This article is written by Utkarsh Singh, a law student of Amity Law School, Noida. This is an exhaustive article that deals with the amendments and provisions of the Taxation Laws Act of India.

Introduction

Tax is compulsory on every person or individual by the government. The taxation system is imposed in somewhat every country in the world so that the state or government can get money for the development and they serve other purposes as well. In this time of economies, taxes are one of the most important sources of governmental income. Taxes vary from other sources of income in the manner that they are imposed mandatorily and are not retired, that is they are commonly not paid in return for some particular thing, for example, a specific open help, the offer of open property, or the issuance of open obligation.

As taxes are supposedly taken for the welfare of all the taxpayers, the person who pays tax, his liability is independent of certain benefits if he received it. There are, however, some important exceptions payroll taxes, for example, are often imposed on labour income in order to give retirement benefits, payment for medication, and other social security programs, which are always to benefit the one who pays the taxes. Because of the link between the benefits received and taxes paid, the payroll taxes are sometimes called “contributions” in the United States. All things considered, the instalments are regularly necessary, and the connection to benefits is now and then very powerless. Another cause of a duty that is connected to benefits got if just freely, is the utilization of expenses on engine fills to back the development and upkeep of streets and parkways, whose administrations can be appreciated uniquely by devouring burdened engine energies.

Purposes Of Taxation

In the 19th century, the main idea for collecting taxes was to specifically give income to the government. In the earlier times, and again today, the government uses the tax for other than only financial work. One helpful approach to see the reason for tax collection, owing to American business analyst Richard A. Musgrave, is to recognize destinations of asset portion, pay redistribution, and monetary strength. Economic development or improvement and universal intensity are in some cases recorded as independent objectives, however, they can, by and large, be subsumed under the other three. Without a solid purpose behind the obstruction, such as the need to reduce pollution, the first aim is to allocate the resources and is furthered if the tax payment policy does not obstruct the market-determined allocations. 

The second aim is redistributing the income, that is, it is meant to increase the equalities when the money or income is distributed. The target of adjustment executed through duty strategy, government consumption strategy, money related arrangement, and obligation of the executives is that of keeping up high work and value strength. There are probably going to be clashes among these three targets. For instance, asset allotment may require changes in the level of organization (or both) of assessments, yet those progressions may bear vigorously on low-pay families subsequently upsetting redistributive objectives. As another model, burdens that are exceptionally redistributive may strife with the proficient allotment of assets required to accomplish the objective of monetary nonpartisanship.

What is the Income Tax?

Income tax in India is an expense you pay to the administration dependent on your pay and benefit, on account of organizations. The administration utilizes this expense cash for different purposes including open administrations, foundation advancement, protection spending and appropriations among different alternatives. On the off chance that you gain salary past a specific cutoff, it is compulsory to pay personal duty consistently.

Who are income taxpayers in India?

Every Indian citizen who has an annual income of more than 2.5 lakh rupees or rupees three lakhs for senior citizens has to pay income tax. In inclusion to the citizen, a system such as Body of Individuals (BOI), companies, Artificial Juridical Persons, corporate firms, Hindu Undivided Family (HUF), Association of Person (AOP) and Local Authorities also pay income tax. 6.84 crore people filed Income Tax Returns (ITRs) during the financial year 2017 to 2018. This brought about net direct assessment assortments of Rs. 9.95 lakh crore for the year. This was 17.1% higher than the assortments for the earlier year as per the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Income Tax Act of 1961

The Income Tax Act, 1961 is an in-depth law that focuses on the different norms and regulations that controls taxation in the country. It provides for imposing, recovering, administering and collecting income tax for the Indian Government. In this act different Sections deal with different types of taxation in India. The various heads for which you have to give income tax are:

1. Salary
2. Capital gains
3. The money from house property
4. Money from other sources 
5. Profit and gains from business or profession

Each year, the government of India makes a finance budget in the month of February. The budget for every year makes the different amendments to the Income Tax Act. This means changes in the tax slabs wherever applicable. For instance, the Finance Minister declared that the tax rate for people in the most minimal tax section of Rs. 2.5 lakh to 5 lakh would be sliced from 10% to 5% in Financial Year 2017. Additionally, tax on Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) was re-presented during the Financial Year 2018 spending plan. Thus, all increases more prominent than Rs. 1 lakh from offers and value common subsidizes held longer than one year are presently qualified for Long Term Capital Gain tax at 10%. The latest spending plan introduced by the current Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman incorporated the presentation of another discretionary arrangement of taxation that accompanies diminished annual tax rates. These new rates will be accessible as an alternative from the budgetary year 2020-21. These amendments become a part of the Income Tax Act from the time the financial year starts which is 1st April with assent from the President of India.

Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019: Key Features

New income tax rate option for domestic companies

At the present time, the tax rate of domestic companies who have an annual turnover of up to 400 crore rupees is 25 percent and for other companies, the tax rate is 30%. The Bill gives local organizations an alternative to paying annual tax at the pace of 22% if they don’t guarantee certain conclusions under the Income Tax Act. The included deductions provided for:

1. The company has to invest in new machinery or plant in notified backward areas;
2. Newly established units in Special Economic Zones (SEZs);
3. Spend money on certain scientific research, skill development projects and agriculture extension;
4. Depreciation of new plant or machinery (in certain cases);
5. Various other provisions in the IT Act under Chapter VI-A.

The Bill furnishes new domestic assembling organizations with an alternative to pay annual tax at the pace of 15% if they don’t guarantee the derivations determined previously. These new organizations must be set up and enlisted after September 30, 2019, and begin producing before April 1, 2023. New assembling organizations will exclude organizations: (i) shaped by separating or reproduction of current business, (ii) occupied with any business other than assembling or creation, and (iii) utilizing any plant or hardware recently utilized in India (aside from under certain predefined conditions).

Bill clears that some businesses will not be considered as manufacturing businesses. These consist of businesses which are in the printing of books, mining, development of the computer, production of cinematograph film and any other business notified by the central government.

Provisions for companies opting for the new tax rates

An organization can decide to select the new tax rates in the budgetary year 2019-20, for example, the appraisal year 2020-21 or in some other money-related year later. When an organization practices this alternative, the picked arrangement will apply for every single ensuing year. The Bill incorporates another arrangement which makes the new choices invalid for organizations in specific cases. On the off chance that organizations picking another choice don’t follow certain conditions, they can’t practice the new alternative for that year and ensuing years. At times, organizations for whom the 15% tax rate alternative becomes invalid can pick the 22% tax rate choice.

Residential organizations pay an additional charge at 7% if the pay is between one crore rupees and Rs 10 crore, and at 12% if the salary is more than Rs 10 crore. Organizations settling on the new rates need to pay a 10% additional charge.

Minimum Alternate Tax

Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) is the minimum measure of tax required to be paid by an organization, on the off chance that its typical tax risk subsequent to guaranteeing conclusions falls underneath a specific cutoff. This breaking point is determined as a specific rate which is the MAT pace of the organization’s book benefit. The Ordinance reduces the MAT rate from 18.5% to 15% with impact from the appraisal year 2020-21. The Bill changes this arrangement by indicating that the diminished MAT rate will apply with impact from the financial year 2020-21.

The Ordinance indicates that the arrangements with respect to the instalment of MAT under the IT Act won’t have any significant bearing to organizations selecting the new tax rates. The Bill includes that the arrangements with respect to MAT credit under the IT Act will likewise not have any significant bearing to such organizations. Tangle credit is the measure of extra tax an organization is required to pay as MAT, in an overabundance of its ordinary tax risk, according to different arrangements of the Income Tax Act. This MAT credit can be utilized by an organization to pay tax later on, within a 15-year time span.

Surcharge on capital gains

An additional charge is imposed on the tax paid on pay. This extra charge is material at the pace of (i) 10% of the tax for money between Rs 50 lakh and one crore rupees, (ii) 15% of the tax for money between one crore rupees and two crore rupees, (iii) 25% of the tax for money between two crore rupees and five crore rupees, and (iv) 37% of the tax for money above five crore rupees. The Bill isolates overcharge on capital increases from that on all other payments. Salary barring capital increases will be dependent upon an extra charge according to the above sections. Capital additions will likewise be dependent upon an extra charge according to the above sections if the absolute salary doesn’t surpass one crore rupees. Something else, a level 15% pace of overcharge will be relevant for capital increases.

Note that this arrangement of the Bill is pertinent just to specific cases: (i) ventures by outside institutional financial specialists, and (ii) speculations by residential people in protections where the protections exchange tax is paid.

Existing Deductions under Income Tax Act 1961

According to the Income Tax Act 1961, you can claim deductions under the following sections:

1. Section 80C to 80: Under Section 80C, 80CCC and 80CCD of the Income Tax Act 1961, you can lessen your taxable salary by 1,50,000.
2. Section 80CCD: Section 80CCD of the Income Tax Act, 1961 spotlights on personal tax reasonings that singular annual tax evaluates are qualified to profit on commitments made towards the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
3. Section 80D: Under section 80D, you can guarantee personal tax funding for clinical costs and medical insurance premiums.
4. Section 80DD: Tax derivation under Section 80DD of the Income Tax Act can be guaranteed by people who are occupants of India and HUFs for the clinical treatment of a dependent with incapacities or in an unexpected way.
5. Section 80DDB: Tax derivations under section 80DDB of Income Tax Act 1961 can be guaranteed for clinical costs brought about for the clinical treatment of explicit diseases.
6. Section 80TTA: Section 80TTA gives a derivation of Rs 10,000 on intrigue pay. This reasoning is accessible to an Individual and HUF. 
7. Section 80U: Under Section 80U, truly handicapped people can guarantee findings up to Rs.1,00,000.

Conclusion

The Indian government diminished the tax rate for individuals gaining between Rs. 2.5 lakhs to Rs. 5 lakhs, from 10% to 5%, during the Financial Year 2017 Union spending plan. Moreover, financial plan 2020 additionally diminished the tax rates for other salary sections. This was planned for decreasing the tax risk for a huge level of the Indian populace just as at empowering a more noteworthy number of salary workers to cover the tax. In this way, on the off chance that you are qualified to make good on tax, guarantee you make good on your taxes and record returns to keep away from any punishments.

References

• https://www.aegonlife.com/insurance-investment-knowledge/income-tax-act-1961/

• https://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/taxation-laws-amendment-bill-2019-new-tax-rate-income-tax-act-1961-1575354244-1
• https://www.prsindia.org/billtrack/taxation-laws-amendment-bill-2019

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