Foreign entities will now be able to invest directly in mutual funds, which will increase the fund flow into capital markets. The fund houses will have to ensure know-your-customer (KYC) norms before seeking investment from overseas investors, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while unveiling the Budget for 2011-12.
Mobile handset prices will become more expensive as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today announced one percent hike in the Central Excise duty for 130 items, including phones.Come April 1 and central excise duty on mobile phones will be raised from the current four per cent to five per cent.
Salary earners having an income of less than Rs 5 lakh will not have to file tax returns from this year. “Salaried people, may be up to Rs 5 lakh…they need not file the (income tax) return,” CBDT chairman Sudhir Chandra said. The exemption from filing tax returns come into effect from the assessment year 2011-12. The decision, which will come into effect from June 1, 2011, will reduce the compliance burden on small taxpayers, it added.
In a good sign, the government will depend less on borrowing to finance budgetary proposals in 2011-12 than in the ongoing 2010-11 financial year.Borrowings will comprise 27 paise out every rupee that the government plans to spend in 2011-12, compared to 29 paise in the current financial year, as per the proposals presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament on Monday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday raised the income tax exemption limit raised by Rs 20,000 in his Budget proposals for 2011-12. So individual taxpayers will now get income tax exemption till an annual income of Rs 1.8 lakh (Rs 180,000). This will provide thousands of taxpayers some relief. The finance minister said that each taxpayer will save Rs 2,000 per year because of this proposal.
The government on Monday said low-cost housing loans of Rs 15 lakh (Rs 1.5 million) will be eligible for one per cent interest subsidy, which will help in increasing the demand for such housing. In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he is liberalising the existing scheme of one per cent interest subvention on housing loans up to Rs 15 lakh, where the cost of house does not exceed Rs 25 lakh (Rs 2.5 million).
The Union Budget 2011-12 aims to sustain economic growth, strengthen infrastructure, moderate the price rise, particularly of agricultural produce and reduce social imbalances through inclusive development. Presenting the budget 2011-12 in the Lok Sabha today, the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee said that the budget is a transition towards a more transparent and result oriented economic management system in India. He said while developments on India’s external sector have been encouraging, continued high food prices have remained our principal concern. He said that the trend revealed shortcomings in distribution and marketing system. The Finance Minister said that huge differences between wholesale and retail prices are at the expense of remunerative prices for the farmers and competitive prices for consumers.
The phrase “Minimum Export Price(MEP) of US$ 600 per Metric Ton or as notified by DGFT from time-to-time” as appearing in the Column “Nature of Restrictions against Serial Number 44.01 in Notification No 24(RE – 2010)/2009-2014 dated 18.02.2011 is replaced by the phrase “Minimum Export Price(MEP) of US$ 450 per Metric Ton F.O.B. or as notified by DGFT from time-to-time.
Union Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee today announced in his Budget Speech that discussions are underway to further liberalize the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy. All prior regulations and guidelines have earlier been consolidated into one comprehensive document in order to make FDI policy more user friendly. This is reviewed every six months, said the Finance Minister. The last review was released in September 2010.
Supply of goods will be eligible for refund of terminal excise duty in terms of para 8.3 (c) of FTP, provided recipient of goods does not avail CENVAT credit/rebate on such goods. Similarly, supplies will be eligible for deemed export drawback in terms of para 8.3 (b) of FTP on Central Excise paid on inputs/components, provided CENVAT credit facility/rebate has not been availed by applicant. Such supplies will however be eligible for deemed export drawback on customs duty paid on inputs/components.
