Honourable President of India has Given its Assent to Finance Bill 2012 or Budget 2012-13 on 28.05.2012. The Finance Bill 2012 already received the assent of Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha. You can also download Finance Bill 2012, We have provided link for the same at the bottom of the post.

Measures Introduced to Allow Corporates to Access Lower Cost Funds; Promote Higher Level of Investments in Several Sectors. Rate of Withholding Tax on Interest Payments on ECBs Proposed to be Reduced to 5 Per Cent From 20 Per Cent. Restriction on Venture Capital Funds to Invest in Specified Sectors Removed. Rate of Investment Linked Deduction of Capital Expenditure Proposed to be Enhanced to 150 Per Cent; New Sectors Added

On transfer of immovable property by a non-resident, tax is required to be deducted at source by the transferee. However, there is no such requirement on transfer of immovable property by a resident except in the case of compulsory acquisition of certain immovable properties.

Amendments In Central Excise Act, 1944 And Amendments In Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 as prescribed by Union Budget 2012-13 Presented by the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee

Increase in the Basic Income Tax Exemption Limits for Individuals – To compensate partially for rising inflation it would be right move if govt. increases basic exemption limit from the current Rs. 180,000 to Rs. 3,00,000/-. The education cess of 3% is expected to be abolished. Similarly, the basic exemption limits for women and senior citizens may also be correspondingly increased.

The Union Budget 2012-13 date is out. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will address Parliament on March 16, a minister said on Tuesday. Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the Budget session of Parliament will start on March 12, with the Railway Budget slated to be presented on March 14.

The Union Budget, delayed because of elections in five states, will now be presented on March 16, four days after Parliament will begin its Budget session. The budget session, which normally commences in the third week of February, will start on March 12 with President Pratibha Patil addressing the joint sitting of members of both the Houses of Parliament.

Worried over the impact of global financial turmoil on the economy, India Inc today asked the finance ministry to retain tax rates at existing levels, but increase exemption limits to promote growth. In their customary pre-Budget meeting with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, industry leaders also demanded that healthcare services should be kept outside the ambit of service tax and minimum alternate tax (MAT) be rationalised.

The Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee said that food inflation has come down on the negative side in the last two consecutive weeks. The annual rate of inflation (year on year) for December 2011 has declined to 7.47% as against 9.11 % in November 2011 and 9.45% in December 2010. The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee was addressing the representatives of Trade Union Groups as part of the ongoing Pre-Budget Consultations exercise for the year 2012-13.

The Union Budget will be presented after the completion of elections in five states, but the government has not yet decided the final date of presentation, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.