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Move to help workers join regular workforce with better wages & benefits The government is considering fixing the proportion of contract workers that an organisation can hire, a move that may help it dilute opposition to labour reforms but is sure to trigger stiff opposition from industry . The first draft of the proposal will be finalised soon, after which the government will kick-start consultation with key stakeholders, including trade unions and employers, a senior labour ministry official told ET. While it is still in the concept stage, the plan being considered is to limit the portion of contract workers in companies to 40% to 50% of the total workforce, with a pay that is no less than the government-prescribed minimum wages. The proposed changes to the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act may also make it compulsory for companies to absorb contract workers to the regular fold whenever a permanent position opens up. The move could spell a bonanza for contrac

Suggests ending STT on equity derivatives, stamp duty on index ones; also for rupee's internationalisation,other changes A government- appointed panel has recommended abolition of the securities transaction tax (STT) in equity derivatives. The standing council on international competitiveness of the Indian financial sector also suggested doing away with the stamp duty on cash- settled products such as index derivatives. After the Special Investigative Team ( SIT) on undisclosed money noted any investor wanting to invest through participatory notes could invest afresh as a foreign portfolio investor (FPI), the council said it wanted regulatory clarifications on these instruments, through which unregistered investors invest in Indian markets. Tackling GAAR It has also suggested the government take measures to internationalise the rupee on the lines of the Chinese renminbi and remove uncertainty about availing of treaty benefits under the proposed General Anti- Avoidance R

Draft laws likely to be ready in 3 weeks; rules being readied to avoid scrutiny overlap by Centre, states Companies with an annual turnover up to Rs.25 lakh might be exempted from the proposed national goods and services tax ( GST). The Centre and states are likely to settle for this threshold as they finalise the GST laws. According to finance ministry officials, the draft of these laws is expected to be ready by the end of this month. The Centre and states are working on a mechanism to avoid dual scrutiny of companies by them. “The thinking now is that all legal entities with an annual turnover of up to Rs.25 lakh will be completely exempt. This will be applicable to one TIN ( Taxpayer Identification Number),” said aministry official. The government is looking to reconvene Parliament’s monsoon session to get the Constitutional amendment Bill on GST passed in the Rajya Sabha. Three Bills — on the Centre’s GST ( CGST), states’ GST and Integrated GST — would come up after the Co

Visa applications from foreign businessmen, trade delegations will be approved or rejected within a week’s time Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, aiming to boost trade ties with countries such as China and Iran, has decided that visa applications from foreign businessmen and trade delegations will be approved or rejected within a week’s time. The commerce ministry has been complaining that delays by the home ministry—sometimes extensive—in clearing business visa applications were holding back attempts to improve ties with important trading partners. The home ministry has already taken Iran off a list of countries that draw special scrutiny from security agencies for providing visas after the Gulf nation reached a deal with Western countries in July, agreeing to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for removal of economic sanctions. “Both the home ministry and the Prime Minister’s office are on the same page that no visa application will be delayed for more than on

Faced with lower-tha-expected growth in service tax collection, the revenue department has decided to focus on five key sectors, including telecom and renting of property, where the possibility of tax evasion is high. The identified sectors also include aviation operations, manpower recruitment and construction. Business Standard, New Delhi, 7th Sept. 2015

In a stern message to enterprises, anti-trust regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) has said they need to put in place competition law compliance programmes, to avoid “bad days” in terms of penalty and loss of reputation. Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 7th Sept. 2015

Sebi feels current limit is quite high after it found a few funds are holding lower-rated papers in a big way; seeks information from some fund houses on their exposure to certain specific sectors and papers which got downgraded The Securities and Exchange Board of India is planning to tighten rules on mutual funds' investments in corporate debt paper in the wake of concern over excessive credit risk in certain fixed income portfolios. The market regulator is looking to lower mutual funds' investment limit for an individual company's debt security. At present, a mutual fund scheme is not allowed to invest more than 15% of its net asset value in debt instruments issued by a single issuer which are rated not below investment grade by a credit rating agency. This limit however can be raised to 20% with prior approval of the trustees. Now, the regulator feels this limit is quite high after it found that a few mutual funds were holding lowly-rated papers in a big way. “S