MAM
Nokia, Tata remain India’s most trusted brands; Anna Hazare is top personality
BANGALORE: Nokia and Tata have retained their position as the top two trusted brands in India this year, according to a recent brand study.
Anna Hazare has surged, gaining the nation’s trust ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan who feature in that order.
According to the second edition of Brand Trust Report (BTR) released by The Comniscient Group’s Trust Research Advisory (TRA), Sony has slipped two positions to become the fifth most trusted brand, while LG and Samsung have moved up to the third and fourth positions.
The BTR India Report 2012 lists India’s 1000 most trusted brands. There are 22 personalities listed in BTR.
Reliance has slipped from its number six position last year to No.10, while Bajaj at No.7 has eased out Titan from the top 10 positions. LIC and Airtel have retained their last year’s positions of eighth and ninth ranks respectively.
TRA CEO N Chandramouli said, “In life, without trust, there is nothing. Each time a human engages with anything, the basis for all decisions is trust. Be it brands, other humans, or just ideas, one will react to them on the basis of the trust it generates. Last year was tumultuous for several brands, but those which focused on trust, have gained market-share, revenues and profits. On the other hand, the brands which have focused only on the latter, have invariably lost both. Focus on building trust and all else will follow automatically.”
Most Trusted leaders in some other categories are Armani in Branded Fashion, DLF in Construction, NIIT in Education, ONGC in Energy, PVR in Entertainment, Pepsi in F&B, Dabur in Healthcare, Taj Hotels in Hospitality, Google in Internet, ACC in Manufacturing, Thomas Cook in Services, Being Human in Social Sector, Hewlett Packard in Technology, and Air India in Airlines.
The BTR is an attempt to understand and simplify concepts related to Brand Trust – it tries to help decipher, analyse and measure trust as the basis for all human-based engagements and interactions.
The research has been carried out using TRA’s proprietary Trust Matrix comprising 61 different ingredients or components of trust. The research has been conducted with 2,718 ‘influencer’ respondents from 15 cities in India and is based on more than two million data points from 12,000 hours of research, said TRA.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
