TDSAT rejects DoT's bid to tax ISPs for Internet services

The government’s attempt at charging ISPs a fee of 8 percent of their annual revenue from April 2013 met with failure after the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) rejected it, The Times of India reports. In its verdict, the tribunal stated, "Presumably, the government was required to consider all aspects of the matter, including the question of whether the petitioners, with regard to pure internet services vis-a-vis services rendered by UAS licencees have a level playing field. If they do not, appropriate measure may have to be taken but the petitioners could not be asked to provisionally pay based on their annual gross revenue (AGR), where the final decision is to be taken at a later stage." Click here for full story