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Faced with legal difficulties in allowing options trading in commodities, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has decided to let in new institutional players in commodity futures to improve the depth of the market. Although the regulator had floatedadiscussion paper to allow options in commodities first and then let in more players, it seems to come up againstalegal snag. Sources close to the development said that “till the legal framework for allowing options is cleared, Sebi will allow new players. Indian and overseas private equity funds and venture funds registered with Sebi under category 3 alternative investment funds (AIF) will be permitted first as their regulation permit them to participate in listed and unlisted derivatives. Mutual funds, which are also regulated by Sebi, will be permitted after that. In the next phase, insurers and other financial institutions will come, and in the third leg banks will be permitted. These require the respective sectoral r

Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya on Tuesday said 8.65 per cent interest on employees provident fund deposits for this financial year will be okayed by finance ministry and there is no difference of opinion. Business Standard New Delhi,15th February 2017

Private equity (PE) investors want capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to relax the lockin requirement on pre-initial public offer (IPO) shareholding. The current regulations clash with their fund philosophy and often prevent them from getting time-bound exits. Under the current Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements (ICDR) regulations, pre-IPO shares are locked in for a period of one year and the minimum contribution of promoters is locked for three years. Sources said PEs and venture capitalists (VCs) recently met Sebi seeking relaxation in the lock-in criteria, particularly in companies where they are construed as promoters by virtue of their rights and shareholding in the company. Legal experts say the issue is more relevant in the new-age companies and start-ups, which don’t have promoters in the true sense and are largely incubated by various funds. They add the wide definition of “promoter” is creating difficulties for some inves

BANKS LIKELY TO MISS THEIR TARGETS AS BAD LOANS CONTINUE TO PILE UP TOUGH TIMES For the top 8 lenders, recoveries have fallen nearly a quarter between Q2 and Q3 Demonetisation has not only dampened banks' core business of lending, it has also hit them where it hurts -loan recovery. Recoveries from bad assets have fallen nearly a quarter among the top 8 lenders. Banks, which had set lofty targets for loan recoveries at the start of the year after the Asset Quality Review exercise, are likely to miss their targets as bad loans continue to pile up. Top banks recovered . 7,909 crore from such loans at just ` the end of the December quarter against Rs.10,177 crore at the end of the September quarter. These numbers are dismal, especially when compared with the quantum of dodgy loans banks have accumulated since December last year. Data compiled by ETIG shows that at the end of September 2015, banks' absolute gross non-performing assets stood at Rs. 3.50 lakh crore, which clim

Income Tax Dept to scrutinise paintings, antique jewellery and vintage cars bought at lower price A recent tweak in tax rules is worrying a billionaire Indian promoter who purchased four expensive paintings from a private seller earlier this year. The buyer had paid about 80% of the price in cash and the remaining through one of his companies, according to a person in the know. This was convenient for both, the buyer and the seller. The promoter had been advised by a tax expert that paying for expensive art through a company would help avoid tax scrutiny on that amount. The seller, on the other hand, showed only 20% of the actual income and paid tax on that. Such maneuvers, however, will no longer escape taxation. From the next financial year, such deals will start coming under income tax scrutiny -expensive paintings, antique jewellery, vintage cars, real estate or any other art bought by companies will now face income tax scrutiny and tax will be demanded if real price or fai

The Income Tax Department has issued refunds amounting to Rs.1.42 lakh crore in the current fiscal so far, 41.5% higher than a year ago, after processing 4.19 core income tax returns. The department said in a statement that 92% of the refunds issued are below Rs.50,000 due to the high priority given to expeditious issue of refunds to small taxpayers. Only 2% of refunds less than Rs.50,000 remain to be issued, the department said. Many of these pertain to returns filed recently or cases where the taxpayer's response to the department is awaited, it said. The department advised taxpayers to verify and update their email address and mobile number on the e-filing portal to receive electronic communication.The Centralised Processing Centre processed 92% of all returns within 60 days. As many as 4.01 crore returns were e-filed till February 10, marking a 20% increase over FY16. The Economic Times New Delhi,14th February 2017

Up to 18 lakh people asked to provide info about source of cash deposited after note ban, but no notices sent out yet Over 2 lakh people logged on to the website of the income tax department, which has sought clarifications from 18 lakh people who deposited large sums of cash after demonetisation. As many as 60,000 have responded and some have even agreed to pay tax, said Sushil Chandra, chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, clarifying that no notice has been sent to anyone as yet. “It's a request for e-verification of their accounts and an explanation,“ said Chandra. The department expects to hear from most of the people who have been sent the requests by March 31, failing which formal notices under the income tax law will be sent to them. “The department will have to issue notices and make assessments,“ said Chandra.More requests for information are likely to go out soon as deeper data mining starts, he said. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION The 18 lakh people have