GST audit gaps: CAG flags manpower crunch in CBIC audit wings; calls for staffing boost

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Thursday said that the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) faces a sizeable staffing shortage in its audit formations, with 38 percent of positions vacant as of July 1, 2024, leading to gaps between planned and completed audits.The CAG’s report on the Department of Revenue for…

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Trump’s blockade of Venezuela’s oil tankers: Will it cause disruption in the global crude market?

Venezuela is producing approximately 900,000 barrels per day (kbd) of crude oil and condensate, which makes up about 1% of the global oil supply. (AI image) US President Donald Trump’s latest escalation in tensions and blockade of Venezuela oil tankers may have little impact on the global crude oil market, believes global real-time data and…

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India-Oman trade deal: What the CEPA changes for India’s Gulf strategy, GTRI explains

The India–Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will add to India’s growing network of preferential trade arrangements in the Gulf, but its significance lies more in consolidating market access and investment presence than in sharply expanding trade volumes, Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said.India and Oman signed the agreement on…

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Defence production in India increases threefold and exports surge in 2024: Shripad Naik

Representative image (AI-generated) NEW DELHI: Defence production in India increased more than three times over the last 10 years, reaching an all-time high of Rs 1.54 lakh crore in 2024-25, up from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15, Union Minister of State for power Shripad Yesso Naik said on Thursday.Talking about India’s “aatmanirbharata” (self-reliance) in the…

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Budget 2026 for the investor: Time to fix the flawed tax design on share buybacks

For high-income taxpayers, buyback proceeds may now be taxed at slab rates up to 35.88%, despite the fact that the shareholder is surrendering and extinguishing their rights in the shares. (AI image) When the Finance Act, 2024 rewired the tax treatment of share buybacks, it upended a long-standing system that had—with all its imperfections—at least…

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US markets today: Wall Street jumps after softer inflation update; Micron sparks AI rebound

US stock markets rallied on Thursday after a better-than-expected inflation update eased concerns over the interest rate outlook, while a strong earnings report from Micron Technology helped arrest the recent slide in artificial intelligence-linked stocks, AP reported.The S&P 500 rose about 1%, snapping a four-session losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed over 350…

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ITR filing AY 2025-26: Received message from I-T department? Big clarification issued – what taxpayers need to know

The Income tax department (ITD) on Thursday said the recent communications sent to some taxpayers regarding their transactions are advisory in nature and aimed at facilitating voluntary compliance, not initiating enforcement action.In a post on X, the department said the messages were issued only in cases where there is an apparent significant gap between disclosures…

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Gold price today: How much 22K, 24K gold costs in your city; check rates for Mumbai, Delhi & other cities

Gold prices edged lower on Thursday, with the February contract slipping Rs 580, or 0.43%, to Rs 1,34,314 per 10 grams, as weak global cues weighed on precious metals, analysts said. In overseas markets, Comex gold futures for February delivery declined by $12.6, or 0.29%, to $4,361.3 per ounce, while silver futures for March 2026…

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