Service tax exemption for news agencies if...

News agencies, which fulfill certain criteria, are to be exempted from payment of service tax, Finance Minister Pranab Mukerjee said on Friday.

"Accredited news agencies which provide news feed online attract service tax," Mukherjee said presenting the 2010-11 Budget in the Lok Sabha.

"Acknowledging the yeoman services of such news agencies in disseminating news, I propose to exempt such news agencies that meet certain criteria, from service tax," he said.