Two Certainties
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When A Princess Worried About Tax on Alimony
All things in life have a tax angle, including alimony payments. In this article I elaborate on tax treatment of alimony payments under the Income Tax Act, 1961 (‘IT Act, 1961’). Upfront, these are the three…
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Tax Privacy: To Begin a Conversation …
Income tax law is based on disclosing information to the State. Personal financial information. Bank account statements, investments, salary receipts, rent paid or received, medical expenses, money transferred to spouse, expenses of children, insurance premiums, political…
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Powers of Arrest under CGST Act, 2017 and Customs Act, 1962: Constitutionality and their Scope
The Supreme Court in a recent judgment upheld the constitutionality of arrest-related provisions contained in Customs Act, 1962 and CGST Act, 2017. The Court also elaborated on the scope of arrest powers under CGST Act, 2017 and safeguards…
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Long Wait for GSTATs: July 2017 … and Counting.
GSTATs have been envisaged as the first appellate forum under GST laws. And yet, 7.5 years since implementation of GST, not a single GSTAT is functioning. Reason? Many. Some are easy to identify, others are tough…
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Income Tax Bill, 2025: In Search of a Big Idea
The Department of Revenue claims that Income Tax Bill, 2025 - tabled in the Parliament on 13 February 2025 - marks a significant step towards simplifying the language and structure of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Does it?…
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Skeletal Timeline of Income Tax Reform in India
1860-1886: Income tax was introduced in India for the first time in 1860 to overcome the financial difficulties due to First War of Independence of 1857. The period of 1860-1886 saw the Govt alternating between income…
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Why Should Tax Lawyers Care About the Annual Budget?
Tax law, especially Indian tax law discussions are far too often contained by self-sustaining logic of statutory provisions and case laws. Tax lawyers, including me, feel validated and satisfied having decoded a particular judgment or the…
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Safari Retreats: Supreme Court Adopts a ‘Strict’ Stance
The Supreme Court pronounced its judgment in the Safari Retreats case a few days ago. The judgment involved interpretation of Section 17(5), CGST Act, 2017, specifically clauses (c) and (d) read with two Explanations contained in the Section.…
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Much Ado About Demo Vehicles: Ambiguity on ITC Clarified
The CBIC recently issued a Circular clarifying availability of ITC in respect of demo vehicles. The Circular, as I briefly mentioned elsewhere, seems like an exercise in law making rather than a mere interpretation of law. But I will…
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Fee for Technical Services: Future Demands Answers
Introduction Tax practitioners tend to refer to Fee for technical services (‘FTS’) and Royalty income in tandem with an intent to highlight the shape shifting nature of both concepts under domestic and international tax law. And…
