Latest news with #TA
Gulf Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Oman Mandates Digital Tax Stamp On Imported Beverages From June 1
Starting June 1, 2025, Oman will enforce digital tax stamps on imported excise beverages, including carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and alcoholic beverages (excluding sweetened drinks). The Tax Authority (TA) outlined the rules, terms, and conditions for implementing the Digital Tax Stamp (DTS) scheme for excise goods in Oman through Ministerial Decision No. 21/2022. Initially, the scheme focused on cigarettes and was later expanded to cover shisha and other tobacco products. The authority now plans to extend the DTS requirement to include carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and other specified beverages. The digital tax stamps will help enhance control and compliance over these excise products, improving market transparency in Oman. 'The goal is to build a sustainable tax system while ensuring accountability from all stakeholders in the supply chain,' an official from the authority said. According to TA, a 'customs obligation' will apply from June 1, meaning excisable beverages imported without the digital stamp will be denied entry. From August 1, a 'commercial obligation' will come into effect, banning the sale of unstamped products within the local market. These digital tags enable tax authorities to efficiently monitor, track, and trace the movement of excise goods throughout the supply chain. The law came into force in mid-2019, when Oman introduced excise taxes ranging from 50% to 100% on various products, including cigarettes, tobacco, alcohol, spirits, carbonated drinks, and energy drinks. In 2024, Oman raised around 1.4 billion riyals from taxes, including corporate, selective, and value-added taxes. In 2023, tax revenue reached 2.054 billion riyals—a 10% increase over the budget estimate of 1.869 billion riyals—driven primarily by rises in corporate income tax, VAT, and economic recovery.
Muscat Daily
21-05-2025
- Business
- Muscat Daily
Oman's mandatory digital tax stamp on imported beverages from June 1
Muscat – From June 1, Oman will enforce digital tax stamps (DTS) on imported beverages, including carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and other special beverages. The Tax Authority (TA) stipulated the rules, terms and conditions for implementation of the DTS scheme for excise goods in Oman through a ministerial decision (No 21/2022). As part of the initial phase, the scheme focused on cigarettes and was later expanded to include shisha and other tobacco products. The authority now intends to further expand the requirement to implement DTS to include carbonated drinks, energy drinks and other special drinks. The authority requires affixing digital tax stamps on these excise products to enhance the control and compliance of these specific products in Oman and enhance market transparency. 'The goal is to build a sustainable tax system while ensuring accountability from all stakeholders in the supply chain,' an official from authority said. According to TA, a 'customs obligation' will apply from June 1, meaning excisable beverages imported into Oman without the digital stamp will not be permitted entry. A 'commercial obligation' will come into effect from August 1, under which the sale of unstamped products will be banned within the local market. To support the implementation, TA launched a series of awareness workshops, field inspections, and media campaigns on May 18 and running until May 22 in Musandam, North and South Batinah. The outreach is aimed at educating importers, distributors, and retailers about the new regulations and ensuring a smooth transition. The initiative is part of Oman's ongoing efforts to align with international best practices in tax administration, particularly in sectors with high consumption and public health impact.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2 Educational Programs for Troops Eliminated Amid Cost-Cutting Efforts at Pentagon
Two companies that had contracts aimed at educating troops say they have suddenly had their popular programs eliminated as the Trump administration continues efforts to cut costs at the Pentagon and congressional dysfunction shortchanges the department. Executives from a company that helped troops better utilize their tuition assistance suspect that their contract was cut by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, while leaders at a testing company that offered free military test preparation services to troops and families say their program was eliminated in the last congressional funding bill. The revelations offer a glimpse into what public efforts by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to eliminate contracts and cut spending at the Pentagon actually look like to rank-and-file troops. The end of those programs comes on top of other changes affecting the lives of service members -- like the slow and steady reduction of child care benefits -- that are the direct result of Trump policies. Read Next: 'They Don't Care About My Kids': Marine Families Take Military to Court After Child Abuse at Yuma Day Care Vantage Point Consulting, a small veteran-owned business, ran the Career Path DECIDE system that has been eliminated. CPD, according to Jeffrey Carpenter, one of the product managers behind the program, was largely aimed at helping troops be strategic about the use of their tuition assistance benefits. Tuition assistance, or TA, is one of the premier education benefits offered by the military, enabling service members to get funding for college courses they take during their off-duty time. However, the program's popularity also began to spell its downfall in recent years. In 2024, then-Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told Congress that the program was a "catastrophic success" whose growing costs meant it could become unsustainable. According to Carpenter, CPD was a "carefully designed strategy" for keeping TA in check. The program offered counseling to troops to make sure that the degrees they were pursuing were worthwhile and were in high-demand areas. It also helped keep troops away from predatory programs. Carpenter told in an interview Wednesday that the Pentagon "really wanted to say, how do we get more out of this $750 million tuition assistance spend, and how do we avoid ... waste, fraud and abuse ... rather than just having service members randomly take courses or pick degree programs without understanding what they're doing or what the return is for taxpayers." In a statement released Tuesday, the company noted that, in a pilot version of the program, "20% of first-time TA users shifted from low market-value programs to STEM fields like cybersecurity and engineering, critical for the defense industrial base." The term STEM refers to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The result, the company noted, is that not only were troops getting courses and degrees in far more marketable fields but, "by guiding service members into STEM education, CPD reduced unemployment risk for the 200,000 transitioning annually." Instead, two weeks ago, the company was told it was done. "So we reached out to our client, to say, 'Hey, what is this?' and they didn't even know that it had happened," Carpenter said. "This appeared to have been something that ... someone in DOGE had done without even consulting the … sponsor of the project or considering third-order impacts on counselors in the field or service members. "That's six years of work, research and development, a lot of passionate people, many veterans, working on this, and it just all went away in one day," he added. Carpenter said that he and his company were not offered a chance to explain what they did or to even renegotiate the roughly $2.5 million contract that, according to their statement, represented "0.33% of the DoD's $750 million TA budget." Similarly, the top executive for Peterson's -- a test prep company -- recently told that its military test prep program for troops has also been stripped of funding and faces shut down. Brian Coyne, the company's top executive, said Peterson's had been providing enlisted troops, their families and Defense Department civilians with a free service for "over 15 years" to improve their scores on the Armed Forces Classification Test -- a standardized exam that is often taken by service members who are looking to move into more technical or demanding jobs. Coyne said that the program cost around $2.4 million but was being used by 30,000 people every year. "If we're only helping 5% of them to get the advancement that they need to stay in the military, this is a program that is a return on investment to the U.S. military north of $30, $40 million just on that alone," he said. According to Coyne, as well as some posts on social media, the program was liked by troops and, since the company halted registration on its website, it has been receiving lots of questions from disappointed and confused people who are no longer able to access the service. "Unfortunately, this is likely just the tip of the iceberg of frustration," Coyne said in an email. Unlike CPD, Peterson's testing program wasn't eliminated by DOGE but by lawmakers late last year. The Defense Department was forced to make trade-offs in what it funded after lawmakers punted on passing a regular budget for this year and simply extended last year's funding levels. "I don't know exactly who had the budget cut, what level it was at," Coyne said. A defense official confirmed to that, after "an overall organizational risk assessment was conducted ... the Peterson's Online Academic Skills Course contract will terminate on June 29, 2025, to meet the requirements of the Defense-Wide Topline Reduction." The official went on to say that "individual military departments may have programs designed to supplement their service members' academic development." However, both Coyne and Carpenter stressed that they had support of the military services for their efforts. The voluntary education chiefs told both executives that they were surprised at the cuts for both programs. "There are some people fighting for this -- the voluntary education chiefs of each service ... they've sent up advocacy to try and have this reconsidered up to [the Office of Personnel Management]," Carpenter said. "We are hopeful that once the positive impact of this program on service members is more fully understood, funding for critical parts of the system will be restored," he added. Related: Dozens of Air Force Families Disenrolled from Day Care at New Mexico Base as Staffing Woes Grow
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Business Standard
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Business Standard
Neeraj Chopra awarded honorary Lieutenant Colonel rank in Territorial Army
In a notable tribute to both sporting brilliance and dedicated military service, India's Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has been bestowed with the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. The announcement, made by the Ministry of Defence on 13 May 2025, celebrates Chopra's outstanding achievements on the global athletics stage and his prior service in the armed forces. Originating from Khandra village near Panipat, Haryana, the 27-year-old has etched his name into history with a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a silver in the 2024 Paris Games. A Subedar Major by rank, Chopra had been due for retirement this year. The honorary commission will take effect from 16 April 2025, placing him alongside past honourees such as M.S. Dhoni, who received the same title in 2011. The honorary title was conferred by the President of India under Para 31 of the Territorial Army Regulations, 1948. Over the years, Chopra has earned several prestigious civilian and military awards, including the Padma Shri, PVSM, and VSM, further underscoring his contribution to national pride in both sport and service. A Meteoric rise in athletics Chopra's journey from a village in Haryana to the pinnacle of international sport has been extraordinary. Aside from his Olympic success, he claimed gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, becoming a world champion and further solidifying his legacy in javelin throwing. All eyes on Doha: Chopra's crucial comeback meet Neeraj will return to competitive action at the Doha Diamond League this Friday — his first competition since settling for silver in Paris. Without the reigning Olympic champion tag for the first time in four years, Chopra now faces one of the sport's most competitive fields. Under the guidance of legendary javelin thrower Jan Železný, he continues to chase the elusive 90-metre mark. With a personal best of 89.94 metres, he has edged close to this milestone on multiple occasions. This upcoming event presents another opportunity for Chopra to reaffirm his place among the sport's elite. The TA at 75: Honouring dual service Founded in 1949, the Territorial Army celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024. Functioning in close coordination with the regular Indian Army, the TA has played vital roles during conflict, natural disasters, and national emergencies. Chopra's honorary title is a recognition not just of his sporting achievements, but also his unique status as both a military man and a national icon — a powerful symbol of service, resilience, and excellence.
Economic Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra conferred honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Territorial Army; Here's what it means
India's highly celebrated athlete and double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has been conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, according to a government notification. The notification was issued on May 13 by the Ministry of Defence's Department of Military Affairs."...in exercise of the powers conferred by Para-31 of the Territorial Army Regulations, 1948, the President is pleased to confer Honorary Rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Territorial Army on Ex-Sub Maj Neeraj Chopra, PVSM, Padma Shri, VSM, Village & Post Office Khandra, Panipat, Haryana with effect from 16 April, 2025," the notification said. The 27-year-old ace javelin thrower, hailing from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana, had won the gold medal in 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He bagged a silver medal in 2024 Paris Olympics. What does it mean? The Territorial Army (TA), raised on October 9, 1949, completed 75 years last year and has served the nation in times of war, and in humanitarian and environmental protection works through its eventful journey over the decades. It is fully integrated with the regular Army. In recognition of nation-building efforts and contributions made during war or conflicts, numerous individuals have been honoured with gallantry as well as distinguished service awards in the TA. Chopra was a Subedar Major in the Indian Army. He was slated to retire this year, it is learnt. Chopra is the reigning world champion, having won gold in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Indian cricketer M S Dhoni was accorded an honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army in 2011. Neeraj Chopra next in action when? Two-time Olympic medallist and Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra is set to compete in the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial 2025 athletics meet, scheduled to take place in Poland on May 23, according to Chopra was initially slated to participate in the Neeraj Chopra (NC) Classic, which was scheduled for May 24 in Bengaluru. However, the event was later postponed, allowing him to join the 71st edition of the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial -- a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver held in 1954, the Chorzow meet is among the oldest athletics competitions in Poland and Europe to be held Poland, Neeraj will compete against strong contenders, including Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist and two-time World Champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, and former European champion Julian Weber of Germany. A host of top Polish athletes will also be in the will be Chopra's third competition of the season. The 27-year-old opened his season at the Potch Invitational Track meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, last month, where he topped the six-man field with a throw of second event of the season will be the Doha Diamond League, scheduled for May 16. Asian Games silver medallist and compatriot Kishore Jena will also compete in the same event. Neeraj is also scheduled to participate in the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in Czechia on June 24.
