Union Budget 2016: Under the existing provisions of clause (38) of section 10, income by way of long term capital gains arising from equity shares or units of an equity oriented fund or business trust is exempt where securities transaction tax is paid.
With a view to incentivise the growth of International Financial Services Centres into a world class financial services hub, it is proposed to amend the section 10 so as to provide for exemption from tax on capital gains to the income arising from transaction undertaken in foreign currency on a recognised stock exchange located in an International Financial Services Centre even when securities transaction tax is not paid in respect of such transactions.
Under the existing provisions of the 115JB in case of a company, if the tax payable on the total income as computed under the Income-tax Act, is less than eighteen and one-half per cent of its book profit, such book profit shall be deemed to be the total income of the assessee and the Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) payable by the assessee for the relevant previous year shall be eighteen and one-half per cent of such book profit.
With a view to provide a competitive tax regime to International Financial Services Centre, it is proposed to amend section 115JB so as to provide that in case of a company, being a unit located in International Financial Services Centre and deriving its income solely in convertible foreign exchange, the Minimum Alternate Tax shall be chargeable at the rate of nine per cent.
Further, it is proposed to amend section 115-O so as to provide that no tax on distributed profits shall be chargeable in respect of the total income of a company being a unit located in International Financial Services Centre, deriving income solely in convertible foreign exchange, for any assessment year on any amount declared, distributed or paid by such company, by way of dividends (whether interim or otherwise) on or after the 1stday of April, 2017 out of its current income, either in the hands of the company or the person receiving such dividend.
These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017-18 and subsequent assessment years.
The existing provisions relating to securities transaction tax and commodities transaction tax provide for levy of tax on transactions in taxable securities and commodities respectively.
It is proposed to amend section 11 3A of the Finance (No.2) Act, 2004 so as to provide that the provisions of Chapter VII shall not apply to taxable securities transactions entered into by any person on a recognized stock exchange located in International Financial Services Centre where the consideration for such transaction is paid or payable in foreign currency, thereby exempting such transaction from securities transaction tax.
Further, it is proposed to insert section 1 32A in Chapter VII of the Finance Act, 2013 so as to provide that the provisions of chapter VII shall also not apply to taxable commodities transactions entered into by any person on a recognized association located in unit of International Financial Services Centre where the consideration for such transaction is paid or payable in foreign currency, thereby exempting such transaction from commodities transaction tax.
The above two amendments will take effect from 1st June, 2016.
Clause 7 of Finance Bill 2016
Clause 7 of the Bill seeks to amend section 10 of the Income-tax Act relating to incomes not included in total income.
Sub-clause (A) of the said clause seeks to amend clause (12) of the aforesaid section.
The said clause provides that the accumulated balance due and becoming payable to an employee participating in a recognised provident fund, is exempt from tax, subject to fulfilment of certain conditions specified in rule 8 of Part A of the Fourth Schedule.
It is proposed to amend the said clause (12) so as to provide that nothing contained in this clause shall apply in respect of any amount of accumulated balance, attributable to any contributions made on or after the 1st day of April, 2016 by an employee other than an excluded employee, exceeding forty per cent. of such accumulated balance due and payable in accordance with provisions of rule 8 of Part A of the Fourth Schedule.
It is further proposed to insert a new clause (12A) in the said section so as to provide that any payment from the National Pension System Trust to an employee on closure of account or his opting out of the pension scheme referred to in section 80CCD, to the extent it does not exceed forty per cent. of the total amount payable to him at the time of closure or his opting out of the scheme, shall be exempt from tax.
It is also proposed to amend clause (13) of the said section so as to provide that any payment in commutation of an annuity purchased out of contributions made on or after the 1st day of April, 2016, which exceeds forty per cent. of the annuity, shall be chargeable to tax. The said clause also seeks to provide that any payment from an approved superannuation fund by way of transfer to the account of the employee under a pension scheme referred to in section 80CCD notified by the Central Government shall be exempt from tax.
These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to assessment year 2017-2018 and subsequent years.
Sub-clause (B) of the said clause seeks to amend clause (15) of the said section so as to provide that the interest on deposit certificates issued under the Gold Monetisation Scheme, 2015 notified by the Central Government shall also be exempted from income-tax.
This amendment will take effect retrospectively from 1st April, 2016 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to assessment year 2016-2017 and subsequent years.
Sub-clause (C) of the said clause seeks to amend clause (23DA) of the said section so as to provide that the definition of the term “securitisation” for the purposes of the said clause shall also include securitisation, as defined in clause (z) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002.
It is further proposed to amend clause (23FC) of the said section so as to provide that any income of a business trust by way of interest received or receivable from a special purpose vehicle or the dividend referred to in sub-section (7) of section 115-O shall also not be included in total income of such business trust.
It is also proposed to amend clause (23FD) of the said section so as to provide that any distributed income from a business trust received by a unit holder which is of the same nature as dividend referred to in sub-section (7) of section 115-O shall not be included in the total income of such unit holder.
It is also proposed to amend clause (34) of the said section so as to provide that any income by way of dividend in excess of ten lakh rupees shall not be exempt from tax in the case of an individual, Hindu undivided family or a firm.
It is also proposed to amend clause (35A) of the said section so as to provide that nothing contained in the clause shall apply to any income by way of distributed income referred to in section 115TA received on or after the 1st day of June, 2016.
It is also proposed to amend clause (38) of the said section so as to provide for exemption from capital gains tax in case of income arising from transaction undertaken on a recognised stock exchange located in the International Financial Services Centre and the consideration for such transaction is paid or payable in foreign currency. It is also proposed to define the expressions International Financial Services Centre and recognised stock exchange.
These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017- 2018 and subsequent years.
Sub-clause (D) of said clause seeks to insert a new clause (48A) in the said section so as to provide for exemption in respect of any income of a foreign company on account of storage of crude oil in a facility in India and sale of crude oil therefrom to any person resident in India subject to the conditions that the storage and sale by the foreign company is pursuant to an agreement or an arrangement entered into by the Central Government or approved by the Central Government and having regard to the national interest, the foreign company and the agreement or arrangement are notified by the Central Government in this behalf.
This amendment will take effect retrospectively from 1st April, 2016 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2016-2017 and subsequent years.
Sub-clause (E) of the said clause seeks to insert a new clause (50) in the said section so as to provide that any income arising from specified services provided on or after the date on which the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Finance Act, 2016, comes into force and chargeable to equalisation levy under that Chapter shall be exempt. It is further proposed to provide an Explanation under the proposed clause (50) so as to provide that the expression “specified service” shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (i) of section 161 of the Chapter VIII of the Finance Act, 2016.
This amendment will take effect from 1st June, 2016.
Clause 53 of Finance Bill 2016
53 of the Bill seeks to amend section 115JB of the Income-tax Act relating to special provision for payment of tax by certain companies.
Item (a) of sub-clause (I) of the said clause seeks to insert a new clause (fd) in Explanation 1 to sub-section (1) of the aforesaid section so as to provide that the book profit shall be increased by an amount or amounts of expenditure relatable to income, by way of royalty in respect of patent chargeable to tax in accordance with the provisions of section 115BBF.
It is further proposed to insert a new clause (iig) in the long line to the said Explanation 1 so as to provide that the amount of income, by way of royalty in respect of patent chargeable to tax in accordance with the provisions of section 115BBF, shall be reduced from the book profit, if any such amount is credited to the profit or loss account.
This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017-2018 and subsequent years.
Item (b) of sub-clause (i) of the said clause seeks to insert an Explanation so as to provide that the provisions of the said section, shall not be applicable and shall be deemed never to have been applicable to an assessee, being a foreign company, if––
(i) the assessee is a resident of a country or a specified territory with which India has an agreement referred to in sub¬section (1) of section 90 or the Central Government has adopted any agreement under sub-section (1) of section 90A and the assessee does not have a permanent establishment in India in accordance with the provisions of such agreement; or
(ii) the assessee is a resident of a country with which India does not have an agreement referred to in clause (i) and the assessee is not required to seek registration under any law for the time being in force relating to companies.
This amendment will take effect retrospectively from 1st April, 2001 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2001-2002 and subsequent years.
Sub-clause (II) of the said clause seeks to insert a new sub-section (7) in the said section so as to provide that in case of a company, being a unit of an International Financial Services Centre and deriving its income solely in convertible foreign exchange, the rate of tax under section 11 5JB shall be nine per cent. and also to define certain expressions used therein.
This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017-2018 and subsequent years.
Clause 55 of Finance Bill 2016
Clause 55 of the Bill seeks to amend section 115-O of the Income-tax Act relating to tax on distributed profits of domestic companies.
Sub-clause (a) of the said clause seeks to insert a new subsection to provide that no tax on distributed profits shall bechargeable under this section in respect of any amount declared, distributed or paid by the specified domestic company by way of dividends (whether interim or otherwise) to a business trust out of its current income on or after the specified date. It is further proposed to provide that nothing contained in the proposed subsection shall apply in respect of any amount declared, distributed or paid, at any time, by the specified domestic company by way of dividends (whether interim or otherwise) out of its accumulated profits and current profits up to the specified date. It is also proposed to define the expression “specified domestic company” and “specified date” for the purposes of the proposed sub-section.
These amendments will take effect from 1st June, 2016.
Sub-clause (b) of the said clause seeks to insert a new subsection (8) in the said section so as to provide that no tax on distributed profits shall be chargeable in respect of the total income of a company being a unit of an International Financial Services Centre, deriving income solely in convertible foreign exchange, for any assessment year on any amount declared, distributed or paid by such company, by way of dividends (whether interim or otherwise) on or after the 1st April, 2017 out of its current income, either in the hands of the company or the person receiving such dividend and also to define certain expressions used therein.
This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017-2018 and subsequent years.
Clause 230 of Finance Bill 2016
Clause 230 of the Bill seeks to amend section 98 of the Finance (No.2) Act, 2004 relating to charge of securities transaction tax.
The aforesaid section provides that the securities transaction tax on sale of an option in securities where option is not exercised is 0.017 per cent. of the option premium.
It is proposed to increase the said rate of securities transaction tax from 0.017 per cent. to 0.05 per cent.
It is also proposed to amend the section 11 3A so as to provide that the provisions of Chapter VII shall also not apply to taxable securities transactions entered into by any person for on a recognised stock exchange located in an International Financial Services Centre referred to in clause (q) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005.
This amendment will take effect from 1st June, 2016.
Clause 234 of Finance Bill 2016
Clause 234 of the Bill seeks to amend the Finance Act, 2013 relating to commodities transaction tax.
The provisions of the said Chapter, inter alia, provides for chargeability of tax on taxable commodities transactions.
It is proposed to amend the said Chapter so as to provide that the provisions of chapter VIII shall not apply to taxable commodities transactions entered into by any person on a recognised association in an International Financial Services referred to in clause (q) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005.
This amendment will take effect from 1st June, 2016.
[Clause 7, 53, 55, 230 & 234]
