Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Starting a company in India

Doing Business As An Indian Company

As an alternative to doing business in India, you may want to conduct business as an Indian company through a joint venture or a wholly owned subsidiary. The difference between the two is that in a joint venture, a foreign company partners with an Indian entity. In an owned subsidiary on the other hand, the foreign company fully owns equity in another Indian company. For most industry sectors, especially in the IT field, the foreign company is not required to obtain prior approval from the Secretariat of Industrial Approvals in India and the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. Moreover, to encourage units in the IT sector, numerous government schemes exist, such as: Domestic Tariff Areas, Special Economic Zones, Free Trade Zones, Export Processing Zones, 100 percent EOUs, and Software Technology Parks (STPs). In particular, STPs enjoy the following special benefits:
(a) automatic clearance and approval to operate as a subsidiary,
(b) income tax holidays,
(c) customs duty exemptions on imports,
(d) excise duty exemptions and sales tax reimbursement on indigenous procurement,
(e) high-speed data communication links for software exports, (f) no separate export/import licenses,
(g) Green Card for priority treatment in government clearances and services.

The Specifics Of Incorporating

In India in order to incorporate a company in India, the first step is to file an application with the Registrar of Companies. Six proposed names of the subsidiary company must be provided in an order of preference. The Registrar of Companies wants the company’s name to contain at least one word indicative of the nature of the company’s business. For instance, an IT company should include words such as “software” or “technology” and the names should end either in “Private Limited” or “Public Limited.” If the first few words of the proposed name of the Indian company are those of the parent foreign company, a “No Objection” letter on the letterhead of the parent foreign company allowing the use of the name by the Indian subsidiary expedites the name registration process. Pursuant to the Indian Companies Act, 1956, a minimum of two shareholders is required to incorporate an Indian company. Further, during the incorporation process, the names, addresses, dates of birth, father’s name, nationality, and notarized copies of passports of the proposed directors of the Indian subsidiary must also be provided.Next, the Indian law requires a Memorandum and Articles of Association to be undertaken by the Indian subsidiary. A power of attorney may be required from the parent company by which an agent is appointed. The power of attorney must be notarized and authenticated by the Indian Embassy in the foreign company’s original country.

During the Indian subsidiary’s first board of directors’ meeting, the company must have the following items on its agenda:
(a) adoption of appointment of First Directors named as such in the Articles of Association;
(b) adoption of the registered Memorandum and Articles of Association;
(c) taking on record the Certificate of Incorporation of the company;
(d) taking on record the Registered Office of the company;
(e) approval of the financial year;
(f) appointment of First Auditors within one month of the date of incorporation of the company;
(g) approval of Common Seal of the company;
(h) approval of preliminary and pre-incorporation expenses; (i) allotment of shares and issuance of share certificates to the subscribers;
(j) authorizing a Director to represent the company in general and in taking the necessary steps to register it with various government authorities.

Subsequent to the first board meeting, the following steps must be taken:
(a) opening a company bank account;
(b) obtaining the statutory registers, attendance registers and minute books for the meetings;
(c) preparation of the common seal;
(d) printing share certificates;
(e) obtaining a Permanent Account Number (“PAN”);
(f) obtaining Tax Deduction Account Number (“TAN”);
(g) obtaining Importer-Exporter Code (“IEC”) Number;
(h) obtaining registration under various labor statutes including the Shops and Establishments Act and Provident Funds Act; (i) registration and enrollment with the Professions Tax authority; and (j) registration under Central and Sales Tax Act.The authorized share capital of the proposed Indian subsidiary depends on the words contained in the company’s name. For instance, the authorized share capital of Rs. 50 million ($1 million) is allotted for the use of word “Corporation” in the company name. The authorized share capital of Rs. 10 million ($216,000.00) is for the use of words “International,” “Globe,” “Universal,” “Continental,” or “Asia,” as the first word in the company name. Therefore, words such as those mentioned above are allowed as names only if the authorized share capital of the company totals certain specified amounts.The registration fees payable to the Registrar of Companies at the time of new company’s registration depend on the intended authorized share capital of the company. A private limited company must have a minimum authorized and paid share capital of Rs. 100,000.00. The registration fees generally range from approximately Rs. 4,800.00 ($100.00) to Rs. 98,000.00 ($2,250.00); however, registration fees can go up to Rs. 25 million depending upon the authorized capital.In conclusion, when setting up a business in India, careful attention should be given to the industry in which your company will operate. Additionally, a thorough understanding of the Indian regulations is essential to a successful establishment of your business.1[1] Both foreign companies in India as well as Indian companies are subject to Indian Companies Act, 1956. 2[2] STPs are located in Noida, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur, Mohali, and Thiruvanathapuram.

Starting Business in the New India

The sleeping elephant has woken up. Or is it another Asian tiger. Call it what you may, but the truth is that India is on the move. Since economic liberalization began in 1991, India has been clocking an 8 percent GDP growth year after year, foreign direct investments are hitting $10 billion annually, and the stock market has tripled in the last three years. The 300 million strong middle class, with new money in their pockets are continuing to fuel the economic engine.

http://www.siliconindia.com/magazine/fullstory.php/PNH721713089

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Thinking small: Entrepreneurship in India

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

India and China are the only real Brics in the wall

Few concepts have gained more currency among business people and politicians in recent years than the idea of the Brics – the giant, emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, whose weight and influence is supposedly changing economic and political realities. Grouping the four, however, obscures a simple fact: while the rise of China and India represents a real shift in the power balance, Russia and Brazil are marginal economies propped up by high commodity prices. This difference has profound implications.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2147c02e-82e9-11db-a38a-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=9c33700c-4c86-11da-89df-0000779e2340.html