Sunday, March 31, 2024

Income Tax Key Rules & Changes

31-Jan-2018: LTCG tax introduced on equity (stock & mutual fund). First 1 lac is tax exempted. More...

Before 1-Feb-2021: ULIP is taxed(LTCG 10% for equity and 20% for debt) if annual premium is more than 10% of SA. More...

1-Feb-2021: Annual aggregate premium on ULIP above 2.5lacs will be taxed (or) annual premium is more than 10% of sum assured.

1-Apr-2020: Annual employee contribution to EPF, NPS & Superannuation above 7.5lacs will be taxed.  

1-Apr-2022: Annual employee contribution to EPF above 2.5lacs will be taxed. 

1-Apr-2023: Annual aggregate premium on life insurance (non ULIP) above 5lacs will be taxed (or)
annual premium is more than 10% of sum assured. More...

1-Apr-2023: No tax benefit on debt funds whether STCG or LTCG. 

1-Jul-2023: Tax on foreign remittances to 20 per cent from July 1, as against 5 per cent earlier. However, spends of up to ₹7 lakh per financial year will be exempt from such tax.

23-Jul-2024:

  •  Standard Deduction amount raised to 75,000
  • Short term capital gain tax revised to 20% while long term capital gain tax raised to 12.5% on Financial assets
  • STT (Security Transaction Tax) on derivatives raised to to 0.02%
  • With the rationalisation of rate to 12.5%, indexation available under second proviso to Section 48 is proposed to be removed for calculation of any long-term capital gains, which is presently available for property, gold, and other unlisted assets.

  • Short-Term Capital Gains (STCG) on Equity Mutual Funds (units held ≤12 months):

    • Taxed at 20% (previously 15%) plus surcharge and cess.

  • Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) on Equity Mutual Funds (units held >12 months):

    • Taxed at 12.5% (previously 10%) on gains exceeding ₹1.25 lakh (previously ₹1 lakh) per annum, without any indexation benefit

NPS:  

Employer contribution upto 10% of Basic is tax free with upper ceiling of 7.5lacs under 80CCD(2)  .
Self contribution in Tier 1 with tax deduction of up to Rs.50,000 under Section 80CCD(1B).
 
Lower Tax Investment Options
Equity STCG: 15%, less than 1year
Equity LTCG: 10%, 1year
Insurance (ULIP or Traditional): 0%, 5years
SGB: 0%, 8years
RSU STCG: as per tax slab, less than 2years
RSU LTCG: 20%, 2years
NPS: 60% withdrawl is tax free and rest is converted to annuity whose proceeds are chargeable as per income tax slab. More...