In sops for the middle class, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday hiked standard deduction by 50 per cent to Rs 75,000 and tweaked tax slabs under the new income tax regime to provide more money in the hands of salaried class with a view to boost consumption. She said salaried employees in the new tax regime could save up to Rs 17,500 in income tax annually following the changes announced in the Budget. The standard deduction for salaried employees is proposed to be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 annually.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated an inquiry into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) against an institution founded by Ladakh-based educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk. The inquiry follows a complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL).
Many seniors mistakenly believe they need not file returns if tax is deducted at source (TDS) on income received. This is incorrect.
rediffGURU T S Khurana answers readers' personal income tax queries.
Many individuals filing tax returns declare zero tax liability. They accounted for two-thirds of the total individual returns filed.
If you were deputed abroad, filing income tax can be tricky.
Not filing an ITR or paying the tax dues on the deceased's behalf can lead to penal consequences.
Central GST (CGST) field offices will remain open on March 29-31, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said on Friday. The CBIC directive came days after a similar directive from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) regarding income tax department offices "to facilitate completion of pending departmental work.
The new amendment, which came into force on April 21, has been introduced to detect discrepancies between the expenses and incomes of people who do not have to file tax returns.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
7 states account for over 80 per cent of the total direct tax collections by the Union government.
British broadcaster BBC has communicated to the income-tax department that some of its past income, for its operations in India, could have gone unreported during the statutory filing of returns and hence it would like to amend it, official sources said on Wednesday.
rediffGURU T S Khurana answers readers' personal income tax queries.
As on April 1, income tax arrears have increased to Rs 43 trillion from Rs 24 trillion on April 1, 2023.
Unidentified men posing as central government officials intercepted a cash van in Bengaluru and allegedly fled with about Rs 7 crore. Police are investigating the incident and have formed teams to hunt for the suspects.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday attacked the Centre over the glitches in the new income tax portal, alleging that even after spending Rs 4,200 crore on it, the government had "failed" to make it user-friendly and created a "mess" instead.
A taxpayer who does not revise their return within the stipulated deadline would be stuck with the original return, including its errors.
Missing the deadline for filing Income Tax returns can lead to consequences.
The tax department has created many circular traps -- flawed reporting formats, penalties for those who point out the flaws, and faceless assessors with no accountability. The result: Millions of taxpayers face needless harassment and procedural dead ends, highlights Harsh Roongta.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Ladakh administration regarding the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA). Wangchuk's wife has filed a plea challenging the detention, claiming it violates his fundamental rights. The court has given the Centre and Ladakh administration 10 days to respond and has scheduled the next hearing for November 24.
Every individual has to necessarily file the income-tax returns if the total income, before allowing any deduction, exceeds the exemption limit.
There is more to tax savings than Section 80C. These six can help you optimise your tax savings.
Some individuals opt for the new regime without a comparative analysis of the tax liability under the two regimes.
The I-T department issued a circular allowing manual filing of Form 15CA/15CB (required for foreign remittances) with banks till June 30, so that business transactions may go on. The forms will be uploaded online on the e-filing portal later, it added.
'If an individual makes significant financial investments, she should stick to the old regime.' 'If the individual prefers straightforward computation without any tax benefits, the new regime would be suitable.'
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday asked Infosys and its chairman Nandan Nilekani to fix technical glitches being encountered on the income tax department's new e-filing website, after users flooded her Twitter timeline with complaints. Infosys was in 2019 awarded a contract to develop the next-generation income tax filing system to reduce processing time for returns from 63 days to one day and expedite refunds. The portal went live Monday evening.
Apart from the many old rules, you need to be aware of a number of new ones to be able to claim your deductions well.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
The per capita income of Indians as gleaned from income-tax filing is expected to increase from Rs 2 lakh in FY23 to Rs 14.9 lakh in FY47, coinciding with 100 years of the country's Independence, according to SBI Research. In dollar terms it will increase from about $2,500 in FY23 to $12,400 in FY47. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser, State Bank of India, said the weighted mean income was Rs 4.4 lakh in AY14. That rose to Rs 13 lakh in FY23.
Aditya Birla Group's Hindalco Industries on Friday reported a 21.3 per cent year on year rise in its consolidated net profit to Rs 4,741 crore in the second quarter of 2025-26 (Q2FY26), driven by its Indian business and its US-based subsidiary, Novelis.
The tax department conducts about 100-150 "full blown" searches and surveys in a financial year, and this enforcement action is not aimed towards the common taxpaying individual or entity.
rediffGURU Samkit Maniar answers readers' personal income tax queries
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
Infosys has received a tax demand of Rs 341 crore for assessment year 2020-21 from the Income Tax Department, the IT services company said on Monday adding it is evaluating filing an appeal against the said order. The Bengaluru-headquartered company said it is in the process of evaluating the impact of the order on its financial statements for the quarter and year ending March 31, 2024. Infosys also said it is evaluating filing an appeal against this order.
rediffGURU Samkit Maniar answers readers' personal income tax queries.
The Income Tax department has enabled online filing of income tax returns (ITRs) 1 and 4, filed by individuals, professionals and small businesses, for 2022-23 fiscal. In a tweet, the income tax department said, the software/utilities for preparing other ITRs/ Forms will be enabled shortly.
Handbags, wrist watches, footwear and sportswear, priced above Rs 10 lakh will now attract 1 per cent Tax Collected at Source (TCS), as per a notification issued by the Income Tax department. TCS at 1 per cent rate is currently being levied on motor vehicles costing above Rs 10 lakh effective January 1, 2025.
State-owned insurer LIC on Thursday reported a 32 per cent jump in net profit to Rs 10,053 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, aided by a lower commission outgo. The country's biggest insurer had reported a net profit of Rs 7,621 crore in the year-ago period.
'Experts and stakeholders have raised concern over the refund provision in the draft Bill. That was a drafting error, which will be rectified,' a government official said.
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