Chinese import tariffs have unwittingly come to India's assistance to help boost imports of US liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at rates cheaper than what it pays for supplies from West Asia, according to industry sources and shipping data.
The broader NSE Nifty jumped 57.25 points or 0.49 per cent to close at 11,844.10.
Allaying investor fears over the levy of long-term capital gains tax on share transfer in unlisted companies, the government on Friday said the move is only to target 'khoka' companies, and 'genuine investments' in start-ups and through FDI will be exempt.
Finance firms in these SEZs likely to get tax breaks.
In a relief for foreign firms giving loans to Indian subsidiaries, tax authorities have said goods and services tax (GST) will not be imposed on them, subject to some caveats. Additional fees, commissions, or related payments - over and above the amount charged as interest - on these loans will attract GST at 18 per cent, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has said.
'The introduction of a tax on LTCG will be a deterrent for foreign investors and could potentially result in a movement of trading activity away from India to other offshore jurisdictions such as Singapore, which offer better tax rates and sophisticated financial products.'
Few finance ministers announce any taxation measure that could upset the stock market. Ms Sitharaman decided to take that risk, observes A K Bhattacharya.
Higher levy on dividends earned by individuals also on radar.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
Demand among several pre-Budget representation by BSE Brokers' forum
rediffGURU T S Khurana answers readers' personal income tax queries.
'For me, if I want to buy a house to stay, I don't care about indexation because I don't want to sell that house.' 'The only thing that matters to me as a buyer is that the home price should be within my reach.' 'Any market, when speculators and investors go out, it will benefit the middle class.'
'Individuals can consider dividing ownership of properties between related persons to ensure that the sale transactions are below the Rs 50 lakh limit and therefore not subject to TDS.'
'The finance minister missed yet another opportunity to simplify the income tax structure in the Budget.' 'This was an opportune moment to get rid of the old tax system entirely and move fully to the new system,' asserts M Govinda Rao, member of the 14th Finance Commission.
Shares of asset management companies (AMCs) have rallied in the last 3-4 sessions due to clarity on regulatory changes in total expense ratios (TER) and expectations that it won't upset profits much in the long run. HDFC AMC has gained over 12 per cent in the last four sessions, while Nippon AMC and UTI AMC are up around 5 per cent. Aditya Birla Sun Life (ABSL), the only other listed AMCs, has risen more than 2.3 per cent in the last four sessions.
'Arbitrage funds make the most sense for those in the 30 per cent tax bracket, are viable for those in the 20 per cent bracket, but less so for those in the 10 per cent bracket.'
How the Aadhar card would be linked to income tax return is yet not clear
REITs, a new investment avenue in India on the lines of one in developed markets like the US, UK, Japan.
Ravi Singhal explains how a taxpayer can go about reducing her/his tax liability if they suffer losses while investing or trading in the stock market.
Shriram Finance's (SHFL's) profit after tax (PAT) rose 10 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 2,140 crore in the fourth quarter of the financial year 2024-25 (Q4FY25).
There have been demands from a section of stakeholders that the long-term capital gains tax on equities be reimposed.
The suspected undisclosed income in these cases could reach as much as Rs 15,000 crore.
India's flexible (flex) office segment, having breached pre-pandemic levels, is thriving as corporates, startups, multinational corporations, and global capability centres (GCCs) expand in India, seeking low-capital yet Grade A plug-and-play facilities. In the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, the flex office segment continued to grow, with flex space leasing rising by 22 per cent to 2.2 million square feet (msf), according to Colliers.
The Budget has levied a pollution cess on petrol, diesel cars and SUVs and offered a one-time compliance window for domestic black money holders slapping a tax and penalty of 45 per cent.
rediffGURU T S Khurana answers readers' personal income tax queries.
Food delivery aggregator Swiggy saw its loss widen for the fourth quarter (January-March) of financial year 2024-25 (Q4FY25). The firm reported a consolidated loss of Rs 1,081.1 crore for the quarter, compared to a loss of Rs 554.7 crore in the corresponding quarter of FY24.
The 0.5 per cent Krishi Kalyan Cess (KKC) on all services increases the total tax chargeable on services to 15 per cent, making it expensive to dine out or travel.
Indian bourses are likely to benefit from higher foreign fund flows as cracks appeared in the Chinese stock markets after the government tripled the tax on securities transactions to cool a rally.
'Extensive thought has been put in, and we have pondered over each and every suggestions and demands received from our members.'
The income-tax department has detected "unaccounted" transactions and investments worth more than Rs 100 crore after it raided two Jharkhand Congress MLAs, their alleged associates and linked coal and iron ore businesses across the state last week.
SEBI has published data showing that more than 90 per cent of investors lose money in futures and options, explains Harsh Roongta.
In the face of tax blow, brokerages remain sanguine about the prospects of asset management companies (AMCs). A sharp correction in the shares of AMCs over the past three months factors in most of the negatives and turned valuations attractive, observe analysts. In its latest report, Kotak Institutional Equities (KIE) has upgraded HDFC AMC to 'add' (from 'reduce') and reprised 'add' and 'buy' ratings on the rest of the listed AMCs - Nippon, UTI, and Aditya Birla Sun Life.
Markets regulator Sebi has notified a stricter regulatory framework for small and medium enterprise (SME) IPOs by introducing a profitability requirement and capping a 20 per cent limit on offer-for-sale (OFS). The reforms aim to provide SMEs with a sound track record an opportunity to raise funds from the public while protecting investor interests. This move follows a rise in SME issues, which has driven significant investor participation.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Milind Vadjikar your insurance, stocks, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
Companies in China, South Korea and Indonesia pay 25 per cent tax, while those in Malaysia pay 24 per cent. Only Japan has a higher tax than India at 30.6 per cent. Hong Kong has the lowest corporate tax rate of 16.5 per cent while Singapore has 17 per cent rate and Thailand and Vietnam levy 20 per cent tax on companies.
Discussions are said to have been heating up over how long a tax indemnity clause, which is part of such deals, should run, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
The new 10 per cent dividend tax will be payable only on dividend income over and above Rs 10 lakh threshold in a year, according to an amendment to the Finance Bill 2016 approved by Lok Sabha.
During the first quarter ended June, gross tax collections fell 31 per cent driven down by a massive 76 per cent plunge in advance tax mop-up, as the country was in a full lockdown due to the pandemic.
While using the family to save tax is legal and smart, ensure you use the ones where clubbing income laws isn't a concern, advises Bindisha Sarang.
