INCOME TAX
Taxes in India can be categorized as direct and indirect taxes. Direct tax is a tax you pay on your income directly to the government. Indirect tax is a tax that somebody else collects on your behalf and pays to the government e.g. restaurants, theatres and e-commerce websites recover taxes from you on goods you purchase or a service you avail. This tax is, in turn, passed down to the government. Direct Taxes are broadly classified as :
Corporate Tax
This is the tax that companies pay on the profits they make from their businesses. Here again, a specific rate of tax for corporates has been prescribed by the income tax laws of India
This is taxes an individual or a Hindu Undivided Family or any taxpayer other than companies, pay on the income received. The law prescribes the rate at which such income should be taxed
Income Tax
Why to pay Income Tax?
* Everyone who earns or gets an income in India is subject to income tax. (Yes, be it a resident or a non-resident of India)
* simpler classification, the Income Tax Department breaks down income into five heads:
| Head of Income | Nature of Income covered |
| Income from Salary | Income from salary and pension are covered under here |
| Income from Other Sources | Income from savings bank account interest, fixed deposits, winning KBC |
| Income from House Property | This is rental income mostly |
| Income from Capital Gains | Income from sale of a capital asset such as mutual funds, shares, house property |
| Income from Business and Profession | This is when you are self-employed, work as a freelancer or contractor, or you run a business. Life insurance agents, chartered accountants, doctors and lawyers who have their own practice, tuition teachers |
‘Income Tax Return’ is a form in which taxpayers declare details of income, deductions, exemptions, and taxes payable on their taxable income. Filing income tax return is mandatory to claim tax deductions under Section 80C, 80D, etc. and other eligible exemptions like long-term capital gains exemptions, which may eventually bring your taxable income to zero.
Individuals whose annual income is in excess of the basic exemption limit of Rs 2.5 lakh must mandatorily file their income tax returns. Even when there is no tax liability, an income tax return (ITR) must be filed if the total income exceeds the above-mentioned threshold.
Filing ITR not only keeps you tax-compliant, but also offers the following benefits:
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Filing ITR avoids penalties
Effective from FY 2017-18, the Income Tax Department levies a penalty of Rs 10,000 under section 234F on individuals who do not file their income tax return. Filing ITR on time avoids unnecessary penalties. Even though the penalty has been kept at Rs 1,000 if your annual income is not more than Rs 5 lakh, as a law-abiding citizen, it is your duty to file your tax returns.
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ITR receipt is a very important document
You need to preserve ITR receipts carefully as they are very important proof of your income and of payment of your taxes. It is much more detailed than Form 16. It contains your total income details and has details of your income from other sources.
ITR receipt is a useful document for hassle-free processing of bank loans
Most banks and NBFCs ask for ITR receipts of the latest three years when you apply for high-value loans like home and car loans. Lenders consider ITR as the most authentic document supporting an individual’s income. Hence, you should regularly file income tax return if you are planning to avail home or car loans in the future.
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Visa Processing
Embassies of developed countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia ask for ITR receipts of the past years to process your visa application. They are very particular about your tax compliance and hence, you are asked to furnish past ITR receipts. This helps them assess your income and ensure that you are able to take care of the expenses on your trip.
Compensate losses in the next financial year
Individuals cannot carry forward losses of the current financial year to the next financial year until an ITR is filed. As per the income tax law, individuals are not allowed to carry forward losses and set them off against future years’ income if the ITR is not filed within the due date. Hence, it is important to file your income tax return on time in order to claim the losses in future years.
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TYPES OF IT RETUNS
FAQ's
It is a tax levied by the Government of India on the income of every person. The provisions governing the Income-tax are covered in the Income-tax Act, 1961.
Income-tax is to be paid by every person. The term ‘person’ as defined under the Income-tax Act under section 2(3) covers in its ambit natural as well as artificial persons.
For the purpose of charging Income-tax, the term ‘person’ includes Individual, Hindu Undivided Families [HUFs], Association of Persons [AOPs], Body of individuals [BOIs], Firms, LLPs, Companies, Local authority and any artificial juridical person not covered under any of the above.
Thus, from the definition of the term ‘person’ it can be observed that, apart from a natural person, i.e., an individual, any sort of artificial entity will also be liable to pay Income-tax.
The NSDL website [http://www.tin-nsdl.com] provides online services called as Challan Status Enquiry. You can also check your tax credit by viewing your Form 26AS from your e-filing account at www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
Form 26AS will also disclose the credit of TDS/TCS in your account.
Yes, such winnings are liable to flat rate of tax at 30% without any basic exemption limit. In such a case the payer of prize money will generally deduct tax at source (i.e., TDS) from the winnings and will pay you only the balance amount.
Income-tax Act has classified the income of a taxpayer under five different heads of income, viz.:
Salaries
Income from house property
Profits and gains of business or profession
Capital gains
Income from other sources
A resident senior citizen (i.e., an individual of the age of 60 years or above during the financial year) not having any income from business or profession is not liable to pay advance tax.
Taxpayer who opted for presumptive taxation scheme of section 44AD or section 44ADA is liable to pay 100% of advance tax by 15th March.
It is not necessary to make the payment of taxes from assessee’s own account in an authorized bank.
An assessee can make the payment from account of any person.
However, the challan for making such payment must clearly indicate the Permanent Account Number of assesse on whose behalf the payment is made.