Foreign Exchange Management Act
- 1. Course Instructor: Sneha Sharma It was a law to replace Foreign Exchange Regulation Act of 1973
- 2. Foreign exchange is the system or process of converting one national currency into another, and of transferring money from one country to another
- 3. Foreign currency means any currency other than Indian currency.
- 4. Foreign security means any security, in the form of shares, stocks, bonds, debentures or any other instrumental denominated or expressed in foreign currency and includes securities expressed in foreign currency ▪ but where redemption or any form of return such as interest or dividends is payable in Indian currency.
- 5. The 1973 law was created during the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with the goal of conserving India's foreign exchange resources.
- 6. The country was facing a trade deficit, which was followed by a devaluation of the currency and an increase in the price of imported oil. The act specified which foreign exchange transactions were permitted, including those between Indian residents and nonresidents.
- 7. FERA deals with laws which relate to foreign exchange in India. The laws were made to manage foreign investments in India. FERA consists of 81 complex sections. ▪ Under FERA, any offence was a criminal one which included imprisonment as per code of criminal procedure, 1973.
- 8. To prevent the outflow of Indian currency. To regulate dealings in foreign exchange and securities. To regulate the transaction indirectly affecting foreign exchange. To regulate import and export of currency and bullion. To regulate employment of foreign nationals.
- 9. To regulate foreign companies. To regulate acquisition, holding etc of immovable property in India by non-residents. To regulate certain payments. To regulate dealings in foreign exchange and securities. To regulate the transactions indirectly affecting foreign exchange.
- 10. Regulation of dealing in foreign exchange. Restrictions on payments. Restrictions regarding assets held by non residents and import & export of certain currency & bullion. Duty on persons entitled to receive foreign exchange and payment for exported goods.
- 11. Restriction on appointment of certain persons and companies as agents or technical or management advisers in india. Restriction on establishment of place of business in india. Prior permission of Reserve Bank required for taking up employment in india by nationals of foreign state. Restrictions on immovable property
- 12. The main objective of FERA framed against the background of severe foreign exchange problem and controlled economic regime was conservation and proper utilization of the foreign exchange resources of the country. FERA created flourishing black market in foreign exchange. It brought into the economic lexicon the word “HAWALA”.
- 14. Accordingly, a new act replaced the FERA called FEMA.
- 15. The demand for new legislation was basically on two main counts The FERA was introduced in 1974 when India’s foreign exchange reserves position was not satisfactory. ▪ It required stringent controls to conserve foreign exchange ▪ and to utilize in the best interest of the country. ▪ Very strict restrictions have outlived their utility in the changed scenario.
- 16. In 1999 the FEMA was passed which replaced the FERA, though certain provisions of FERA 1973 still exist under FEMA 1999. FEMA came into effect from 1st June, 2000. Some structural changes were made. The FEMA combines and improves the laws relating to foreign exchange. It makes the procedure for foreign investment easy and consequently encourages foreign exchange in India.
- 17. To facilitate the external trade and payment. To promote of an orderly maintenance of the foreign exchange market In India. Regulation of foreign capital in India. To remove imbalance of payment.
- 18. To make strong and developed foreign exchange market. Regulation of employment business and investment of non-residents . To regulate foreign payments.
- 19. The Reserve Bank of India and central government would continue to be the regulatory bodies. Presumption of extra territorial jurisdiction as envisaged in section (1) of FERA has been retained. The Directorate of Enforcement continues to be the agency for enforcement of the provisions of the law such as conducting search and seizure
- 20. FERA FERA consisted of 81 sections, and was more complex. Presumption of negative intention (Mens Rea ) and joining hands in offence (abatement) existed in FEMA. FEMA Terms like Capital Account Transaction, current Account Transaction, person, service etc. were not defined in FERA. FEMA is much simple, and consist of only 49 sections. These presumptions of Mens Rea and abatement have been excluded in FEMA. Terms like Capital Account Transaction, current account Transaction person, service etc., have been defined in detail in FEMA
- 21. (A) transactions, specified in Schedule I, of a person resident In India; (B) transactions, specified in Schedule II, of a person resident outside India. (2) Subject to the provisions of the Act or the rules or regulations or direction or orders made or issued thereunder, any person may sell or draw foreign exchange to or from an authorised person for a capital account transaction specified in the Schedules; Provided that the transaction is within the limit , if any, specified in the regulations relevant to the transaction.
- 22. FERA Definition of "Authorized Person" in FERA was a narrow one ( 2(b). There was a big difference in the definition of "Resident", under FERA, and Income Tax Act FEMA The definition of Authorized person has been widened to include banks, money changes, off shore banking Units etc. (2 ( c ). The provision of FEMA, are in consistent with income Tax Act, in respect to the definition of term" Resident".
- 23. Now the criteria of "In India for 182 days" to make a person resident has been brought under FEMA. Therefore a person who qualifies to be a non-resident under the income Tax Act, 1961 will also be considered a non-resident for the purposes of application of FEMA, but a person who is considered to be non-resident under FEMA may not necessarily be a non-resident under the Income Tax Act, for instance a business man going abroad and staying therefore a period of 182 days or more in a financial year will become a non-resident under FEMA.
- 24. FERA Any offence under FERA, was a criminal offence , punishable with imprisonment as per code of criminal procedure, 1973. The monetary penalty payable under FERA, was nearly the five times the amount involved. FEMA Here, the offence is considered to be a civil offence only punishable with some amount of money as a penalty. Imprisonment is prescribed only when one fails to pay the penalty. Under FEMA the quantum of penalty has been considerably decreased to three times the amount involved
- 25. FERA An appeal against the order of "Adjudicating office", before " Foreign Exchange Regulation Appellate Board went before High Court FEMA The appellate authority under FEMA is the special Director ( Appeals) Appeal against the order of Adjudicating Authorities and special Director (appeals) lies before "Appellate Tribunal for Foreign Exchange." An appeal from an order of Appellate Tribunal would lie to the High Court. (sec 17,18,35)
- 26. FERA FERA did not contain any express provision on the right of on impleaded person to take legal assistance. FERA conferred wide powers on a police officer not below the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police to make a search FEMA FEMA expressly recognizes the right of appellant to take assistance of legal practitioner or chartered accountant (32). The scope and power of search and seizure has been curtailed to a great extent.
- 28. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group firm, Reliance Infrastructure (earlier, Reliance Energy), to pay just under Rs 125 crore as compounding fees for parking its foreign loan proceeds worth $300 million with its mutual fund in India for 315 days, and then repatriating the money abroad to a joint venture company. These actions, according to an RBI order, violated various provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
- 29. In its order, RBI said Reliance Energy raised a $360-million ECB on July 25, 2006, for investment in infrastructure projects in India. The ECB proceeds were drawn down on November 15, 2006, and temporarily parked overseas in liquid assets. On April 26, 2007, Reliance Energy repatriated the ECB proceeds worth $300 million to India while the balance remained abroad in liquid assets.
- 30. It then invested these funds in Reliance Mutual Fund Growth Option and Reliance Floating Rate Fund Growth Option on April 26, 2007. On the following day, i.e., on April 27 2007, the entire money was withdrawn and invested in Reliance Fixed Horizon Fund III Annual Plan series V. On March 5, 2008, Reliance Energy repatriated $500 million (which included the ECB proceeds repatriated on April 26, 2007, and invested in capital market instruments) for investment in capital of an overseas joint venture called Gourock Ventures based in British Virgin Islands.
- 31. RBI said, under FEMA guidelines issued in 2000, a borrower is required to keep ECB funds parked abroad till the actual requirement in India. Further, the central bank said a borrower cannot utilise the funds for any other purpose. “The conduct of the applicant was in contravention of the ECB guidelines and the same are sought to be compounded,” the RBI order signed by its chief general manager Salim Gangadharan said.
- 32. During the personal hearing on June 16, 2008, Reliance Energy, represented by group managing director Gautam Doshi and Price waterhouse Coopers executive director Sanjay Kapadia, admitted the contravention and sough compounding. The company said due to unforeseen circumstances, its Dadri power project was delayed. Therefore, the ECB proceeds of $300 million were bought to India and was parked in liquid debt mutual fund schemes, it added.
- 33. Rejecting Reliance Energy’s contention, RBI said it took the company 315 days to realise that the ECB proceeds are not required for its intended purpose and to repatriate the same for alternate use of investment in an overseas joint venture on March 5, 2008.Reliance also contended that they invested the ECB proceeds in debt mutual fund schemes to ensure immediate availability of funds for utilisation in India. “I do not find any merit in this contention also as the applicant has not approached RBI either for utilising the proceeds not provided for in the ECB guidelines, or its repatriation abroad for investment in the capital of the JV,” the RBI official said in the order.
- 34. In its defence, the company said the exchange rate gain on account of remittance on March 5 2008, would be a notional interim rate gain as such exchange rate gain is not crystallised. But RBI does not think so. “They have also stated that in terms of accounting standard 11 (AS 11), all foreign exchange loans have to be restated and the difference between current exchange rate and the rate at which the same were remitted to India, has to be shown as foreign exchange loss/gain in profit and loss accounts.
- 35. However, in a scenario where the proceeds of the ECB are parked overseas, the exchange rate gains or losses are neutralized as the gains or losses restating of the liability side are offset with corresponding exchange losses or gains in the asset. In this case, the exchange gain had indeed been realised and that too the additional exchange gain had accrued to the company through an unlawful act under FEMA,” the order said.
- 36. It said as the company has made additional income of Rs 124 crore, it is liable to pay a fine of Rs 124.68 crore. On August this year, the company submitted another fresh application for compounding and requested for withdrawal of the present application dated April 17, 2008, to include contravention committed in respect of an another transaction of ECB worth $150 million. But RBI said the company will have to make separate application for every transaction and two transactions are different and independent and cannot be clubbed together.