TIOL-DDT 709 · the untouched capture
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<p align="justify"><font size="2"><b><font color="#663399" size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TIOL-DDT 709</font></b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><br>
28.09.2007<br>
Friday</b></font></font></p>
<p align=center ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on"><b><font color="#006600">RTI Act not to apply to Tribunals and Courts - CIC</font></b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In a landmark decision, the Central Information commission has ruled that the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI Act cannot be used to challenge the judicial decision of a Tribunal. The <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI Act is often used to settle personal scores than to get information. We understand that there was a request under <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI to give information about the private trips made in official car by the President of a Tribunal! </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Issues before the CIC were:</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. Whether this Commission, under the Right to Information Act, can order the ITAT to disclose information which that Tribunal has decided not to disclose under the Income Tax Act, 1961 as amended from time to time and rules made thereunder?</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2. Whether the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI Act applies to a judicial proceeding and, if so, does it override the existing law concerning dissemination of information in respect of a judicial proceeding?</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3. Whether the information, which the respondents say are prohibited under the Income Tax Act can be given under the Right to Information Act?</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Commission observed,</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. In the instant case, the appellant has asked for a copy of the daily proceedings minutes maintained by the members of the Bench tried by the ITAT in appeal case No.ITA 567/Del/05. The CPIO in the instant case has replied that the daily minutes maintained by the members of the Bench are a part of the judicial proceedings and is meant only for the use of the members of the Tribunal. Admittedly, the proceedings before the Tribunal are judicial.</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2. Apparently, all judicial proceedings are conducted in open and transparency is the hallmark in case of all such proceedings. There is no element of secrecy whatsoever. But at the same time, it has to be borne in mind that the judiciary is independent and all judicial authorities including all courts and tribunals must work independently and without any interference insofar as their judicial work is concerned. The independence of a judicial authority is all pervasive and any amount of interference is neither desirable nor should ever be encouraged in any manner.</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3. The appellant in the instant case wanted the minutes of the proceedings maintained by the learned members of the Tribunal which can only be the notes prepared by them while conducting the hearing or otherwise.</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4. Any intrusion in regard to the judicial work even under the Right to Information Act is unnecessary. We are satisfied that at the level of appellate authority the appellant agreed not to press for this request.</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5. The position generally being so, in the present case, the question is when the power of disclosure of certain information is vested exclusively in a properly constituted judicial body, such as the ITAT, should the disclosure of the same information be made a subject to be determined under the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker w:st="on">RTI Act. In our view, it is not so. The independence of the judicial authority flows from the discretion given to that authority to take all decisions in matters properly brought within the purview of that authority. For example, the ITAT, as a judicial body, is also entrusted with the power to authorize disclosure or non-disclosure of a given set of information such as the information asked for by the appellant in the present appeal. In our understanding, it should not be necessary to separate the function of disclosure of information from the general function of that judicial body. In other words, it would not be appropriate for the Commission or any entity functioning as part of the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI-regime, to pronounce on the disclosure of a given set of information, if it is found that under another law (such as the Income Tax Act), this disclosure function is exercisable as part of the judicial function by a judicial authority, such as the ITAT.</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6. It is our conclusion, therefore, that given that a judicial authority must function with total independence and freedom, should it be found that an action initiated under the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI Act impinges upon the authority of that judicial body, the Commission will not authorize the use of the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI Act for any such disclosure requirement. Section 8(1) (b) of the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI Act is quite clear, which gives a total discretion to the court or the tribunal to decide as to what should be published. An information seeker should, therefore, approach the concerned court or the tribunal if he intends to have some information concerning a judicial proceeding and it is for the concerned court or the tribunal to take a decision in the matter as to whether the information requested is concerning judicial proceedings either pending before it or decided by it can be given or not.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>DECISION:</b></font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. Section 4(1) (d) does not apply to a judicial proceedings conducted by a Court or a Tribunal as it refers only to administrative and quasi-judicial decisions of public authorities.</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2. The non-obstante clause in Section 22 of the Right to Information Act does not, repeal or substitute any pre-existing law including the provisions of the Income Tax Act concerning dissemination of information.</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3. The appellant cannot take recourse to the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI Act to challenge a judicial decision regarding disclosure of a given set of information, which properly belonged to the jurisdiction of that judicial authority. If the appellant is aggrieved with the decision of the ITAT, the remedy lies elsewhere.</font></p>
<p align="justify" ><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4. It is reiterated and made clear that the <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker
w:st="on">RTI Act is not intended to come into conflict with a judicial decision regarding disclosure of information. Section 8(1)(b) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 makes it very clear that the information which has been expressly forbidden to be published by any court of law or tribunal cannot be disclosed as any such disclosure is also within the exemption clause.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u><a href="http://www.hrindiaonline.com/laws4u/rti/2007/2007-HRIOL-11-CIC.pdf">Appeal No. CIC/AT/A/2006/00586</a></u></font></p>
<p align=center ><font color="#006600" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Anti dumping duty on off-set aluminium plates</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Government has imposed antidumping duty on import of pre-sensitized positive off-set aluminium plates falling under Chapter 37, 76 or 84 of the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, originating in, or exported from, <st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Bulgaria</st1:country-region></st1:country-region>, People's Republic of <st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Malaysia</st1:country-region></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Singapore</st1:country-region></st1:country-region> and <st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Korea</st1:country-region></st1:country-region>. The anti-dumping duty imposed under this notification shall be effective for a period of five years.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/subCatDesc.php3?subCatDisp_Id=23&filename=notification/custom/2007/ctariff07_108.htm" target="_blank">NOTIFICATION NO. 108/2007-Cus., Dated: <st1:date ls="trans" Month="9" Day="25" Year="2007" u1:st="on"><st1:date
ls="trans" Month="9" Day="25" Year="2007" w:st="on">September 25, 2007</a></u></font></p>
<p align=center ><font color="#006600" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>SION - Honey deleted</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">E-113 - Processed Filtered Honey, has been deleted from the statement of Standard Input Output Norms (SION).</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/subCatDesc.php3?subCatDisp_Id=47&filename=notification/dgft/2007/dgft07pn051.htm" target="_blank">DGFT PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 51 (RE: 2007)/2004-2009, Dated: <st1:date ls="trans" Month="9" Day="25" Year="2007" u1:st="on"><st1:date
ls="trans" Month="9" Day="25" Year="2007" w:st="on">September 25, 2007</a></u></font></p>
<p align=center ><font color="#006600" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>EPCG- Export Obligation Conditions deleted </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">As per para 5.7.8 of the Handbook of Procedures, Vol. I, Wherever more than one EPCG authorisations are issued simultaneously or concurrently, fresh EPCG authorisation would build upon last average export obligation only, notwithstanding actual achievements.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">And as per para 5.8.6 of the HOP, In case of an existing export obligation under EPCG scheme a fresh EPCG authorisation can only be issued provided average of last obligation (including increased amount due to duty saved in last EPCG) has been maintained.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now both these conditions are deleted.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/subCatDesc.php3?subCatDisp_Id=47&filename=notification/dgft/2007/dgft07pn053.htm" target="_blank">DGFT PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 53 (RE-2007)/2004-2009, Dated: <st1:date ls="trans" Month="9" Day="27" Year="2007" u1:st="on"><st1:date
ls="trans" Month="9" Day="27" Year="2007" w:st="on">September 27, 2007</a></u></font></p>
<p align=center ><font color="#006600" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Doing Business in India - World bank report</b></font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Ease of...</b></font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>2007 rank</b></font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>2006 rank</b></font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Change in rank</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Doing Business</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">120</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">.. </font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">.. </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Starting a Business</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">111</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">93</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">-18</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dealing with Licenses</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">134</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">133</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">-1</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Employing Workers</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">85</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">83</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">-2</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Registering Property</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">112</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">108</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">-4</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Getting Credit</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">36</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">62</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">+26</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Protecting Investors</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">33</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">32</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">-1</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Paying Taxes</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">165</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">158</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">-7</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Trading Across Borders</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">79</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">142</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">+63</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Enforcing Contracts</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">177</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">177</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">0</font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Closing a Business</font></p></td>
<td width=110 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">137</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">135</font></p></td>
<td width=72 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">-2</font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Starting a Business (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The challenges of launching a business are shown below. Included are: the number of steps entrepreneurs can expect to go through to launch, the time it takes on average, and the cost and minimum capital required as a percentage of gross national income (<st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker w:st="on">GNI) per capita. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Procedures (number)</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">13 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">7.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.0 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Duration (days)</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">33 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">33.4 </font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">14.9 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cost (% <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker w:st="on">GNI per capita)</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">74.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">40.7 </font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5.1 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Min. Capital (% <st1:stockticker u1:st="on"><st1:stockticker w:st="on">GNI per capita)</font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">0.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">0.7 </font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">32.5 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Dealing with Licenses (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shown below are the procedures, time, and costs to build a warehouse, including obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections, and obtaining utility connections. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=82 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Procedures (number)</font></p></td>
<td width=82 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">20 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">16.3 </font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">14.0 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Duration (days)</font></p></td>
<td width=82 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">224 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">247.3 </font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">153.3 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cost (% of income per capita)</font></p></td>
<td width=82 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">519.4 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3,230.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=76 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">62.2 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Employing Workers (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The difficulties that employers face in hiring and firing workers are shown below. Each index assigns values between 0 and 100, with higher values representing more rigid regulations. The Rigidity of Employment Index is an average of the three indices.</font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=83 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Difficulty of Hiring Index</font></p></td>
<td width=83 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">0 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">23.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">25.2 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Rigidity of Hours Index</font></p></td>
<td width=83 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">20 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">17.5 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">39.2 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Difficulty of Firing Index</font></p></td>
<td width=83 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">70 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">40.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">27.9 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Rigidity of Employment Index</font></p></td>
<td width=83 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">30 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">27.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">30.8 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Nonwage labor cost (% of salary)</font></p></td>
<td width=83 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">17 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.7 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">20.7 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Firing costs (weeks of wages)</font></p></td>
<td width=83 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">56 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">66.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">25.7 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Registering Property (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The ease with which businesses can secure rights to property is shown below. Included are the number of steps, time, and cost involved in registering property. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=128 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Procedures (number)</font></p></td>
<td width=128 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.4 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.9 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Duration (days)</font></p></td>
<td width=128 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">62 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">134.1 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">28.0 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cost (% of property value)</font></p></td>
<td width=128 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">7.7 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.6 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Getting Credit (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Measures on credit information sharing and the legal rights of borrowers and lenders are shown below. The Legal Rights Index ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating that those laws are better designed to expand access to credit. The Credit Information Index measures the scope, access and quality of credit information available through public registries or private bureaus. It ranges from 0-6, with higher values indicating that more credit information is available from a public registry or private bureau. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=71 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Legal Rights Index</font></p></td>
<td width=71 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3.9 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.4 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Credit Information Index</font></p></td>
<td width=71 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1.9 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.8 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Public registry coverage (% adults)</font></p></td>
<td width=71 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">0.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">0.7 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">8.6 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Private bureau coverage (% adults)</font></p></td>
<td width=71 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">10.8 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1.9 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">59.3 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Protecting Investors (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The indicators below describe three dimensions of investor protection: transparency of transactions (Extent of Disclosure Index), liability for self-dealing (Extent of Director Liability Index), shareholders' ability to sue officers and directors for misconduct (Ease of Shareholder Suits Index) and Strength of Investor Protection Index. The indexes vary between 0 and 10, with higher values indicating greater disclosure, greater liability of directors, greater powers of shareholders to challenge the transaction, and better investor protection. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Disclosure Index</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">7 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.3 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.4 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:PersonName u1:st="on"><st2:title u1:st="on"><st1:PersonName
w:st="on"><st2:title w:st="on">Director</st2:title> <st2:GivenName u1:st="on"><st2:GivenName
w:st="on">Liability</st2:GivenName></st2:GivenName> <st2:Sn u1:st="on"><st2:Sn
w:st="on">Index</st2:Sn></st2:Sn></font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.3 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5.1 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shareholder Suits Index</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">7 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.4 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.5 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Investor Protection Index</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.0 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Paying Taxes (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The data below shows the tax that a medium-size company must pay or withhold in a given year, as well as measures of the administrative burden in paying taxes. These measures include the number of payments an entrepreneur must make; the number of hours spent preparing, filing, and paying; and the percentage of their profits they must pay in taxes. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Payments (number)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">60 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">30.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">15.1 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Time (hours)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">271 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">305.5 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">183.3 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Profit tax (%)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">19.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">19.5 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">20.0 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Labor tax and contributions (%)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">18.4 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">7.5 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">22.8 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Other taxes (%)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">32.5 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">14.3 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3.4 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Total tax rate (% profit)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">70.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">41.4 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">46.2 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Trading Across Borders (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The costs and procedures involved in importing and exporting a standardized shipment of goods are detailed under this topic. Every official procedure involved is recorded - starting from the final contractual agreement between the two parties, and ending with the delivery of the goods. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Documents for export (number)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">8 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">8.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.5 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Time for export (days)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">18 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">32.5 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">9.8 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cost to export (US$ per container)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">820 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1,179.9 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">905.0 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Documents for import (number)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">9 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">9.1 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5.0 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Time for import (days)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">21 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">32.1 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">10.4 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cost to import (US$ per container)</font></p></td>
<td width=45 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">910 </font></p></td>
<td width=50 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1,417.9 </font></p></td>
<td width=66 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">986.1 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Enforcing Contracts (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The ease or difficulty of enforcing commercial contracts in is measured below. This is determined by following the evolution of a payment dispute and tracking the time, cost, and number of procedures involved from the moment a plaintiff files the lawsuit until actual payment. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=47 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Procedures (number)</font></p></td>
<td width=47 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">46 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">43.5 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">31.3 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Duration (days)</font></p></td>
<td width=47 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1,420 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1,047.1 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">443.3 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=265 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cost (% of claim)</font></p></td>
<td width=47 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">39.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">27.2 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">17.7 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Closing a Business (2007) </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The time and cost required to resolve bankruptcies is shown below. The data identifies weaknesses in existing bankruptcy law and the main procedural and administrative bottlenecks in the bankruptcy process. The recovery rate, expressed in terms of how many cents on the dollar claimants recover from the insolvent firm, is also shown. </font></p>
<table width="450" border=1 align="center" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Indicator</b></font></p></td>
<td width=78 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:country-region u1:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>India</b></st1:country-region></st1:country-region></font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Region</b></font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OECD</b></font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Time (years)</font></p></td>
<td width=78 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">10.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5.0 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1.3 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cost (% of income per capita)</font></p></td>
<td width=78 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">9 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.5 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">7.5 </font></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Recovery rate (cents on the dollar)</font></p></td>
<td width=78 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">11.6 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">20.1 </font></p></td>
<td width=57 class="Normal"> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">74.1 </font></p></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align=center ><font color="#006600" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>From our Legal Corner - Monday's cases</b></font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><b><b><img src="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/image/stories/ddt_31.gif" alt="Legal Corner Icon" width="191" height="160" hspace="5" border="0" align="left"></b></b></b></font></b></font></strong></font></b></font></strong></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#FF0000" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Income Tax</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>No re-assessment proceedings can be initiated so long as assessment proceedings pending on basis of return already filed are not terminated : Madras HC</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It is settled law that unless the return of income already filed is disposed of, notice for reassessment under section 148 cannot be issued, i.e., no reassessment proceedings can be initiated so long as assessment proceedings pending on the basis of the return already filed are not terminated.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#FF0000" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Service Tax </b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Service Tax - AC cannot rectify an order after Commissioner (A) has dismissed appeal - Commissioner (A) also cannot rectify that order as his earlier order was not challenged : CESTAT</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">THE Assistant Commissioner imposed penalty for delayed payment of Service Tax. The Commissioner (Appeals) dismissed the appeal for non-compliance of pre deposit. The assessee filed a rectification application with the Adjudicating authority claiming that the delay was not 12486 days as held by the adjudicating authority, but 1418 days and if this was considered, the penalty would be reduced to Rs. 1,41,800/- instead of Rs. 11,85,783/-. The additional Commissioner in a letter rejected the rectification and said that the No. of days calculated by him was correct. </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Against this letter, the assessee appealed to the Commissioner (Appeals), who held that both the Adjudicating authority and the Assessee were wrong in calculating the number of days. She calculated the days as 6671 and the penalty as Rs. 6,67,111/-</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#FF0000" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Customs</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font color="#663399">Do High Courts have power to condone delay in filing application under Sec 130-A of Customs Act? Yes, says <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bombay HC </font></b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>IN</b> <b>terms of Section 130A of the Customs Act,</b></font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b> </b>the Commissioner of Customs or the other party may, within one hundred and eighty days of the date upon which he is served with notice of an order under section 129B passed on or before the 1st day of July, 2003 (not being an order relating, among other things, to the determination of any question having a relation to the rate of duty of customs or to the value of goods for purposes of assessment), by application in the prescribed form, accompanied, where the application is made by the other party, by a fee of two hundred rupees, apply to the High Court to direct the Appellate Tribunal to refer to the High Court any question of law arising from such order of the Tribunal.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If the application under the above section is filed beyond 180 days of receiving the order by the Commissioner, can the High Court condone the delay in absence of express provisions in the said section to this effect?</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#663399" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><u>See our columns Monday for the judgements</u></b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#FF6666" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Until tomorrow with more DDT</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#FF6666" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Have a nice day.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#FF6666" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mail your comments to</font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <a
href="mailto:vijaywrite@taxindiaonline.com">vijaywrite@taxindiaonline.com</a></font></p>
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