to provide for a general audit that "every assessee" may be subjected to "on demand" under rule 5A(2); and (c) rule 5A(2) of Service Tax rules, 1994 is ultra vires section 94

■■■

[2015] 53 taxmann.com 238 (SC)

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

Union of India

v.

Travelite (India)*

H.L. DATTU, CJI.
A.K. SIKRI AND R.K. AGRAWAL, JJ.

Special Leave to Appeal (Civil) No. 34872 of 2014

DECEMBER  18, 2014 

Rule 5A of the Service Tax Rules, 1994, read with sections 72A, 83 and 94 of the Finance Act, 1994 and section 37B of the Central Excise Act, 1944 - Audit - Service Tax - Submission of Records - Assessee received a letter from Commissioner seeking records for scrutiny by an audit party - Assessee challenged said letter and also challenged rule 5A(2) as well as Instruction F. No. 137/26/2007-CX.4, dated 1-1-2008 issued there under as ultra vires Act on ground that there is no substantive power under Act to call for records and audit is provided only by section 72A and, therefore, mandate of section 72A cannot be exceeded - High Court held that : (a) Section 72A envisages an audit of an assessee's records only in special circumstances; (b) Revenue could not show any other substantive provision which justifies a probe into records of assessee, under conditions akin to those contemplated by rule 5A(2); (c) Parliament did not intend to provide for a general audit that "every assessee" may be subjected to, "on demand"; (d) thus, any attempt to include provision for such a general audit through back-door, such as through rule 5A(2) is ultra-vires; likewise, CBEC instruction was also void - On Department's Special Leave Petition to Supreme Court - HELD : There shall be stay of operation of judgment of High Court [Para 1] [Stay granted]

CASE REVIEW

 

Travelite (India) v. Union of India [2014] 48 taxmann.com 227/[2014] 46 GST 708 (Delhi) stayed.

Mukul Rohatgi, Attorney General Nisha Bagchi, Charul Sarin and B. Krishna Prasad, Advs. for the Appellant.

ORDER

 

1. There shall be stay of the operation of the impugned judgment and order dated 4-8-2014 passed by the High Court in Writ Petition (C) No.3774 of 2013.

■■

*In favour of revenue.

 

 

CPT CA final results

Final Examination and  CPT) held in November/December, 2014 are likely to be declared on Monday, the 19th January, 2015 around 2.00 PM.

Exposure Draft of Ind AS compliant Schedule III to the Companies Act 2013 for Public comments

ICAI has issued Exposure Draft of Ind AS compliant Schedule III to the Companies Act 2013 for Public comments.

Schedule III will be the presentation format for companies under IFRS-converged Ind ASs. Last date for comment submission is January 17, 2015. Now u can acess the ED and can submit the comment online at the following link:

http://www.icai.org/comments/asb/viewdetailcomment.html?commentdoc_id=11

Most TP Audit Report by CAs unreliable with pathetic professional work

Most TP Audit Report by CAs unreliable with pathetic professional work

Wrigley India Pvt Ltd vs. ACIT (ITAT Delhi), I.T.A. Nos. 5648, 5649 and 5650/Del/12, Date of pronouncing the order : December 31, 2014.

It seems CAs are under attack from all parts of the world for good or not so good reasons. Recently CAG in its report Criticised CAs for alleged Mistakes in Tax Audit Report and signing of Tax Audit Reports  more than the prescribed limit.

ITAT Mumbai has also sounded warning on falling standards of CA profession in the case of Vijay V Meghani vs. DCIT. 

In One more  blow Finance Ministry has already Proposed to amend the definition of the word Accountant under the Direct Tax law and to include Cost Accountant,  Company Secretary etc. in the definition.  This will enable other professionals also  to Conduct Tax Audit and other Certification under the Income Tax which is till now the sole domain of Chartered Accountants.

In a new blow to CA Professionals ITAT Delhi has held in the case of Wrigley India Pvt Ltd vs. ACIT has drawn the following conclusion from Transfer pricing Study Reports prepared by CAs and studied by them over a period of time:-

1. These TP reports as also certifications by the chartered accounts inspire no confidence.
2. Nothing can justify  pathetic level of professional work done by chartered accountants.
3. Chartered Accountants also responsible for frivolous litigation.
4. No purpose served by TP Reports of  chartered accountant  when reports do not even point   glaring infirmities in taxpayers approach vis-a-vis the transfer regulation.
5.  in an alarming number cases, these audit reports, rather than painting a true and fair picture of the relevant facts, tend to epitomize the art of constant hedging and manoeuvring by the professionals so as they stay within the confines of permissible professional conduct and are yet able to sidestep the inconvenient realities.

Relevant Para of the Judgment is as follows :-

Having held so, we must also point out that the transfer pricing reports with respect to the impugned determination of ALP leave a lot to be desired. Just because the action of the authorities below, in adopting cost plus method in the above manner, is legally unsustainable, the ALP determination by the assessee cannot be taken as correct. These TP reports as also certifications by the chartered accounts inspire no confidence and, quite to the contrary, raise doubts about efficacy of the built in checks and balances in transfer pricing regulations. It is somewhat fashionable to criticize the revenue authorities for their lack of objectivity or even inefficiency but what in the world can justify such a pathetic level of professional work relied upon by even the large corporate entities. If the tax judicial system is clogged by frivolous litigation today and if the tax finality still takes decades to reach, these saviours of taxpayers are as much to be blamed for this situation as anybody else. No purpose can be served in reporting by a chartered accountant when suchreports do not even point out glaring infirmities in taxpayer's approach vis-à-vis the transfer regulation, in a comparison of budgeted profits margin with actual profit margins realized by the comparables which is stated to be ascertainment of ALP on the basis of the TNMM. It appears that in an alarming number cases, these audit reports, rather than painting a true and fair picture of the relevant facts, tend to epitomize the art of constant hedging and manoeuvring by the professionals so as they stay within the confines of permissible professional conduct and are yet able to sidestep the inconvenient realities. Of course, it will be much worse a situation if they are actually so naïve as to be oblivious of simple provisions of law, of their onerous responsibilities or of the legitimate public expectations. It is not to belittle the brilliant work being done by many a professionals but it is just to point out the dilemma of those who explore the possibilities of relying upon such audit reports and certifications, and also the inertia of those who can do something to salvage this situation and, to thus avoid an inevitable systemic rejection of the ritualistic certifications. We are particularly pained today as the financial period before us is mostly even more than a decade old and yet since the TP reports and certifications before us are, in our considered view, are so much devoid of credibility that, instead of deciding the things one way or the other, we have no choice except to remit the matter to the file of the TPO for fresh ascertainment of ALP on the basis of residuary method, i.e. TNMM. (Para 24)

(Article is Compiled by CA Sandeep Kanoi)

SOP for Administering TDS

CBDT - Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Administering TDS

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP) FOR ADMINISTERING TDS INCORPORATING THE RE-ENGINEERED PROCESSES DEVELOPED BY THE CPC-TDS

TDS is a non-obtrusive but powerful instrument to prevent tax evasion as well as to expand the tax net. TDS also minimizes tax avoidance by the taxpayer (income earners), as the payee's transaction(s) are reported to the Department by the third person. The contribution of TDS to the overall gross direct taxes collections during F.Y.2013-14 was Rs.2,71,069 crore. This is a 17.88% growth over the collections shown under this minor head from Rs.2,29,943 crore during F.Y.2012-13. Thus, TDS now contributes more than 37% to the gross direct taxes collections, emphasizing its ever growing importance.

2.  With the Centralized Processing Cell for TDS at Vaishali, Ghaziabad, the TDS administration is now driven through technology support. The CPC-TDS provides comprehensive MIS on compliance behaviour of the deductors, defaults details, PAN errors besides helping the deductor or the Department to identity & rectify mistakes. The strategy to augment revenue through TDS ought to be, therefore, a mix of enforcement, capacity building (external and internal) and leveraging of information that is now available with the Department through the CPC-TDS.

3.  With the enablement of all functionalities, available to the TDS Assessing Officer through AO Portal, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) specifying the role of Officers, who are associated with TDS administration, becomes necessary. The SOPs have been framed to address the various features in the re-engineered processes in TDS administration. The SOPs have been made on following issues :-

i. Matching the unconsumed challan.
ii. Top deductors paying less/no tax with respect to previous financial years. iii. Resolvable/Collectible TDS Demand.
iv. G-OLTAS reconciliation.
v. Corporate connect for TDS compliance.

Disclosure of Information About Taxpayers

U/S 138 of the Income-Tax Act, 1961 - Disclosure of information about taxpayers to media - Circular - Dated 1-1-2015 - Income Tax

OFFICE MEMORANDUM DATED 1-1-2015

Instances have come to the notice of the Board where information pertaining to individual taxpayers has been published in the print media with specific reference to departmental sources. In some cases, even details contained in departmental documents seem to have been shared with the representatives of media.

Attention of all the officers and officials of the Department is drawn to the provisions of section 138 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 read with notifications issued under that section, which obligates that no public servant shall produce before any person or authority any such document or record or any information or computerised data or part thereof as comes into his or her possession during the discharge of official duties unless specifically authorised to do so in accordance with the notifications issued under section 138 from time to time.

I am also directed to draw attention to the provisions contained in section 280 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 which provide that if a public servant furnishes any information or produces any record in contravention of the provisions of section 138(2) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, he or she will be punishable with imprisonment which may extend up to six months and shall also be liable to fine.

Privacy of taxpayer must be respected as the information respecting an assessee is held in fiduciary capacity and maintaining its confidentiality is a statutory obligation of the Department.

The above legal position is brought to the notice of all officers and officials of the Department for strict compliance. Any breach of the aforesaid statutory obligation will be viewed seriously by the Board and necessary action will be initiated.

All supervisory authorities must sensitise their subordinates about the statutory position and ensure that the Board's directions are complied with both in letter and spirit.

This issues with the approval of Chairperson, CBDT.

[F. No. DIR.(HQRS.)/CH.(DT)/29/2014]

Income Computation and Disclosure Standards (ICDS)

Ministry of Finance09-January, 2015 14:02 IST

New Draft of Twelve Income Computation and Disclosure Standards (ICDS) has been Uploaded on the Finance Ministry and Income-Tax Department Website for Seeking Comments from Stakeholders and General Public by 8th February, 2015

Sub- section (1) of Section 145 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 ('the Act') provides that the income chargeable under the head "Profits and gain of business or profession" or "Income from other sources" shall [subject to the provisions of sub-section (2)] be computed in accordance with either cash or mercantile system of accounting regularly employed by the assessee. Sub-section (2) of Section 145 provides that the Central Government may notify Income Computation and Disclosure Standards (ICDS) for any class of asssessees or for any class of income.              The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had constituted a Committee comprising departmental officers and professionals in December, 2010 to inter alia suggest standards for the purposes of notification under Section 145(2) of the Act. The Committee submitted its first Interim Report in August 2011. The Committee submitted its Final Report along with the Draft of Standards in August, 2012 which was placed in public domain for comments.              On the basis of the suggestions received from the stakeholders and examination of the same by the CBDT, the draft standards submitted by the Committee have been revised.              The new draft of 12 Income Computation and Disclosure Standards(ICDS) has been uploaded on the Finance Ministry website (www.finmin.nic.in) and Income-tax Department website(www.incometaxindia.gov.in) for comments from stakeholders and general public. The comments and suggestions on the draft ICDS may be submitted by 8th February, 2015 at the email address (dirtpl3@nic.in or rkbhoot@gmail.com) or by post at the following address with "Comments on draft ICDS" written on the envelope: ***** DSM/KA (Release ID :114471)

Extension of last date “for complying with the CPE hours requirement for the Calendar Year 2014

We would like to inform you that it has been decided to extend the last date for complying with the CPE hours requirement for the Calendar Year 2014 - from 31st December, 2014 to 31st March, 2015

Chairman
CPE Committee

Road Map Revised for Implementation of Indian Accounting Standards

Road Map Revised for Implementation of Indian Accounting Standards for Companies Other Than Banking Companies, Insurance Companies and NBFCs; Notification to Follow Soon

In pursuance of the Budget statement, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India after wide consultations with various stakeholders and regulators, has drawn-up a revised Road Map for companies other than Banking Companies, Insurance Companies and Non- Banking Finance Companies (NBFC’s) for implementation of Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) converged with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

The Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) shall be applicable to the companies as follows:

(i)On voluntary basis for financial statements for accounting periods beginning on or after April 1, 2015, with the comparatives for the periods ending 31st March, 2015 or thereafter;

(ii)On mandatory basis for the accounting periods beginning on or after April 1, 2016, with comparatives for the periods ending 31st March, 2016, or thereafter, for the companies specified below:

(a)Companies whose equity and/or debt securities are listed or are in the process of listing on any stock exchange in India or outside India and having net worth of Rs. 500 Crore or more.

(b)Companies other than those covered in (ii) (a) above, having net worth of Rs. 500 Crore or more.

(c)Holding, subsidiary, joint venture or associate companies of companies covered under (ii) (a) and (ii) (b) above.

(iii)On mandatory basis for the accounting periods beginning on or after April 1, 2017, with comparatives for the periods ending 31st March, 2017, or thereafter, for the companies specified below:

(a)Companies whose equity and/or debt securities are listed or are in the process of being listed on any stock exchange in India or outside India and having net worth of less than rupees 500 Crore.

(b)Companies other than those covered in paragraph (ii) and paragraph (iii)(a) above that is unlisted companies having net worth of rupees 250 crore or more but less than rupees 500 Crore.

(c)Holding, subsidiary, joint venture or associate companies of companies covered under paragraph (iii) (a) and (iii) (b) above.

However, Companies whose securities are listed or in the process of listing on SME exchanges shall not be required to apply Ind AS. Such companies shall continue to comply with the existing Accounting Standards unless they choose otherwise.

(iv)Once a company opts to follow the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS), it shall be required to follow the Ind AS for all the subsequent financial statements.

(v)Companies not covered by the above roadmap shall continue to apply existing Accounting Standards prescribed in Annexure to the Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules, 2006.

A notification on the above lines shall be issued shortly.

CSR rules of Companies Act

Many companies still grappling with new CSR rules of Companies Act

Realty major DLF, in its 2008 annual report, identified sponsoring the Indian Premier League as part of its responsibility as a corporate citizen. Now, many would believe that the new legislation under the Companies Act
, 2013, has removed many of the loose connotations associated with corporate social responsibility
 (CSR), but the fact remains that companies are still grappling with the new rules that are binding from the current fiscal.

Companies with a net worth of Rs 500 crore, or a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore, or net profit of Rs 5 crore, need to spend at least 2 per cent of their average net profit for the immediately preceding three financial years on CSR
 activities.

ICAI ON C&AG REPORT

ICAI ON C&AG REPORT                                         Attention has been drawn to certain issues raised on the certification work done by the members of the profession in the report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG) entitled ‘Appreciation of Third Party (Chartered Accountant) Reporting in Assessment proceedings’ (Report No. 32 of 2014).

The issues raised in said report were deliberated in the recent meeting of the Council held from 23rd to 25th December, 2014. The Council was of the view that:

1.  Issues raised in the report be studied for initiating a structured and meaningful dialogue with the office of C&AG.

2.  Necessary steps be initiated against the erring members wherever any act of professional misconduct is observed.

3.  Refer details of all such members to the Disciplinary Directorate, who are said to have done Tax Audit, under section 44AB of the Income Tax Act, 1961, more than the limit prescribed by the Institute.

4.  Develop an IT based system in coordination with the authorities concerned especially to obtain the report of total numbers of Tax Audit done by each member to find out the details of the members not adhering to the Institute’s guidelines.

5.  Call for such information, as required, from the members invoking authority under the relevant provisions of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and Regulations/ Rules framed thereunder.

6.  Keep the communication channels updated especially with the stakeholders so as to protect the interest of the profession.

7.  Create a Special Cell with proper staff to deal with these matters in an urgent manner.

V. Sagar
Acting Secretary
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
27th December, 2014

5-minute test is suggested to filter out risky companies:

n5-minute test is suggested to filter out risky companies:

Auditor’s Opinion: Read the Auditor’s Opinion in the 10-K to make sure that it is a “going concern” and that the financial statements “present fairly, in all material respects, … in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted…”.

Lawsuits: Read footnotes for legal proceedings that can seriously harm the company. Stay away if you don’t understand the full impact of a lawsuit.

Unusual losses: Check how often the company reported unusual losses (e.g. bad debt, inventory write-downs, severance payments to laid-off workers, etc.) in the last several years.

Earnings restatements: Almost every major financial disaster was preceded by an earnings restatement. Make sure the company has not restated in the last several years.

Intangibles assets ratio: [(Goodwill + other intangibles) / Total assets] should be < 20%. Intangibles can be impaired and quickly disappear from the balance sheet. In credit crunch times, intangibles are hard to sell. Large intangibles are also a sign of management overpaying for acquisitions.

Debt-to-equity ratio: [(Sum of all interest-bearing debt including working capital lines of credit, short-term debt, long-term debt, and capital leases) / Shareholders’ equity] should be <= 75%.

Revenue growth: Look for revenue growth of >= 30% over the last 5 years (cumulative, not annual figure). Best revenue growth comes from increase in units sold, followed by price increases.

Stock-based compensation ratio: [Stock-based compensation / accrual profits] <= 15%. This measures how much of the profit goes to employees rather than shareholders.

Short ratio: [Number of shares short / Float] <= 15%. If more than 15%, understand why and determine if that is justified.

BANK AUDIT 2015

The following procedure will be followed for appointment statutory branch auditors (SBAs) in public sector banks (PSBs):

(i) The list of eligible auditors/audit firms will be prepared by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) as per the norms prescribed by RBI.( LIST prepared and ready to shoot to RBI)

(ii) The above list will be subjected to scrutiny by RBI for identifying the continuing and rested firms and excluding audit firms against whom adverse remarks/disciplinary proceedings are pending or who have been denied audit.

(iii) RBI will, thereafter, forward the final list of all eligible auditors/audit firms to PSBs for selection.

(iv) The PSBs will select the required number of branch auditors/audit firms. Banks will be required to clearly advise the audit firms selected for consideration of appointment that each audit firm can take up audit assignment (branch audit) in one PSB only. The audit firm should give their consent in writing for consideration of appointment in the bank concerned for the particular year and the subsequent continuing years.( the firms whose four year term has not completed shall be on the panel of sam bank.no fresh consent shall be require)

(v) The consent given by an audit firm will be treated as irrevocable and request, if any, from audit firms for changing the bank, after giving its consent to the bank concerned will not be entertained.( some of the banks takes consent from auditor and dont carry their names to list.auditors ignore the other bank offer being consent given .Attention is required for such exercise)

(vi) After the selection of branch auditors, PSBs will be required to recommend the names of both continuing and selected branch auditors to RBI for seeking its prior approval before their actual appointment, as per statutory requirement.

3. SBAs will have a maximum tenure of four years. The appointment of SBAs will be made on an annual basis, subject to their fulfilling the eligibility norms prescribed by RBI from time to time and also subject to their suitability.

4. The number of eligible auditors / audit firms is more than the number of branches to be audited at the following 33 centres (viz. Mumbai, Kolhapur, Pune, Solapur, Thane, Kolkata, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi/ New Delhi, Ajmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Kota, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Raipur, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Panchkula, Panipat, Sonipat, Bangalore, Ernakulam, Indore, Nagpur, Ludhiana, Jodhpur, Bhilwara, and Ghaziabad). In such centres, the auditors/ audit firms will be put to a period of compulsory rest for two years after completion of four years of continuous branch audit. In other centres, where the number of eligible auditors / audit firms is less than the number of branches to be audited, the branch auditors on completion of four years of continuous branch audit will be subjected to the policy of rotation.(as per policy the other places are out of rotation but the same is being misused)

5. While allotting branches, banks are required to select auditors/audit firms which are in close proximity to their offices/branches. Banks are also required to have a suitable mix of various categories of auditors / audit firms while selecting the branch auditors keeping in view the size of the branches to be audited.( Though banks have nothing to do with the cooling of firms other than 33 places but the same is being implemented from last four years as CAs are in surplus .Though this year PDC has prescribed a list with gap)

6. As regards statutory branch audit to be carried out by SCAs, banks will allot the top 20 branches(to be selected strictly in order of the level of outstanding advances) in such a manner as to cover a minimum of 15% of total gross advances of the bank by SCAs.

CAG pulls up chartered accountants for incorrect income tax information

CAG pulls up chartered accountants for incorrect income tax information

 Coming down heavily on chartered accountants hired by the income tax department, a CAG report on Friday said their failure to submit correct tax information resulted in levying of lower taxes by as much as Rs 2,813.11 crore in 367 cases surveyed.

"We found cases where the CAs failed to report full and correct information in 367 cases leading to short levy of taxes of Rs 2,813.11 crore and where the Assessment Officers failed to utilise the information available in 102 reports or certificates submitted to them leading to short levy of taxes of Rs 1,310.05 crore," said the report of the official auditor.

"We also found in another 616 cases where CAs committed mistakes viz in allowance of exemption or deductions, charging of tax on book profit under Section 115JB, adoption of arm's length price and reporting on cash payments exceeding Rs 20,000 per day," it said.

The performance audit covered assessments completed during the period from financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13 and up to the date of audit.

In case of major audit observations, it said assessment records of previous assessment years (AYs) were also linked wherever found necessary.

"We found that 18.87 per cent of CAs (12,435 CAs) for 2013-14 issued more tax audit reports than prescribed by ICAI. We also got cases where CAs did not mention their membership numbers," it said.

Income tax department did not refer any case for professional negligence to ICAI for taking action against erring CAs, it said.

The report also said that CAs failed to give correct information relating to allowance of depreciation in 66 cases involving short levy of tax of Rs 457.79 crore

Tax auditors did not report correct information regarding brought forward loss or depreciation resulting in irregular brought forward loss or depreciation allowance in 46 cases involving short levy of tax of Rs 557.79 crore, it said.

"We have also commented on lacunae in the existing (tax) forms which need modification in order to capture full information of the affairs of assessees so that taxes are applied correctly," it said.

The CAs are regarded as facilitators for the Income Tax Department in administering the provisions of the The Income Tax Act, 1961 correctly.

The tax audit reports (TARs) or certificates issued by them serve as a valuable reference guide to the Assessing Officers (AOs) while making assessments.

 

CAG Report Exposes Shocking Carelessness And Blunders By CAs

The Comproller & Auditor General of India (CAG) has issued a report No. 32 of 2014 setting out the results of the performance audit of “Appreciation of Third Party (Chartered Accountant) Certification in Assessment Proceedings of the Department of Revenue”.

The report makes for shocking reading because it exposes the utterly careless manner in which the Chartered Accountants have conducted audits and issued certificates in blatant disregard of all basic norms.

According to the CAG’s report, there has been short levy of taxes to the extent of Rs 2,813.11 crore in the 367 cases which were surveyed, as a result of wrong audit reports issued by CAs.

The report also points out that there are 616 cases where CAs have committed mistakes in allowance of exemption or deductions, charging of tax on book profit under Section 115JB, adoption of arm’s length price and reporting on cash payments exceeding Rs 20,000 per day.

The CAG report gives several illustrations of such carelessness and also provides the names and membership numbers of the CAs who have conducted the audit.

The report also laments that no action u/s 288 of the Act has been taken by the department against the erring CAs.

It may be recalled that the ITAT has recently in Vijay V Meghani vs. DCIT (ITAT Mumbai) passed severe strictures against the CA profession for alleged falling standards. The Tribunal has also advised the ICAI to take action against erring members and to tackle the issue on a war footing.

In response to the criticism advanced by the ITAT, the ICAI had issued a ste [truncated by WhatsApp]

Revised Bank Branch Auditors' Panel for the year 2014-15

Please find placed below revised Bank Branch Auditors' Panel for the year 2014-15. To view the category, please click on the relevant interval:
 

• MEF00001-05000
• MEF05001-10000
• MEF10001-15000
• MEF15001-20000
• MEF20001-25000
• MEF25001-30000
• MEF30001-35000
• MEF35001-40000
• MEF40001-45000
• MEF45001-50000
• MEF50001-55000
• MEF55001-60000
• MEF60001 onwards

Thanks,

GST Bill: 10 Facts

Cabinet Clears Amendment to GST Bill: 10 Facts

The Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the Constitutional Amendment Bill on Goods and Services Tax or GST, paving the way for tabling of the new legislation in the current session of Parliament.

Here's your 10-point cheat sheet on this big story:

1) The revised Bill takes into account the deal reached between the Centre and states on contentious issues like including petroleum, alcohol and tobacco in GST. These items account for a major portion of states' tax revenues.

2) At present, petroleum products will be not be included in the GST but will remain within the central act and will be brought in at a later stage through the GST councils. Alcohol will be exempt from GST and states would have the freedom to decide their own levy. Service tax will be subsumed within GST.

3) In case of losses in the states' exchequer, the Centre will give 100 per cent compensation for the first three years, 75 per cent compensation for the fourth year and 50 per cent compensation for the fifth year.

4) The government wants to introduce the Bill in the ongoing winter session that concludes on December 23.

5) The government on Monday decided to keep petroleum out of the proposed GST in return for states agreeing to entry tax being subsumed in the new indirect tax regime proposed from April 2016.

6) The GST Bill needs to be cleared by at least half of the states, besides Parliament, before its implementation.

7) The launch of GST has been delayed by nearly seven years, as states were concerned about revenue losses on introduction of the new tax regime.

8) The GST will cut down the large number of taxes imposed by the central government and states and will lead to the creation of a unified market, which would facilitate seamless movement of goods across states and reduce the transaction cost of businesses

9) The GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2011, has lapsed and the Modi government will be required to come up with a fresh bill.

10) If successful, economists say the implementation of GST could add 2 percentage points to GDP growth.

(With PTI inputs)

CBEC Circular on Service Tax Audit

CIRCULAR NO 181/7/2014-ST, Dated: December 10, 2014

Audit of the Service Tax assessees by the officers of Service Tax and Central Excise Commissionerates.

Section 94 of the Finance Act, 1994 deals with rule making powers of the Central Government in relation to service tax. Sub-section (2) of section 94, dealing with specific purposes for which rules can be made, was amended with effect from 06.08.2014, vide Section 114(J) of the Finance Act, 2014, and a new clause (k) was added to sub-section (2) of section 94, which is reproduced below –

"(k) imposition, on persons liable to pay service tax, for the proper levy and collection of tax, of duty of furnishing information, keeping records and the manner in which such records shall be verified."

2. In exercise of the rule making powers under clause (k) of sub-section (2) of section 94 of the Finance Act, 1994, the Central Government has inserted a new rule 5(A)(2) in the Service Tax Rules, 1994 vide notification no. 23/2014-Service Tax dated 5 th December, 2014. This rule, interalia, provides for scrutiny of records by the audit party deputed by the Commissioner. Such scrutiny essentially constitutes audit by the audit party consisting of departmental officers.

3. Verification of records mandated by the statute is necessary to check the correctness of assessment and payment of tax by the assessee in the present era of self-assessment. It may be noted that the expression "verified" used in section 94(2)(k) of the said Act is of wide import and would include within its scope, audit by the departmental officers, as the procedure prescribed for audit is essentially a procedure for verification mandated in the statute.

4. It may also be noted that the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi in the judgment dated 04.08.2014 in the case of M/s  Travelite  (India) (2014) TaxCorp(ST) 19175 (HC-DELHI) had quashed rule 5A(2) of the Service Tax Rules, 1994 on the ground that the powers to conduct audit envisaged in the rule did not have appropriate statutory backing. This judgment can now be distinguished as a clear statutory backing for the rule now exists in section 94(2)(k) of the said Act.

5. Departmental officers are directed to audit the Service Tax assessees as provided in the departmental instructions in this regard. Difficulty, if any, in implementing the circular may be brought to the notice of the Board. Hindi version will follow.

F. No. 137/46/2014-Service Tax

Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today approved the introduction of the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014 in Parliament to make certain amendments in the Companies Act, 2013. 

The Companies Act, 2013 (Act) was notified on 29.8.2013. Out of 470 sections in the Act, 283 sections and 22 sets of Rules corresponding to such sections have so far been brought into force. In order to address some issues raised by stakeholders such as Chartered Accountants and professionals, following amendments in the Act have been proposed: 

1. Omitting requirement for minimum paid up share capital, and consequential changes. (For ease of doing business) 

2. Making common seal optional, and consequential changes for authorization for execution of documents. (For ease of doing business) 

3. Prescribing specific punishment for deposits accepted under the new Act. This was left out in the Act inadvertently. (To remove an omission) 

4. Prohibiting public inspection of Board resolutions filed in the Registry. (To meet corporate demand) 

5. Including provision for writing off past losses/depreciation before declaring dividend for the year. This was missed in the Act but included in the Rules. 

6. Rectifying the requirement of transferring equity shares for which unclaimed/unpaid dividend has been transferred to the IEPF even though subsequent dividend(s) has been claimed. (To meet corporate demand) 

7. Enabling provisions to prescribe thresholds beyond which fraud shall be reported to the Central Government (below the threshold, it will be reported to the Audit Committee). Disclosures for the latter category also to be made in the Board’s Report. (Demand of auditors) 

8. Exemption u/s 185 (Loans to Directors) provided for loans to wholly owned subsidiaries and guarantees/securities on loans taken from banks by subsidiaries. (This was provided under the Rules but being included in the Act as a matter of abundant caution). 

9. Empowering Audit Committee to give omnibus approvals for related party transactions on annual basis. (Align with SEBI policy and increase ease of doing business) 

10. Replacing ‘special resolution’ with ‘ordinary resolution’ for approval of related party transactions by non-related shareholders. (Meet problems faced by large stakeholders who are related parties) 

11. Exempt related party transactions.  holding companies and wholly owned subsidiaries from the requirement of approval of non-related shareholders. (corporate demand) 

12. Bail restrictions to apply only for offence relating to fraud u/s 447. (Though earlier provision is mitigated, concession is made to Law Ministry &  Winding Up cases to be heard by 2-member Bench instead of a 3-member Bench. (Removal of an inadvertent error) 

14. Special Courts to try only offences carrying imprisonment of two years or more. (To let magistrate try minor violations).      

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=112434

RBI on ECB-FD

RBI allows ECB borrowers to park ECB proceeds in fixed deposits for 6 months pending their utilization

November 24, 2014

EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL BORROWINGS (ECB) POLICY - PARKING OF ECB PROCEEDS

A.P. (DIR Series 2014-15) Circular No. 39, DATED 21-11-2014

Attention of Authorized Dealer Category - I (AD Category- I) banks is invited to A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 52 dated November 23, 2011 relating to parking of proceeds of External Commercial Borrowings (ECB).

2. At present, eligible ECB borrowers are required to bring ECB proceeds, meant for Rupee expenditure in India for permitted end uses, such as, local sourcing of capital goods, on-lending to Self-Help Groups or for micro credit, payment for spectrum allocation, etc., immediately for credit to their Rupee accounts with AD Category - I banks in India.

3. With a view to providing greater flexibility to the ECB borrowers in structuring draw down of ECB proceeds and utilisation of the same for permitted end uses, it has been decided to permit AD Category -I banks to allow eligible ECB borrowers to park ECB proceeds (both under the automatic and approval routes) in term deposits with AD Category- I banks in India for a maximum period of six months pending utilisation for permitted end uses. The facility will be with the following conditions:

i.		The applicable guidelines on eligible borrower, recognised lender, average maturity period, all-in-cost, permitted end uses, etc. should be complied with.
ii.		No charge in any form should be created on such term deposits i.e. to say that the term deposits should be kept unencumbered during their currency.
iii.		Such term deposits should be exclusively in the name of the borrower.
iv.		Such term deposits can be liquidated as and when required.

4. The amended ECB policy will come into force with immediate effect and is subject to review. All other aspects of ECB policy would remain unchanged.

5. AD Category banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their constituents and customers.

6. The directions contained in this circular have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999) and are without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law.