INTERIM BUDGET PROPOSES TO RETAIN TAX RATES FOR DIRECT AND INDIRECT TAXES

RELIEF FOR CERTAIN OUTSTANDING DIRECT TAX DEMANDS TO BENEFIT NEARLY 1 CRORE TAXPAYERS

“Keeping with the convention, I do not propose to make any changes relating to taxation and propose to retain the same tax rates for direct taxes and indirect taxes including import duties,” said the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Interim Budget 2024-25 in the Parliament today.

To ensure continuity in taxation, the Union Finance Minister proposed to extend certain tax benefits to start-ups and investments made by sovereign wealth or pension funds and tax exemption on certain income of some IFSC units till 31.03.2025.

In line with the Government’s vision to improve ease of living and ease of doing business, and to provide a relief to a large number of petty, non-verified, non-reconciled or disputed direct tax demands, many of them dating as far back as the year 1962, Smt. Sitharaman proposed to withdraw such outstanding direct tax demands up to ₹25,000 pertaining to the period up to financial year 2009-10 and up to ₹10,000 for financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15. This is expected to benefit about one crore tax-payers.

Retention of tax rates upheld; extension of targeted tax incentives and write off of small legacy direct tax demands announced. The interim budget proposes to retain existing tax rates for direct and indirect taxes and to extend tax incentives for start-ups, sovereign and pension fund investments, and certain IFSC income exemptions until 31.03.2025. It also proposes withdrawal of small outstanding direct tax demands for earlier financial years to relieve petty, non-verified or disputed demands, a measure expected to benefit about one crore taxpayers.