Latest news with #LowerHouse
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Dewan Rakyat passes Street, Drainage and Building (Amendment) Bill 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: The Street, Drainage and Building (Amendment) Bill 2025, which aims to enhance public cleanliness and enforce community service orders against littering offenders, has received approval from the Dewan Rakyat. The bill, tabled for its second and third readings by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, was debated by 10 lawmakers. Two other related bills; the Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management (Amendment) Bill 2025 were tabled for their second and third readings yesterday and received approval from the Lower House. Nga said amendments to the three acts were crucial to instilling greater civic responsibility, increasing public awareness, and nurturing a culture of cleanliness, ultimately contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable Malaysia. In his winding-up debate, Nga said pet owners are also subjected to community service orders. "Whoever keeps cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, if you bring them and deliberately leave their droppings in public places or on public roads, you are also subject to community service if convicted, because that waste is also considered litter. "As such, anyone bringing pets to public parks, please clean up after them and dispose of waste in the trash bins." Nga added that under the Madani government, everyone will receive fair treatment and there is no discrimination against underprivileged groups in the enforcement of community service orders. "These laws are not meant to punish, but to increase awareness and a sense of responsibility." He said the ministry is confident that through the enforcement of community service orders, the issue of littering, which leads to clogged drains, waterways and ditches, can be addressed progressively.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
New Income Tax Bill: Changes in TDS refund claims while filing ITR? Top points suggested by Parliamentary panel
The Income Tax Bill, 2025 aims to replace the Income Tax Act, 1961. (AI image) New Income Tax Bill 2025: A Parliamentary committee reviewing the new Income Tax Bill has recommended that the Ministry of Finance should permit individual taxpayers to file returns and claim TDS refunds beyond the deadline without penalties. The committee also advocated for tax exemption on anonymous contributions to trusts serving both religious and charitable purposes. The report, presented in the Lower House by Select Committee chairperson Baijayant Panda of BJP, scrutinised the Income Tax Bill, 2025, which aims to replace the Income Tax Act, 1961. New Income Tax Bill: Top Changes Suggested by Panel Regarding TDS refund claims by individuals not otherwise required to submit tax returns, the committee proposed eliminating the Income Tax Bill clause that requires mandatory filing of I-T returns by the deadline, PTI reported. The committee notes that the present requirement to submit returns solely for refund purposes could unintentionally result in legal action, especially affecting small taxpayers whose earnings are below taxable limits but have experienced tax deductions at source. "In such scenarios, the law should not compel a return merely to avoid penal provisions for non-filing. The committee, therefore, recommend to remove sub-clause (1)(ix) from Clause 263 to provide flexibility for allowing refund claims in cases where the return is not filed in due time," the report specified. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo According to a PTI, the committee sought clarification regarding the taxation of anonymous donations to Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) that serve both charitable and religious purposes, requesting the removal of existing ambiguities. The panel expressed opposition to the taxation of NPO 'receipts', stating it contradicts the Income Tax Act's principle of real income taxation. They advocated for the reintroduction of the term 'income' to ensure taxation applies only to the net income of NPOs. Noting the considerable differences in how anonymous donations to registered NPOs are treated, the committee recommended tax exemption for both religious and charitable trusts, acknowledging that many organisations operate with dual objectives. The committee highlighted an oversight in the Bill regarding religious-cum-charitable trusts, despite its aim of textual simplification. This omission could negatively affect numerous organisations within India's NPO sector. Under Clause 337 of the Income Tax Bill, 2025, all registered NPOs would face a uniform 30 per cent taxation on anonymous donations. The only exception would apply to organisations established exclusively for religious activities. This represents a significant shift from Section 115BBC of the Income-tax Act, 1961. The current legislation offers broader exemptions, where anonymous donations to trusts or institutions established for both religious and charitable purposes remain untaxed. However, this exemption excludes cases where such donations are specifically allocated to universities, educational institutions, hospitals, or medical facilities operated by the same trust or institution. The current regulation appropriately acknowledges these "religious-cum-charitable" institutions as a separate and legitimate category qualified for benefits on unnamed donations, recognising that such establishments frequently receive funds through conventional methods where identifying donors is unfeasible. "The committee strongly urge the reintroduction of a provision analogous to the explanation found in Section 115BBC of the 1961 Act," stated the Select Committee report. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Japan's elections near. What they mean for bonds and trade talks.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's job, and vital trade talks with the U.S., are at stake in national elections that take place this Sunday. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority in the legislature's Lower House in November. Recent polls indicate the same result in the Upper House on July 20, spelling an exit for the unpopular premier. Political turbulence would not be timely for Japan, which faces President Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline to mitigate threatened 25% tariffs on close to $150 billion in annual exports to the U.S. Election results could also shake up the bond markets and the yen. Ishiba is seen as a fiscal hawk, trying to tame Japan's government debt, which remains above 200% of gross domestic product despite some reduction after the Covid-19 pandemic. A successor to Ishiba could open the fiscal spending taps, bringing out the bond vigilantes. Yields on Japanese 10-year bonds have risen 50% since the start of the year and have crept up 17 basis points since July 1, the highest since 2008. Japanese 30-year bonds hit highs this past week, and the 20-year is at its high since 1999. More broadly, voters are reacting to Japan's long-awaited exit from deflation, which could be less popular at home than in the financial markets. Consumer price inflation is stuck above 3% annually, outrunning pension payments in the world's oldest population. The rising cost of living is a leading complaint among Japanese voters, along with corruption scandals that tarnished the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party last year. Victory for Ishiba could give him a freer hand to make the kind of concessions Trump seems to be seeking, particularly loosening Japanese import restrictions on U.S. autos and opening up the domestic rice market. U.S. tariffs could produce significant losses in Japan's export industries, notably auto makers like Toyota Motor and Honda Motor, even as Trump is calling for higher defense spending. If Ishiba loses his majority, no single opposition party looks strong enough to seize the reins. Japan's waters could become uncharted at a critical time. Write to editors@
Asahi Shimbun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
‘Japanese First' party emerges as election force with tough immigration talk
Japan's Sanseito party leader Sohei Kamiya reacts as he speaks to the members of the media, on the day of Upper House election, at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on July 20. (REUTERS/File Photo) The fringe rightist Sanseito party emerged as one of the biggest winners in Japan's Upper House election on Sunday, gaining support with warnings of a "silent invasion" of immigrants, and pledges for tax cuts and welfare spending. Birthed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party broke into mainstream politics with its "Japanese First" campaign. The party won 14 seats adding to the single lawmaker it secured in the 248-seat chamber three years ago. It has only three seats in the more powerful Lower House. "The phrase Japanese First was meant to express rebuilding Japanese people's livelihoods by resisting globalism. I am not saying that we should completely ban foreigners or that every foreigner should get out of Japan," Sohei Kamiya, the party's 47-year-old leader, said in an interview with local broadcaster Nippon Television after the election. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the Upper House, leaving them further beholden to opposition support following a Lower House defeat in October. "Sanseito has become the talk of the town, and particularly here in America, because of the whole populist and anti-foreign sentiment. It's more of a weakness of the LDP and Ishiba than anything else," said Joshua Walker, head of the U.S. non-profit Japan Society. In polling ahead of Sunday's election, 29% of voters told NHK that social security and a declining birthrate were their biggest concern. A total of 28% said they worried about rising rice prices, which have doubled in the past year. Immigration was in joint fifth place with 7% of respondents pointing to it. "We were criticized as being xenophobic and discriminatory. The public came to understand that the media was wrong and Sanseito was right," Kamiya said. Kamiya's message grabbed voters frustrated with a weak economy and currency that has lured tourists in record numbers in recent years, further driving up prices that Japanese can ill afford, political analysts say. Japan's fast-ageing society has also seen foreign-born residents hit a record of about 3.8 million last year, though that is just 3% of the total population, a fraction of the corresponding proportion in the United States and Europe. INSPIRED BY TRUMP Kamiya, a former supermarket manager and English teacher, told Reuters before the election that he had drawn inspiration from U.S. President Donald Trump's "bold political style." He has also drawn comparisons with Germany's AfD and Reform UK although right-wing populist policies have yet to take root in Japan as they have in Europe and the United States. Post-election, Kamiya said he plans to follow the example of Europe's emerging populist parties by building alliances with other small parties rather than work with an LDP administration, which has ruled for most of Japan's postwar history. Sanseito's focus on immigration has already shifted Japan's politics to the right. Just days before the vote, Ishiba's administration announced a new government taskforce to fight "crimes and disorderly conduct" by foreign nationals and his party has promised a target of "zero illegal foreigners." Kamiya, who won the party's first seat in 2022 after gaining notoriety for appearing to call for Japan's emperor to take concubines, has tried to tone down some controversial ideas formerly embraced by the party. During the campaign, Kamiya, however, faced a backlash for branding gender equality policies a mistake that encourage women to work and keep them from having children. To soften what he said was his "hot-blooded" image and to broaden support beyond the men in their twenties and thirties that form the core of Sanseito's support, Kamiya fielded a raft of female candidates on Sunday. Those included the single-named singer Saya, who clinched a seat in Tokyo. Like other opposition parties, Sanseito called for tax cuts and an increase in child benefits, policies that led investors to fret about Japan's fiscal health and massive debt pile, but unlike them it has a far bigger online presence from where it can attack Japan's political establishment. Its YouTube channel has 400,000 followers, more than any other party on the platform and three times that of the LDP, according to Sanseito's Upper House breakthrough, Kamiya said, is just the beginning. "We are gradually increasing our numbers and living up to people's expectations. By building a solid organization and securing 50 or 60 seats, I believe our policies will finally become reality," he said.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
18 Muslim women made it to Lok Sabha since independence; 13 of them dynasts: Book
NEW DELHI: That women were always under-represented in the Lok Sabha is a known fact, but Muslim women members have been a greater rarity with only 18 making it to the Lower House since independence, according to a new book. And while dynastic politics may not be conducive for democracy to deepen its roots, it has played a positive part in giving chances to Muslim women, with 13 out of the 18 being from political families. From royalty to a tea vendor-turned-politician's wife and from a first lady to a Bengali actress, the 18 Muslim women who treaded the hallowed corridors of power in the Lok Sabha are an eclectic mix, with each of them having an interesting backstory, but one common thread -- their path to power was always strewn with struggle and hurdles. The story of these 18 Muslim women has been chronicled in an upcoming book-- 'Missing from the House -- Muslim women in the Lok Sabha' by Rasheed Kidwai and Ambar Kumar Ghosh. Kidwai says he wanted to document the profile of 20 Muslim women who made it to the Lower House, but two of them -- Subhasini Ali and Afrin Ali -- had openly proclaimed that they did not follow Islam. "Only eighteen Muslim women have made it to the Lok Sabha since the first parliamentary polls in 1951-52. It is a shockingly abysmal figure, considering Muslim women are about 7.1 per cent of India's 146 crore population. Out of the 18 Lok Sabhas constituted till 2025, five times the Lok Sabha did not have a single Muslim woman member," Kidwai and Ghosh write in their book, published by Juggernaut and will be released next month. Equally shocking is the fact that the number of Muslim women elected to Parliament in one tenure never crossed the mark of four in the 543-seat lower house of Parliament, the book points out. The book also notes that none of the five southern states -- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana -- otherwise known for better political representation than the North and with better literary levels and other socio-economic indicators, have not yet sent a single Muslim woman MP to the Lok Sabha.
