We have claimed refund of service tax paid on services used in the course of exports under notification no. 41/007-ST dated 6th October 2007. Our claims are held up for want of original documents such as invoice, bill of lading, bank realisation certificate etc. How can we give original bill of lading when the same is sent to buyers abroad? The original bank certificate has to be given to licensing authorities.

Everyone on a learning curve in matters related to service tax

Business Standard

Vanaspati manufacturers in the small and medium sector are passing through a boom phase thanks to the twin factors of falling global prices of its basic raw material, crude palm oil (CPO), and rising sales in the domestic market.

Cheaper palm oil, higher sales help vanaspati units

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), hit hard by the ongoing global economic downturn, would benefit from the two fiscal stimulus packages announced by the government in December and January, with features like excise duty reduction and incentives across the sectors, according to a survey by the industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Central packages to help SMEs, says CII

Exports of specialised leather decorative items have been severely hit by the economic slowdown in the US.

Indore leather exporters face meltdown heat

The states of Punjab and Haryana have over 300,000 SME units but out of these only 2,124 (till February 25, 2009) are registered with BIS (Bureau of Indian Standard).

Punjab, Haryana SMEs shun BIS listing

The music of A R Rahman has raised hopes for a Madhya Pradesh-based drum-beater pad and piano pressed wool-felt manufacturing company, the Neemuch-based Sealwell Ltd, which makes specialised wool felt used in drum pads and pianos.

Wool felt makers eye niche orders

The quest for lower costs prompted by slowdown in the mines sector, and the growing hunger of Indian companies to secure mining assets overseas, would lead to more and more mergers and alliances between foreign and Indian SMEs companies in niche areas of the mining sector.

Mining unit attracts foreign buyer

For GBPL Industries, which produces auto bulbs in Dehra Dun, the recession seems good news.

Despite downturn, Doon auto bulb industry thrives

Madhya Pradesh is facing its worst-ever water crisis, which has hit water-based industries, particularly poha (rice-flakes) and rice de-husking millers of Ujjain town.

Madhya Pradesh poha factories hit by water crisis

This is regarding your observations in the article titled &lsquo;Amendment to DFIA a step towards saving transaction cost&rsquo; that we read in the online page of Business Standard under the date line 23.02.2009. We request you to kindly elaborate on the fact stated in the custom circular No. 11/2009 dated 25.02.2009 wherein in part (d) of serial No. 9 it is said that &ldquo;As regards the authorization issued prior to 01.04.2007 the Department of Commerce in Para 4.4.46 of the FTP (2008) has provided that, exemption from payment of additional duty of customs / excise duty shall continue to be available, even after endorsement of transferability. In view of this, no action need be taken to recover revenue in such cases&rdquo;. Can you explain this aspect?.

No provision specific to DFIA in excise law

The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and the Union Bank of India (UBI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to undertake research on the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector.

IIM-A, Union Bank sign MoU for SME research

The industrial sector in Agra, which earns more than Rs 2,200 crore from handicrafts and footwear exports alone, is failing to attract fresh entrepreneurs.

Agra pollution norms deter new entrepreneurs

Irked by the lackadaisical attitude of the Punjab government, small and medium scale industrialists in Mohali have demanded that the state government should foster the growth of clusters in the area to help industries tide over the ongoing recessionary phase.

Mohali industries demand government support for cluster development

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is in the process of launching a special purpose vehicle (SPV) in association with the Export Promotion Council (EPC), in a bid to help the beleaguered Indian handicraft industry.

SIDBI, Export Promotion Council to set up SPV for handicrafts sector

Exports projected to rise after 3 years as dollar depreciation benefits the cluster.

Cycle units on a roll once again

I am having a query regarding import of re-manufactured parts from the US. The cost of re-manufactured parts will be a fraction of new parts. For example: If a new cylinder liner cost $1500.00, the re-manufactured would cost $150.00. Please advise, (a) if there is some special procedure for import of re-manufactured parts (b) what will be the custom duty on re-manufactured parts.

Import of re-manufactured goods is allowed only against a licence

The Small Scale Detergent and Soaps Manufacturer Association (SSDSMA), a nodal body with 50 companies as its member in West Bengal, has launched a strong protest against the proposed imposition of safeguard duty on import of linear alkyl benzene (LAB). The association claims the safeguard duty would result in an equivalent hike in the price of LAB which constitutes around 50-60 per cent of detergent.

Raw material duty hike opposed in Bengal

Export oriented units likely to target the domestic market as slowdown hits home.

Agra footwear units change tack

A slowdown is not necessarily a time for businesses to cut production or to shelve expansion. There is a counter-intuitive view that suggests ramping up production in the lean times to be better prepared for the highs of the business cycle.

West Bengal apparel firms see opportunity in slowdown

Small and medium enterprises in Khandwa are still awaiting the state government&rsquo;s response on the land diversion tax issue. The tax is levied when industrialists intend to change the use of land from agricultural to industrial.

Khandwa units struggle as govt fails to rationalise land diversion levy

AMI Partners specialises in analysis of Information Technology, Internet and telecom trends in the small and medium enterprises segment at a global level. The New York-based research firm has tracked Small and Medium Enterprises in 30 countries and has identified high-spending units or clusters. In December 2008, AMI launched a survey, &lsquo;Quarterly Pulse&rsquo;, in eight countries &mdash; including India &mdash; to reflect the impact of the current downturn on SMEs. Chairman &amp; CEO Anindya Bose told Pradipta Mukherjee that AMI had revised the SME growth outlook for 2008-2012 from 20 per cent to around 15 per cent.

'Nearly a fifth of non-PC units will invest in IT over next 12 months'

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