DIRECT TAXES Individual Income Tax & Corporate Tax The provisions relating to income tax are contained in the Income Tax Act 1961 and the Income Tax Rules 1962. The Income Tax Department is governed by the Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT) which is part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance. In terms of the Income Tax Act, 1961, a tax on income is levied on individuals, corporations and body of persons. Tax rates are prescribed by the government in the Finance Act, popularly known as Budget, every year. The Government of India has recently taken initiatives to reform and simplify the language and structure of the direct tax laws into a single legislation â the Direct Taxes Code (DTC). After public consultation the Direct Taxes Code 2010 was placed before the Indian Parliament on 30 August 2010, when passed DTC will replace the Income Tax Continue reading
Taxation Concepts
Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India
Goods and Services Tax (GST) is part of the proposed tax reforms that centre round evolving an efficient consumption tax system in the country. Presently, there are parallel systems of indirect taxation at the central and state levels. In the Union Budget for the year 2006-2007, Finance Minister proposed that India should move towards national level Goods and Services Tax that should be shared between the Centre and the States. He proposed to set April 1, 2010 as the date for introducing the goods and service tax (GST). Goods and Services Tax is proposed to be an indirect tax levied on manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and services at a national level concurrently by Central and State Governments. This Integration of goods and services taxation would end the distortions of differential taxation treatments of manufacturing and service sector. The Central and State governments both charge a multitude of indirect Continue reading
International Taxation
For the worldwide/global operation of firms, taxation plays a vital role. International taxation has become the core of various financing decisions which includes international investment decisions, international working capital decisions, fund raising decisions and the decisions related to dividend and other payments. The tax decision is also relevant in domestic firms also. The managing of taxation is an extremely difficult issue for the international corporations. The various reasons are given as follows: The firms are supposed to work in several tax jurisdiction or authorities where the tax rates are diverse and also the administration of the tax system is not uniform. The ultimate load of tax in the framework of international firms is determined by means of a more complex interaction of varying descriptions of the tax base. The difference in tax treatment in different nations will direct to distortions in worldwide trade and investment. The companies which are situated Continue reading
Primary Purpose of Taxation
Taxation is a means by which governments finance their expenditure by imposing charges on citizens and corporate entities. The main purpose of taxation is to accumulate funds for the functioning of the government machineries. All governments in the world cannot run its administrative office without funds and it has no such system incorporated in itself to generate profit from its functioning.  In other words, a government can run its administrative set up only through public funding which is collected in the form of tax. Therefore, it can be well understood that the purpose of taxation is very simple and obvious for proper functioning of a state. Taxes are charges levied against a citizenâs personal income or on property or for some specified activity. As such, one purpose of taxation is to increase in effectiveness and productivity of the nation as government is able to implement various socio-economic development projects such Continue reading
Income from Other Sources
Income from other source is a residuary head of income. Any item of income which does not fall under any other four specific heads of income is to be charged under this head. According to sec 56(2) following incomes are chargeable under this head. Dividend declared by a foreign company Family pension Winnings from lottery, crossword puzzles, horse race etc Income from plant, machinery or furniture let out on hire where it is not the actual business of the assessee. Interest from securities, bank deposits Income from sub letting Any other receipts which doesnât fall under any other heads of income. Income from agricultural land situated outside India Examiner ship fees received by college teachers Income from undisclosed source Ground rent etc Receipts without consideration in certain cases Dividend It means any amount paid by a company, out of divisible profits, whether taxable or not taxable, to its share holders Continue reading
Introduction to Income Tax
The word tax was derived from the Latin word âtaxoreâ meaning to estimate, appreciate or value. Tax is a price which each citizen pays to the state to cover his share of the cost of the general public services which he will consume. It indirectly provides employment opportunities. Taxes are compulsory contributions imposed by the government on its citizens to meet its general expenses incurred for the common good, without any corresponding benefit to the tax payer. In 1860, the British government firstly introduced tax in India. The present law of income tax is contained in the income tax Act,1961 as amended up to date; the income tax rules 1962 as amended up to date and finance Act passed by the parliament every year. Income Tax Act came into force with effect from 1-4-1962 and extends to the whole of India. Assessee [Sec 2(7)] Assessee means a person by whom Continue reading