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Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India-US trade deal: Commerce Ministry advised against accepting ‘unilaterally framed obligation' on digital taxes
Legal advisers to the Commerce and Industry Ministry have suggested that Indian negotiators dealing with their US counterparts should not accept Washington's proposal that prohibits India from reintroducing equalisation levy-style taxes, such as the 'Google tax', in the future, a person aware of the negotiations told The Indian Express. The advice was offered on the grounds that the provisions drafted by the US did not state that both parties should refrain from applying digital taxes on each other. Rather, they sought a legal commitment only from the Indian side and were seen as a 'unilaterally framed obligation', the source said. While the US offers a range of digital services in India and American tech companies have long lobbied against any taxes on such services, India also exports a wide range of digital services to the US — particularly in the IT sector — generating the majority share of its total services exports earnings from the US market. Another concern raised with the government was that agreeing to such unilateral provisions could set a risky precedent for future trade negotiations, where similar demands could be made by other trading partners during talks with New Delhi, thereby complicating future negotiations. In a move to assuage US concerns about India being a high-tariff nation, the Central government in March proposed abolishing the equalisation levy on online advertisements as part of the amendments to the Finance Bill, 2025. An equalisation levy is a measure to 'equalise' the tax treatment of resident and non-resident e-commerce companies. As part of the 35 amendments to the Finance Bill, 2025, the Centre proposed removing the 6 per cent equalisation levy (EL) it charges on digital ads, effective from 1 April 2025. A query emailed to the Commerce and Industry Ministry remained unanswered till press time. 'Digital taxation is typically discussed outside the framework of a trade agreement. It is a nation's sovereign right to decide on such matters, and India should reserve that right. Bringing it under the scope of a trade agreement weakens your position. We need to examine the digital trade chapters of the US and Australia, which India must study carefully. Australia has provided the US with a carve-out that allows for protections for US services. We also need to secure our IT/ITeS and technology exports from taxation in the US, our largest market' Arpita Mukherjee, professor at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) said. Notably the US has forced Indonesia to several steep terms on digital trade. Indonesia has committed to address barriers impacting digital trade, services, and investment, a White House statement said. 'Indonesia will provide certainty regarding the ability to transfer personal data out of its territory to the United States. Indonesia has committed to eliminate existing HTS tariff lines on 'intangible products' and suspend related requirements on import declarations; to support a permanent moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions at the WTO immediately and without conditions; and to take effective actions to implement the Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation, including submitting its revised Specific Commitments for certification by the World Trade Organization (WTO),' the White House statement read. The United States Trade Representative (USTR), in its report on non-tariff barriers, had earlier cited the 6 per cent equalisation levy as a discriminatory measure against US firms. The USTR report said that most digital services taxes are designed in ways that discriminate against US companies, often singling out American firms for taxation while excluding domestic companies engaged in similar lines of business. The US has also raised concerns about digital services taxes with a number of trade partners, particularly the EU. 'The disproportionate capture of US firms by the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) is also noted as undermining US competitiveness due to increased compliance costs not borne by EU competitors,' the USTR said. Differences between India and the US assume significance as New Delhi continues to face the risk of 26 per cent reciprocal tariffs. After Indian negotiators completed another round of discussions in Washington last week, a US team led by the US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, Brendan Lynch, is expected to visit India in mid-August to continue negotiations for a trade agreement. While India and the US have agreed on a wide range of tariff lines, the negotiations — which currently only involve market access for goods — remain stuck over sensitive sectors such as agriculture and automobiles, which are key job creators in India. Ravi Dutta Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, covering policy issues related to trade, commerce, and banking. He has over five years of experience and has previously worked with Mint, CNBC-TV18, and other news outlets. ... Read More
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Bharat must remain Bharat, shouldn't be altered: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday emphasised that 'Bharat must remain Bharat' and should not be translated or altered in any context, as reported by news agency at the 'Gyan Sabha', a national education conclave organised by the RSS-linked Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, Bhagwat said that Bharat is not just a name but the nation's very 'identity'.advertisement'Bharat is a proper noun. It should not be translated. 'India that is Bharat,' is true. But Bharat is Bharat, and that is why, while writing and speaking, we should keep Bharat as Bharat... Bharat must remain Bharat,' Bhagwat said, stressing that the global respect India commands is rooted in its original identity, or 'Bharatiyata'. He cautioned that losing one's identity, regardless of achievements, could result in a loss of respect and security on the global stage. 'The identity of Bharat is respected because it is Bharat. If you lose your identity, whatever other meritorious qualities you may have, you will never be respected or secure in this world. That is the rule of thumb,' he highlighted India's historical commitment to peace and non-violence, saying the country has never followed expansionist or exploitative policies.'Viksit Bharat, Vishwa Guru Bharat, will not be the cause of war ... and will never exploit. We have gone from Mexico to Siberia; we walked on foot, and we went in small boats. We did not invade anyone's territory or ruin it. We did not usurp anyone's kingdom. We taught everyone civilisation,' he to India's civilisational philosophy, he added, 'You see the tradition of Indian knowledge. The root of the tradition is in that truth... the truth of the unity of the whole world.'On education, Bhagwat called for a values-based system rooted in India's cultural ethos. He stressed the need for education to foster self-reliance and social responsibility. 'One small intention behind getting education is to be able to stand on your own in your life and to be able to keep your family intact...' he to nationalist thinker Maharishi Arvind, the RSS Chief linked the revival of Sanatana Dharma to the idea of a Hindu nation. 'Yogi Arvind said that it is God's will for the Sanatana Dharma to rise and for the rise of Sanatana Dharma, the rise of the Hindu nation is inevitable. These are his words, and we see that today's world needs this vision. Therefore, we will have to first understand what Bharat is...' he concluded by reiterating the importance of anchoring India's education system in its civilisational values and national identity.- EndsWith inputs from InMust Watch
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bulldozers & cops reach Uriamghat as govt looks to clear reserve forest land
1 2 Guwahati: Assam's next major eviction operation slated in Uriamghat, situated along the Assam-Nagaland border, is poised to stir up the tranquillity of the region this week as bulldozers have begun entering the region. Authorities said vast forest expanses have been degraded by encroachers over the years, potentially breaching further into upper Assam districts. More than 80 to 90% of encroachers, a significant number of whom identify as 'Miya Muslims' (a term referring to migrant Muslims of Bangladesh/East Pakistan origin), have vacated their homes in Uriamghat's Rengma Reserve Forest, from where over 10,000 people will be evicted. Security was intensified in the region on Sunday, with numerous police and security personnel deployed and bulldozers placed in school fields. Only a handful of families remain, camping close to the occupied lands until the demolition of their houses is executed. Sarupathar MLA Biswajit Phukan said the large-scale eviction could commence as early as Tuesday. "29th July, 2025 will be an important and historic day for Sarupathar," Phukan wrote on social media, thanking CM Sarma and highlighting the urgency of the situation. As opposition parties contemplate criticising the govt for the scale of the forthcoming operation, Assam information and public relations minister Pijush Hazarika on Sunday criticised opposition leaders, including Assam PCC president Gaurav Gogoi, alleging that they have supported encroachers and doubtful citizens. "They hobnob with encroachers and doubtful citizens. Our govt has acted against those people who have unjustly grabbed lands. Govt has not touched lands which have pattas (land deeds)," Hazarika said. He maintained that the decision on whether encroachers are Indian citizens or foreigners lies with the courts, but underlined that the govt would not tolerate encroachment of govt land. "Those who back the encroachers are not satisfied at doubtful citizens taking over lower and central Assam. People like Gaurav Gogoi will find peace only when upper Assam is also encroached upon," Hazarika said, adding that govt would not provide compensation or land to. According to govt data, out of the total 13,921 hectares of forest reserve at Rengma in Golaghat district, 10,958 hectares have been encroached. Families living there said they settlement in the area five decades ago from various central Assam districts and later from the Barak Valley region, with a few coming from Bihar.
