Digital MNCs likely to miss July 7 deadline for paying Google tax

The development indicates that government has not heeded to calls for deferment of the tax by the industry

Several foreign digital companies may fail to comply with the July 7 deadline for the first instalment of equalisation levy, or the Google tax, as they are still waiting for clarifications from the government. 

The income tax department on Saturday notified modifications in the equalisation levy form, called challan ITNS 285, to facilitate payment for the newly-introduced 2 per cent levy on the foreign e-commerce operators such as Amazon, Netflix, and Uber etc. This left the companies with barely two working days to comply with the deadline. 

Despite the notification, the operators are struggling with issues, including forex conversion rates to be