Brands
Colgate-Palmolive India faces Rs 268 Cr tax demand, plans appeal
MUMBAI: Colgate-Palmolive (India) has found itself in a tax tussle, with the Income Tax Department raising a demand of Rs 267.64 crore for the financial year 2021–22. The maker of some of India’s most familiar bathroom staples, however, is keeping its smile firmly in place.
The company said it has received an assessment order along with a notice of demand from the tax authorities. The bulk of the claim stems from transfer pricing adjustments and the disallowance of certain expenses.
The order was received on December 24, with Christmas Day being a public holiday, prompting the formal disclosure on December 26.
Colgate-Palmolive (India) has made it clear that the matter is far from settled. The company plans to challenge the order before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and remains confident about its position.
More importantly for investors and consumers alike, the company says there is no impact on its financials, operations or day-to-day business as a result of the demand.
In short, while the taxman has taken a bite, Colgate insists its balance sheet and business remain squeaky clean.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
