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Income Tax : NOTIFICATION NO. 264/2007, DATED 23-10-2007 Valuation of specified security or sweat equity share being a share in the company. 40...
Income Tax : By virtue of the provision of clause (d) of sub-section (1) section 115 WB, introduced by Finance Act, 2007, an employer is liable...
INTRODUCTION The proviso to section 17(2)(iii) has been omitted. So far the value of any benefit provided by the company free of cost or at a concessional rate to its employees by way of allotment of shares, debentures or warrants, directly or indirectly under any Employees Stock Option Plan or Scheme of the Company offered to […]
THE Notification No. 264/2007 dated October 23, 2007 issued by the CBDT, specifying the Income-tax (12 th Amendment) Rules, 2007 seems to have brought in a lot of welcome clarity in terms of the methodology to be adopted for the determination of the Fair Market Value of ESOPs issued by Indian Companies, listed or unlisted. However, the question of levy of FBT, in respect of ESOP schemes given by foreign / overseas companies to employees working in their Indian Subsidiaries, seems to have gone unanswered.
Does the FBT law intend to cover securities under SCRA? I don’t think so. We have to look at the rationale of levy of FBT. In a booming economy, accompanied with a vibrant stock market, corporates have figured out a creative way to compensate their employees through the ESOP scheme. It could be ESOP of a listed company or an unlisted company. Using the horizontal equity argument, a case was made out by the legislative to tax that portion of the gain, which an employee receives or accrues to him as a result of his employment. The basis of charge is the difference in the value of the security (as at the date of exercise) and price paid for such exercise, levy being on the vesting date.
NOTIFICATION NO. 264/2007, DATED 23-10-2007 Valuation of specified security or sweat equity share being a share in the company. 40C. (1) For the purposes of clause (ba) of sub-section (1) of section 115WC, the fair market value of any specified security or sweat equity share, being an equity share in a company, on the date on which the option vests with the employee, shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of sub-rule (2) or sub-rule (3).
How is the FBT to be valued? And when is the tax payable? The fringe benefit is to be valued at the fair market value (FMV) of the security or sweat equity share on the date of vesting of the option minus any amount paid by / recovered from the employee for such security or shares. The FMV is to be determined a s per the method to be prescribed by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). The employer company is required to pay advance tax of estimated FBT progressively: 15 per cent by June 15, 45 per cent by September 15, 75 per cent by December 15 and 100 per cent by March 15 of the fiscal year.
By virtue of the provision of clause (d) of sub-section (1) section 115 WB, introduced by Finance Act, 2007, an employer is liable to pay Fringe Benefit Tax on any consideration for employment provided by way of any specified security or sweat equity shares allotted or transferred, directly or indirectly, by such employer free of cost or at concessional rate to his employees. The value of the fringe benefit is determined as the fair market value of the specified security or sweat equity share on the date on which the option vests with the employee as reduced by the amount actually paid, by or recovered from the employee in respect of such security or shares.
