Inter-district movement of buses, cars suspended till June 30 in Tamil Nadu

The Chief Minister said that the decision was taken to curb the spread of new Covid-19 cases in the state

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday said that the inter-district movement of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) buses and private vehicles will not be allowed from June 25 to June 30.

The Chief Minister said that the decision was taken to curb the spread of new Covid-19 cases in the state. “For the next five days, till June 30, transportation within zones not be allowed in the state. Government buses will be functional only within districts. Private vehicles will not be allowed to cross from one district to another,” Palaniswami said.

“Movement of private vehicles to another district will be allowed only after obtaining e-passes from Tamil Nadu government website,” he added. The state on Wednesday reported 2,865 new coronavirus cases and 33 deaths. With this, the total number of cases reached 67,468, while the toll increased to 866, according to Tamil Nadu Health Department.

Pakistan fails to check terror group funding, stays on FATF’s ‘Grey List’

The decision was taken at the FATF’s third and final plenary held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic

The global terror financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force, on Wednesday decided to keep Pakistan on the ‘Grey List’ as it has failed to check flow of money to terror groups like the LeT and the JeM, officials said.The decision was taken at the FATF’s third and final plenary held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic.The plenary was held under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu.“The FATF plenary decided continuation of Pakistan in ‘Grey List’ till its next meeting to be held in October,” an official privy to the development said.

The decision has been taken as Pakistan has failed to check flow of money to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed , the official said. 

Pakistan remains safe haven for terrorists: US reportPakistan took “modest steps” in 2019 to counter terror financing and restrain India-focused militant groups from conducting large-scale attacks following the Pulwama attack in February, but it remained a “safe harbor” for regionally focused terrorist groups, the US said on Wednesday.The suspension of US aid to Pakistan, which was announced by President Donald Trump in January 2018, remained in effect throughout 2019, the State Department said.  PTI

Mercedes-Benz forays into luxury MPV with V-Class: Check prices, features

Continuing Mercedes-Benz’s BS-VI transition efforts, the V-Class will be available in a 2-litre BS VI-compliant diesel engine

Automobile News: German auto major Mercedes-Benz Thursday made a foray into the luxury multi-purpose vehicles segment in India with the launch of its V-Class at a starting price of Rs 68.40 lakh. The V-Class will be available in both six-seater long-wheelbase (Exclusive) and seven-seater extra-long-wheelbase (Expression) variants, Mercedes-Benz India said in a statement. While the V-Class Expression starts at Rs 68.40 lakh, the V-Class Exclusive starts at Rs 81.90 lakh (all prices ex-showroom India), it added.

Continuing Mercedes-Benz’s BS-VI transition efforts, the V-Class will be available in a 2-litre BS VI-compliant diesel engine, the company said.”The launch of the V-Class in India firmly underscores our pioneering spirit as we introduce the ‘Luxury Multi-Purpose Vehicle’ segment for our discerning Indian customers,” Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Martin Schwenk said.

The V-Class is targeted at a wide array of potential customers comprising large families, sports enthusiasts and businesses, he added. Schwenk further said in 2019, Mercedes-Benz completes 25 years in India and this milestone will be marked with “a wide range of product offensive, starting with the V-Class”…Read More

GST cess hike on cars from today: Luxury, large cars, SUVs get expensive

Auto companies may pass on impact of cess increase to buyers

 

The increased Goods and Services (GST) cess on mid- sized, luxury and SUV cars will come into effect on Monday.

The GST Council on September 9 decided to hike cess on mid-sized cars by 2 per cent, taking the effective GST rate to 45 per cent.

Also, cess on large cars has been hiked by 5 per cent, taking the total GST incidence to 48 per cent while that of SUVs by 7 per cent to 50 per cent.

"Notification regarding increase in the effective rates of the Compensation Cess on specified motor vehicles will be issued on September 11, 2017, effective from 00 hours the same day," the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) tweeted.

After the GST Council meet on Saturday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that in large vehicles where affordability of consumers is high, the cess has been increased.

"The pre-GST rate has not been restored... Even though we had a headspace of hiking cess by 10 per cent, it has been hiked by up to 7 per cent," Jaitley had said.

Cess on small petrol and diesel cars, hybrid cars and those carrying up to 13 passengers has not been hiked.

Car prices had dropped by up to Rs 3 lakh as the tax rates fixed under the GST, which came into effect from July 1, were lower than the combined central and state taxes in pre-GST days.

To fix this anomaly, the Council raised the cess.

Under the GST regime, cars attract the highest tax slab of 28 per cent and on top of that, a cess is levied....READ MORE