Indian Budget 2018 | Indirect Tax

CUSTOMS LAW

Legislative changes (effective from the date of Presidential assent)

• The law is proposed to be amended to give extra-territorial jurisdiction in respect of offences committed outside India, and proposes to include non-resident offenders. The Amendment empowers the revenue department to launch proceedings, inter alia, against foreign suppliers for abetting duty evasion or circumvention of regulations.
• The Amendment proposes to empower custom officers to undertake search of vessels and conveyances, confiscate goods, and arrest people in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India. The EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline. Earlier, such power was restricted to the Contiguous Zone of India, i.e., 24 nautical miles. This will prevent intrusion of hostile persons in the EEZ.