« Top Headlines » Open DEMAT Account in 24 hrs  Delhi HC Rules GST Registration Cannot Be Cancelled Retrospectively Without a Clear Show Cause Notice (SCN)  Belated income tax return AY 2026-27: How to file, late filing charges and what you may lose  Major Financial Changes from August 1, 2026: ITR Deadline, RBI MPC Meeting, Tatkal Ticket Rules & More  Government proposes to ease tax relief conditions for offshore funds  TallyPrime Connected Banking: Automating Banking and Accounting  ITR Filing Deadline 2026: Is July 31 the Last Date to File Your Income Tax Return? Latest Official Update  ITR filing deadline nears: How to file income tax return online on e-filing portal - quick 15-step guide  Will the ITR Filing Deadline Be Extended Beyond July 31 for FY 2025-26? Here's the Latest Update for Taxpayers  Income Tax Refund Delayed for AY 2026-27? 5 Common Reasons Your Refund May Be Stuck and How to Fix It  ITR Filing 2026: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Asks Tax Officials to Let Honest Taxpayers Correct Genuine Mistakes  Will Your FCNR Deposit Stay Tax-Free After Returning to India? Tax Rules Explained for NRIs «  KPMG to advise govt on revamp of postal dept... Govt debt in FY08 equals tax arrears... » Service tax on rent a concern March, 05th 2007 The service tax on rent on the immovable properties may have a indirect impact on the logistics costs, according to Vineet Agarwal, executive director of the Transport Corporation of India (TCI).    Agarwal said that in order to achieve a GDP growth of 9.2 per cent and sustain the 11 per cent growth in the manufacturing sector, greater focus on development of infrastructure, especially of roads and highways and warehousing, was needed, as these formed the backbone for any industry.    The TCI director welcomed the announcement of the increased outlay for the National Highway Development Programme (NHDP), but with a note of caution. "The thrust should be on the development of access-controlled expressways as these have a multiplier effect on the entire economy. Apart from saving on time, the expressways facilitate the usage of multi axle vehicles, which save diesel consumption and are more environment friendly", he commented.    He said that link roads with express highways too needed to be developed to ensure minimisation of choke points.    According to him, these initiatives were imperative in view of the fact that 65 per cent of freight was transported by road.    Agarwal said corridors with high density of traffic had to be upgraded to six or eight lanes to deliver the benefits in terms of costs and time that logistics users were expecting.    Also, he called for changes in rules that would allow much better use of assets.    For example, separate registration numbers for the engine unit and towed unit or trailer in articulated trucks would allow a single engine unit to be used to handled multiple towed units or trailers. Acute congestion at ports at present meant that hundred of such trailer-trucks were stuck there for days because rules did not permit the engine unit to be disengaged and reused to handled other trailer units.    If this rule was amended, parked trailers at ports could be handled by one or two engine units while the balance engine units could be used to haul cargo elsewhere.    In parallel, there was need for demarcation of areas for activities relating to warehousing and for logistics parks on the lines of SEZs. There should be incentives for building vertical modern warehouses as they ensured better land utilisation, he pointed out.    He welcomed the announcement of the gradual shift to the GST regime. "The government should expedite the shift to a national level Goods and Service tax (GST) as this would result in efficient movement and distribution of goods across the country, help in setting up setting large regional warehouses and ensure better control on pricing", he commented. "By providing the roadmap for the adoption of the GST, companies would be able to plan and manage their operations more effectively," he added.