March 2024 - S&R Associates

Payments to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs): Implications under Section 43B(h) of Income-tax Act, 1961

Insights | March 27, 2024 | Practice Area: General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Tax

To encourage prompt payment of dues to micro and small enterprises (“MSEs”), the Government of India introduced clause (h) in Section 43B of the Income Tax Act, 1961 with effect from financial year 2023-24. As per clause (h) of Section 43B, if an assessee makes payment to MSE after the time specified under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006, then deduction for such payment will be allowed in the year of actual payment. In this note we examine the stipulations outlined in Section 43B(h) of the IT Act and delve into its implications on the taxpayers.

Foreign Investment in Nuclear Energy in India

Insights | March 26, 2024 | Practice Area: General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Regulatory

Nations across the globe have announced their net zero targets and other climate action commitments. Each country is pursuing its own pathway to achieve the net zero goal considering the resources available to it. In this background, in December 2023, the Government of India announced that it has initiated steps to substantially increase India’s nuclear power capacity.
This note provides an overview of the current legal framework for private/foreign investment in nuclear energy in India and the increased level of screening for foreign investment globally in the energy sector.

Opportunities in the Semiconductor Industry in India

Insights | March 18, 2024 | Practice Area: General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Regulatory, Technology; Media and Telecommunications

Semiconductors or ‘chips’ are the building blocks of electronic devices and are used in a variety of electronic devices from cars to drones as well as smartphones and computers and across various sectors, including the aerospace and defence, telecom and automotive sectors. Currently, a majority of the semiconductor manufacturing market is dominated by countries such as Taiwan, China, the United States, South Korea and Japan. India relies on semiconductor imports from these countries. While the semiconductor manufacturing industry is currently at a nascent stage in India, due to the worldwide shortage of semiconductors, over the last couple of years, India has taken active steps to tap this market.
This note outlines the key initiatives of the Government of India in relation to the semiconductor industry, regulatory framework for investment, setting up operations in India and recent developments/investments in the semiconductor industry in India.

REITs and InvITs: Evolution of the Regulatory Landscape in India

Insights | March 15, 2024 | Practice Area: Capital Markets, Corporate Governance and ESG, InvITs; REITs and Business Trusts, Real Estate, Regulatory

Business trusts play a significant role in Asian and global capital markets. India introduced real estate investment trusts (REITs) and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs) in 2014. As the regulatory regime approaches the completion of a decade, this note reflects on the evolution of the regulatory landscape for REITs and InvITs in India.

Regulatory Shifts in India’s Satellite Communication Landscape

Insights | March 11, 2024 | Practice Area: Capital Markets, General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Tax

There is a rising interest in satellite-based connectivity in the Indian market among internet service providers. Eutelsat OneWeb India, Jio Satellite Communications, Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper are in the process of obtaining the requisite licenses to provide satellite communication services in India. Satellite communications represent an inevitable technological development in response to a continued demand for better network quality and higher capacity.
In this background, the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (“Telecommunications Act”) which received the President’s assent on December 24, 2023 and provides for administrative allocation of satellite spectrum as well as liberalization of the FDI policy applicable to the space sector further spurs the gaining momentum in satellite-based communication technology in India. This note explores the regulatory shifts in the Indian satellite communications landscape.

Indian Tax Treaties: Capital Gains and Beneficial Ownership Test

Insights | March 5, 2024 | Practice Area: Capital Markets, General Corporate, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, Tax

India’s double tax avoidance agreements (“DTAAs”) with certain countries (for e.g. Singapore, Mauritius and the Netherlands) provide that the capital gains on sale of shares is taxable only in the resident country of transferor and no tax is payable in India. However, the tax authorities have disputed the benefit available under the DTAAs by applying the “beneficial ownership” test. Further, they have also argued the sufficiency of tax residency certificate (“TRC”) to claim such benefit. In this note we analyze these aspects in light of the decision of Delhi High Court in Blackstone Capital Partners (Singapore) VI FDI Three Pte. Ltd., appeal against which has been recently admitted by the Supreme Court.