The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), on August 4, 2026, issued the Draft Inland Vessel Tonnage Tax (Minimum Training Requirement and Charter-in) Guidelines, 2026 under sub-sections (12) and (13) of section 232 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, and invited comments from stakeholders. The draft Guidelines have been prepared to operationalise the provisions relating to Qualifying Inland Vessels under the Tonnage Tax Scheme.
The draft Guidelines prescribe the minimum training requirements for tonnage tax companies operating qualifying inland vessels, the methodology for calculating Payment in Lieu of Training (PILOT), the framework governing charter-in and charter-out of qualifying inland vessels, prescribed Forms 1 to 13, and related administrative and compliance procedures. Stakeholders, including inland vessel owners, shipping companies, charterers, industry associations and classification societies, have been requested to examine the draft and submit clause-wise comments with supporting justification.
Comments and suggestions may be submitted or by post to the Chief Engineer (Traffic and Logistics), IWAI, Noida, within 10 days of the notice, i.e., on or before August 14, 2026. In the absence of any response within the stipulated period, it will be presumed that the stakeholder has no comments, and the draft Guidelines will be processed for submission to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways for notification.
[File No. IWAI/Cargo/515/2024-25]
