Brands
Bajaj Electricals hit with Rs 14.08 crore GST demand, plans legal appeal
MUMBAI: Bajaj Electricals Limited has received an assessment order from the Punjab GST Authority, imposing a Rs 14.08 crore tax demand for the financial year 2020-21. The notice, issued by the Punjab, Mohali assistant commissioner under Section 73 of the Punjab Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, and Section 73 of the CGST Act, 2017, alleges liabilities related to the reverse charge mechanism (RCM) and discrepancies in the input tax credit (ITC) claimed by the company.
Breakdown of the demand
1 Tax demand: Rs. 7.45 crore
2 Interest: Rs. 5.89 crore
3 Penalty: Rs. 0.75 crore
4 Total demand: Rs. 14.08 crore
Bajaj Electricals has assured stakeholders that it is exploring all legal options, including filing an appeal before the appropriate appellate authority. The company maintains that its financial operations and business activities remain unaffected by the demand and that it is committed to ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements.
In a formal disclosure to BSE Ltd and the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE), the company stated that it remains committed to addressing the issue through legal channels and emphasised that there is no immediate operational impact.
While Bajaj Electricals gears up for a legal battle, this development underscores the growing scrutiny of tax compliance in the corporate sector.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
