The much anticipated inheritance tax gave the country a miss one more year. And neither did the dreaded capital gains tax raise its head. The big changes for your money are at the fringes— both at the lower and the upper ends. The very rich in a very poor country will pay for their affluence. People earning more than Rs.1 crore will now see the surcharge on tax go up to 15% from 12% in the current financial year. For incomes over Rs.1.1 crore, the marginal rate of tax is now 35.54%. The dreaded dividend distribution tax (DDT) sees a return. For an annual dividend income ofRs.10 lakh or more, the investor will pay a DDT of 10%. This means that at an assumed dividend of 2-3%, an investor will need to have a portfolio of Rs.3.5-4 crore, to begin paying this tax. This is in addition to the 15% tax already applicable. An additional cess on vehicles will cost more—1% on small petrol, LPG and CNG cars; 2.5% on diesel cars of certain capacity; and 4% on other higher engine capacity vehicles and SUVs. Get ready to pay tax at the point of purchase for luxury cars. Such cars costing more than Rs.10 lakh will cost you 1% of the car value. Buying stuff in cash that costs more than Rs.2 lakh? Pay 1% of your spend as tax at the point of sale. Worry if this cash was out of the tax net, for the government looks serious in identifying who you are.
Expense AccountInvestmentsPersonal FinanceFebruary 29, 2016by Monika Halan0Taxing the rich in a poor country
India's Budget for 2016-17 taxes the rich Indian, gives small tax breaks to the less well off but taxes the Middle India retirement EPFO.