What changed since 2025
The brochure’s timeline of changes, in date order.
| Date | Change | Effect | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 2025 | Equalisation levy withdrawn | The 6% levy on online advertising services provided by non-residents ended, following the Finance Act 2025. Significant economic presence can still create a taxable connection. | Gala and Accorp alerts (secondary) |
| 13 Nov 2025 | DPDP Rules notified | The Data Protection Board started at once; consent managers register from 13 November 2026 and core obligations apply from 13 May 2027. | Invest India legal guide, Dec 2025 |
| 14 Feb 2026 | Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 | Cabinet approved a ₹10,000 crore fund of funds for deep tech, tech-driven manufacturing and early-growth start-ups; DPIIT issued operating guidelines in April 2026. | PM India, 14 Feb 2026; PIB via IBEF, 27 Apr 2026 |
| 30 Mar 2026 | Finance Act 2026 | Data-centre exemption to March 2047 enacted; turnover limit for the start-up tax holiday raised from ₹100 crore to ₹300 crore. | Finance Act 2026 |
| 1 May 2026 | Online gaming Act and Rules in force | Notifications of 22 April 2026 brought the 2025 Act and its Rules into force and set up the Online Gaming Authority of India; online money games are prohibited. | PIB, Apr 2026; Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, 25 Apr 2026 |
| 23 Jul 2026 | Press Note 3 (2026) | Marketplace entities with FDI may hold inventory to export goods made in India; domestic inventory sales stay barred. The FEMA amendment of 2 September 2026 took effect on 3 September 2026. | EY alert, Sep 2026 (secondary) |
Other dated changes in the brochure
These changes appear on other pages of the brochure and complete the picture.
| Date | Change | Effect | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2025 | RDI Scheme approved | ₹1 lakh crore for long-term private R&D finance at low or nil interest; the fund was launched in November 2025. | PM India, 1 Jul 2025; PIB and PTI, 3 Nov 2025 |
| 1 Aug 2025 | Employment Linked Incentive window opens | Employers can earn up to ₹3,000 a month per additional employee, for two years, for jobs created to 31 July 2027. | PIB on the Employment Linked Incentive, 2025 |
| 22 Sep 2025 | GST rates restructured | Two main rates, 5% and 18%, plus 40% for a select few goods and services, as approved by the 56th GST Council on 3 September 2025. | PIB, 56th GST Council, 3 Sep 2025 |
| 21 Nov 2025 | Labour Codes in force | The four Labour Codes apply. | PIB (Ministry of Labour and Employment), 21 Nov 2025 |
| Jan 2026 | Tiger Global decision | The Supreme Court denied India–Mauritius treaty benefit under GAAR; treaty exemptions on capital gains are open to challenge. | Khaitan & Co, 16 Jan 2026; KPMG, 20 Jan 2026 |
| 1 Feb 2026 | Budget 2026-27 | IT-services safe harbour of 15.5% announced, threshold ₹2,000 crore (was ₹300 crore); 15% related-party data-centre safe harbour proposed; AVGC labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges and removal of the ₹10 lakh courier-export cap proposed. | Budget speech and PIB, 1 Feb 2026 |
| 1 Apr 2026 | Income-tax Act 2025 in force | Replaced the 1961 Act; tax year 2026-27 is the first year. MAT cut to 14%; share buy-backs taxed as capital gains rather than dividend. | Finance Act 2026; BDO and RSM (secondary) |
| 2026 | Income-tax Rules 2026 | The 15.5% IT-services safe harbour notified, with automated approval and a five-year option. | CLC Law and Aurtus (secondary) |
| 2026 | Press Note 2 (2026) | Beneficial ownership defined as under the PMLA; up to 10% non-controlling land-border beneficial ownership may use the automatic route, with prior reporting on the FIF/NSWS portal. | Vistra and Saraf and Partners (secondary) |
| 31 Aug 2026 | Semicon 2.0 notified | Chip-design support open for three years, for Indian-owned and -controlled companies. | ISM notification, 31 Aug 2026; ANI |
For changes after 1 October 2026, see updates.