12 June 2026·PIB

CBDT organises outreach webinar on “Decoding the new Income-tax Act, 2025: International Tax and Transfer Pricing Aspects”

In this note

1. At a Glance

A CBDT–PwC India outreach webinar held on 9 June 2026 to explain the international taxation and transfer pricing (TP) provisions of the new Income-tax Act, 2025 and Income-tax Rules, 2026. [1]
Attended by 1,100+ participants from 16 overseas jurisdictions (USA, UK, Australia, China, Singapore, Cyprus, Japan, Mauritius, Qatar, UAE, etc.), signalling India's stakeholder outreach on cross-border tax certainty. [1]
Relevance for UPSC: links GS-II (government interventions, international institutions) and GS-III (Indian economy, mobilisation of resources, tax reforms).

CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) and PwC India jointly organised a webinar titled "Decoding the new Income-tax Act, 2025 – International Tax and Transfer Pricing Aspects" on 9 June 2026; PIB release dated 12 June 2026. [1]
Comes weeks after the Income-tax Act, 2025 entered into force on 1 April 2026, replacing the Income-tax Act, 1961. [2][3]

Income-tax Act, 1961: previous six-decade-old direct-tax statute. [3]
12 August 2025: Income-tax Bill passed by Parliament. [3]
21 August 2025: Presidential assent → Act No. 30 of 2025. [3][4]
20 March 2026: Income-tax Rules, 2026 notified by CBDT to operationalise the new Act. [3]
1 April 2026: Act comes into force. [2][3]
PRARAMBH 2026: nationwide awareness campaign launched by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to disseminate the new Act. [5]
9 June 2026: International-tax/TP outreach webinar (this PIB item). [1]

Parent Ministry: Ministry of Finance → Department of Revenue → Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). [1]
Statute: Income-tax Act, 2025 (Act 30 of 2025), as amended by Finance Act, 2026. [4]
Structure: 536 sections, 23 chapters, 16 schedules. [3]
Subordinate legislation: Income-tax Rules, 2026 (notified 20 March 2026). [3]
Webinar partner: PwC India. [1]
Reach: 1,100+ participants across 16 overseas jurisdictions — USA, UK, Australia, China, Singapore, Cyprus, Japan, Mauritius, Qatar, UAE, etc. [1]
Department representatives: Ms. Monica Bhatia (Pr. CCIT–International Taxation); Shri Raman Chopra (CCIT–International Taxation); Dr. Anjula Jain (Commissioner). [1]
Thematic focus: international taxation, transfer pricing, Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs), Safe Harbour Rules (SHR). [6]

Economic

Simplification of direct-tax law aims to reduce litigation, improve voluntary compliance, and lower compliance costs for MNEs. [3]
Expansion of Safe Harbour scope and streamlined TP assessments seek to give price certainty to foreign investors. [6]

Legal / Constitutional

Enacted under Entry 82, List I (Union List) — taxes on income other than agricultural income.
Replaces a 64-year-old statute without altering underlying tax policy; redrafts in plain language and re-numbers provisions. [3]

Geopolitical / Strategic

Outreach to 16 jurisdictions including key DTAA partners (Mauritius, Singapore, Cyprus, UAE) — investment-routing hubs into India. [1]
Aligns with OECD BEPS / Inclusive Framework discipline on transfer pricing and dispute resolution.

Administrative

Concurrent rollout of Act + Rules + outreach (PRARAMBH 2026, webinars) showcases stakeholder-centric implementation. [3][5]
CBDT's International Taxation wing (PCCIT-IT) is the nodal implementer for cross-border tax. [1]

12 Aug 2025: Parliament passes Income-tax Bill, 2025. [3]
21 Aug 2025: Presidential assent. [3]
20 Mar 2026: Income-tax Rules, 2026 notified. [3]
1 Apr 2026: Income-tax Act, 2025 comes into force; PRARAMBH 2026 awareness campaign launched. [2][5]
9 Jun 2026: CBDT-PwC webinar on International Tax & TP aspects. [1]

Income-tax Act, 2025 = Act No. 30 of 2025. [4]
Replaces the Income-tax Act, 1961. [3]
Contains 536 sections, 23 chapters, 16 schedules. [3]
Came into force on 1 April 2026. [2]
Income-tax Rules, 2026 notified on 20 March 2026. [3]
Notifying authority for the Rules: CBDT (not Ministry of Law). [3]
Nationwide awareness campaign: PRARAMBH 2026, launched by FM Nirmala Sitharaman. [5]
Outreach webinar (9 Jun 2026) co-hosted with PwC India. [1]
Participants drawn from 16 foreign jurisdictions; 1,100+ attendees. [1]
Listed jurisdictions include Cyprus, Mauritius, Qatar, UAE, Singapore. [1]
APAs and Safe Harbour Rules flagged as key TP certainty tools. [6]
CBDT functions under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. [1]

GS-III: Indian Economy — Mobilization of Resources; Government Budgeting; tax reforms.
GS-II: Government policies and interventions; India and bilateral/multilateral arrangements (DTAA, BEPS).
Possible question stems: 1. "Discuss how the Income-tax Act, 2025 seeks to simplify India's direct-tax architecture and reduce cross-border tax disputes." 2. "Examine the role of Advance Pricing Agreements and Safe Harbour Rules in providing certainty to foreign investors in India." 3. "In light of the new Income-tax Act, 2025, evaluate India's alignment with global anti-BEPS norms."

Year confusion: Act enacted 2025, but enforced from 1 April 2026 — both dates examinable. [2][3]
Don't confuse the new Income-tax Rules, 2026 with the old Income-tax Rules, 1962 (still referenced in transitional TP notifications). [3]
CBDT, not CBIC, is the parent body — CBIC handles indirect taxes.
PRARAMBH 2026 is the awareness campaign; the 9 June 2026 event was a separate webinar with PwC India. [1][5]
Act numbering: 30 of 2025, not "1 of 2025" or "2026". [4]