Service Tax amendments relevant for Tour Operators w.e.f 1st April 2016

As you are aware, the Finance Minister has presented the Union Budget 2016-17 in the Parliament on 29.02.2016. Several amendments have been proposed in the Union Budget on the service tax side.  Important amendments relevant for Tour Operators are being explained below:- 

 

ABATEMENT ON SERVICES OF TOUR OPERATORS FOR SERVICE TAX PAYMENT 

 

In the case of “package tour”, abatement @ 75% from the gross amount charged by the Tour Operator is currently available so that service tax is payable on balance 25% portion with the facility of availing CENVAT Credit of service tax charged by another Tour Operator. The abatement is reduced from 75% to 70% in the case of package tour. In other words service tax will now be payable on 30% of the gross amount. 

 

In cases where the tour operator is providing services solely of arranging or booking accommodation for any person in relation to a tour, abatement of 90% is available with specified conditions. However, this abatement of 90% cannot be claimed in such cases where the invoice, bill or challan issued by the tour operator, in relation to a tour, only includes the service charges for arranging or booking accommodation for any person and does not include the cost of such accommodation. There is no change in the rate of abatement or the conditions required to be fulfilled for claiming the said abatement.

In the case of other services including arranging cabs etc., abatement @ 60% is currently available so that service tax is payable on balance 40% portion with the facility of availing CENVAT Credit of service tax charged by another Tour Operator. 

Here the abatement is increased from 60% to 70% making the Tour Operator to pay service tax on 30% of gross amount as in the case of package tour. 

 

The Tour Operator is not entitled to avail CENVAT Credit on input, capital goods and input services other than input services of a Tour Operator. There is no change in this provision. 

 

Revised chart of Service Tax applicable for tour operators w e.f. 1st April 2016 is as under:-  

 

SERVICE	SERVICE TAX @ 14 %	S.B.CESS @ 0.50 %	TOTAL SERVICE TAX
ROOM ONLY	1.40  % (After abatement of 90%)	0.05 %	1.45  %
Other than above including TOUR PACKAGEsand TRANSPORT	4.20 % (after abatement of 70%)	0.15 %	4.35 %
Those who are registered under TRANSPORT CATEGORY	5.60 % (After abatement of 60%)	0.20 %	5.80%

 

Please note that 

 

• CENVAT Credit will be available only between tour operators to tour operators, 

• CENVAT Credit will be available on Service Tax part only 

• Swachh Bharat Cess to be shown separately as “SB Cess”. No CENVAT Credit will be available on SB Cess.

• Revised rates as indicated in the above table shall apply to invoicing made on or after 01.04.2016.

• There is no other change in service tax rate between 01 April 2016 to 31st May 2016 

Amend rule 7 of Point of Taxation Rules, 2011

Notification No. 24 /2016-Service Tax New Delhi, the   13th April, 2016 In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) and clause (hhh) of subsection (2) of section 94 of the Finance Act, 1994 (32 of 1994), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Point of Taxation Rules, 2011, namely :— 1. (1) These rules may be called the Point of Taxation (Third Amendment) Rules, 2016.     (2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. 2. In the Point of Taxation Rules, 2011, in rule 7, after the third proviso, the following proviso     shall be inserted namely:-      "Provided also that in case of services provided by the Government or local authority to       any business entity, the point of taxation shall be the earlier of the dates on which, - (a)    any payment, part or full, in respect of such service becomes due, as specified in the          invoice, bill, challan or any other document issued by the Government or local authority          demanding such payment; or (b)   payment for such services is made.". Note:-  The principal rules were published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II,  Section 3, Sub-section (i), vide notification No. 18/2011 – Service Tax, dated the  1st of March, 2011 vide number G.S.R. 175(E) dated the 1st of March, 2011 and last  amended vide notification No.   21/2016 - Service Tax dated 30th March, 2016 published  in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), by number  G.S.R.370 (E), dated the 30th March, 2016.

Rags to TOP 10 traits

This is not any finance update like my other post but sometimes we need to look around to explore our environment.

So here i am sharing my experience as i have seen others , for now :p to reach from Rags to Top.

everybody perceived the thought they need support (Finance , industry, higher education) to reach on the TOP , but there are so many who had reached on the top without any so called support system .

So what was there which motivated them and gave strength to reach there . well can not say that 100% but somewhere the basic ideas .

1- Explore your Environment.

2- Be a starter

3- Wear your confidence

4- Care for others but do not waste your efforts to pleasing others.

5- Do what you LOVE.

6- Start small , dream for big

7- Communicate with transparency

8- Be proud not egoistic 

9- Lead by setting examples 

10-  Rectify own mistakes .

Start with a Start-Up - My Top 10 Learning

Start with a Start-Up - My Top 10 Learning

When I first time walked in my first Start up organization for interview some three and a half years back, I got confused and jolted. It was a small office as compared to where I was working then and not to mention the count of employees was only four and I being expected to be the fifth. My parents and dear ones were worried and kept repeating if I was taking the right decision to join a Start-Up by leaving a reputed MNC. I too had a few nervous nights before finally deciding to take the plunge.

Was it a calculated decision?

Absolutely not..!!

Getting into what ultimately made me join might be another tale to tell however, the experience so far has been absolutely gripping and the road ahead looks really exciting. This compels me to suggest that a start-up experience is a must to have in one’s career.

After that I have joined one more start up and started working being first employee in organization, Being Finance & HR specialised it’s a great feeling when you get incorporate one company and start it’s operations by your own .It’s more like equivalent “Giving birth and nurture a baby”

My current organisation is also a start-up and it’s more than amazing feeling again to be the first employee.

The early the better :)

Let me share the learning of my last three years’ experience with Satrt-ups .

1.      Ownership & Accountability from day 0:

Working in a start-up requires one to own up a lot of effort and end result. No matter how small my role was, I didn’t have the choice but to be responsible for what good or bad the work has taken shape. It is indeed a pressure situation but then it laid the foundation of a ‘thinking mind’ and a ‘strong heart’ as I had to assess me decisions before execution and then stand by them once executed.

2.      ‘Hard work’ is the only work and one key task called ‘Multitask’:

Also, since we couldn’t have too many heads, we ended up working 16-17 hours daily. Interestingly, what it did was to kill the fear called ‘work load’. Juggling between multiple projects and keeping a track of the key deliverables is the art that I learnt unknowingly. Alternatively, it taught me to get the maximum out of whatever time I got when I was not working. My CEO once said that it’s not important as to how much time you get for your family and friends, but what’s important is what you do with even that little time you get’

3.      The Joy of Creation:

As we bagged project after projects, it gave me a lot of opportunity to do different things and at the same time try doing them differently. There was no rule for the game but it was up to me to set the rules and create frameworks. I've lost track of all the different tasks that I had been able to take part in. I had the liberty to experiment and establish norms. I could define the operating protocols and performance matrices. Most importantly one becomes the prime contributor towards the building the culture of the organization.

4.      Realizing the concept called ‘Organization’

Most of us understand organizations just as a pictorial representation through org charts; however, here I got to see the concept of functions, departments and practices taking actual shape. I got to understand the inter-linkages between departments and functions. To be an effective Finance manager and adept HR professional and Add on responsibility for office management, this was a very crucial experience.

5.      It’s collaboration all the way.

No team building activity is better than the exercise called start-up. We were bound to sort differences and come together as ‘successful delivery’ was/is the only motto. It ranged from fixing IT issues to conducting recruitment drives to inducting new team members. Inflated egos were dumped in bins as everyone just wanted to keep the boat sailing no matter what it took.

6.      Participating in crucial projects & critical decisions

No matter how small or big role one played, he/she was asked to participate actively in decision making. From operating strategy to branding to colors of the chairs – the spectrum was broad yet stimulating. I felt to be part of a bigger family and it taught me to voice opinions fearlessly and logically.

7.      Face the Mirror anytime and anywhere

No one had the time or patience to take me in a room and share their opinions in private. Bosses and team members observed the process and identified inefficiencies, throwing up essential constructive feedback almost spontaneously. I needed to be on my toes all the time as the system is edgy to give you any time. Your reaction interval to a situation needs to almost match the reflexes of a ‘slip fielder’ in the game of cricket.

8.      Innovate constantly to survive

What Darwin said in the theory of natural selection that it’s the fittest who can only survive and fittest are those who innovate continuously and receptive to the environment. I have seen my organization do that. Start-ups in still in us the feature of agility and slay our anxiety towards change. Entrepreneurial ventures are great places to learn from as they identify a problem and keep on finding a new efficient way to solve it.

9.      I learnt to live with the ghost called ‘Cost’:

I had no choice but to understand as to where the money comes from and where it goes and how to save it in between. ‘Top line and Bottom line’ were no longer the mumbo jumbo of the televised business shows but a reality that had to be targeted, tracked and tackled positively. I discovered the craving of earning and saving, rather than just consuming.

10.  Both of us grow together.

Both of us supported one another in happiness and tough times. As the organization expanded so did my role and responsibility. It trusted my capability and I believed in its worth and the opportunities to flourish.

·          

"Keep learning , Keep growing" 

IT Support Engineer role for Gurgaon

Navig8 is looking to hire an IT Support Engineer in Gurgaon. 

Below is the job description of the role:

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Job Title: IT Support Engineer

Job Responsibilities 

•  Provide IT Support to fleet of Vessel(s)
• System administration, Maintenance (Backup / Antivirus)  & Remote Trouble shooting.
• Workstation & Server setup.
• User level support and Troubleshooting.
• Inventory management and Monitoring of IT equipment.
• Work and co-ordinate with 3rd party vendors for installation and support.
• Travel to vessels for Installations & maintenance of IT infrastructure.
• Other ad hoc duties assigned.

Comments below please .

.NET Web Developer in Gurgaon

Navig8 is looking to hire a .NET web developer in Gurgaon. 

Below is the job description of the role:

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Job Title: Web Developer

We are looking for a .Net web developer to join our in-house software development team. Our existing development team is based in Singapore, and so this role will be the first remote-office team member. The ideal candidate must therefore have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision; he/she must also be able and willing to travel to Singapore occasionally (perhaps once or twice a year) for short periods such as one week.

The ideal candidate must have strong programming skills with Microsoft .Net, specifically C# and ASP.Net, along with a good understanding of developing code to interact with relational databases; a good understanding of the software development life cycle phases; and experience with Multi-tiered custom application design & development. Prior experiences working in multiple environments (Development, Testing, Pre Production, Production) is preferable.

Required Technical and Professional Expertise   

·         4 years of experience developing systems with .NET, C# and solid understanding of SQL and relational databases.

·         3 years of experience with web development and with key web technologies and methodologies (i.e. ASP.NET, DHTML, JavaScript, LINQ, JQuery, AJAX, CSS)

·         4 years of experience working with Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft SQL Server.

·         Strong T-SQL skills, including writing stored procedures.

·         Web Development and Designing, HTML coding and Implementation

Preferred Technical and Professional Experience             

·         Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

·         Ability to work in a remote team environment.

·         Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

·         Strong oral and written communication skills.

·         IIS web server, SQL Server, MySQL, Stored procedures, HTTP/s protocols

·         Experience with Source code versioning systems such as TFS.

DBA role for Gurgaon

Looking for role, an Assistant Database Administrator. Please find the job description and requirements below.

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We are looking for an Assistant Database Administrator to work with the company’s database administrator (DBA) to ensure operation and maintenance of all SQL databases and related systems. This role will be responsible for providing technical support for the database environment as well as providing assistance to the DBA on tasks and responsibilities. The ideal candidate must be experienced with Microsoft SQL Server administration, as well as some fundamental knowledge of Active Directory, Windows Server and general networking principles.

This role will be working directly with the DBA and would be responsible for providing technical support for the company’s database environment. Areas of responsibility will include scheduling/monitoring of database backups as well as the creation and management of database instances, data migration and upgrades. Be prepared to also actively monitor health and performance of production and non-production SQL database infrastructure and support developers with special database requests and technical assistance.

This role is based in Gurgaon, whilst the DBA is based in Singapore, therefore the ideal candidate must have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision; he/she must also be able and willing to travel to Singapore occasionally (approximately once a year) for short periods such as one week.

The role may occasionally require working on weekend days, such as upgrading or patching SQL Servers, since such tasks need to be performed outside of normal working hours to minimise disruption to the business.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

·           Assist with the support of the day-to-day operations of SQL Server administration and troubleshooting.

·           Proactively anticipate problems and act to prevent them; evaluate system performance issues and determine solutions.

·           Participate in continuous improvement efforts in enhancing performance and functionality.

·           Participate in meetings in the development of standards and procedures affecting database management, design and maintenance.

·           Assist with review, revisions and implementation of security policies and access rights to database servers and databases.

·           Assists with database migration, upgrades and new database implementation projects.

·           Works with Developers to assist with deployment and troubleshooting.

·           Assist with database backups and restorations.

Required Skills and knowledge:

·           3+ years of Database Administration experience

·           Proficient in database installation, upgrade, maintenance, performance tuning and troubleshooting of Microsoft SOL Server

·           Good Understanding of Relational Database Design.

·           Experience administering Microsoft SQL Server.

·           Experience administering Microsoft Windows Server.

·           Good understanding of Active Directory.

·           Good knowledge of T-SQL and SQL Scripting.

·           Experience with performance optimization, indexing, partitioning and supporting high capacity databases on SQL.

·           Strong analytical and organisational skills

·           Good written and oral English communication skills.

Non-essential but advantageous:

·           Formal database education or recognised DBA certification.

·           Knowledge of RedGate products

·           Experience of software development

Comment below please.