Measures pertaining to direct taxes taken by the government for reducing the compliance burden for smaller businesses and individual tax payers

The Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs (MCGS- MSME) has been launched for providing 60% guarantee coverage by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) to Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) for credit facility up to Rs.100 crore sanctioned to eligible MSMEs under MCGS-MSME for purchase of equipment/ machinery.

The eligibility criteria for borrowers under Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs (MCGS-MSME) is as below:

i. It should be an MSME with valid Udyam Registration Number;

ii. It should not be an NPA with any lender;

iii. Minimum cost of equipment /machinery is 75% of project cost;

The Scheme is being implemented by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC), a wholly owned company of Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The MLI shall sanction loans to eligible borrowers and then submit details of the loan account on the portal of NCGTC along with payment of fees, whereupon the MLI shall get a confirmation of loan being guaranteed under the Scheme.

The Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) / All India Financial Institutions (AIFIs) and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs), shall be the eligible MLIs under the Scheme, subject to execution of an agreement by them with NCGTC.

Further, various measures pertaining to direct taxes have been undertaken recently by the government for reducing the compliance burden for smaller businesses and individual tax payers: -

i. Provisions for presumptive taxation for businesses under Section 44AD and Section 44AE of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (the Act).

ii. Provisions for tax audit for businesses under Section 44AB of the Act.

iii. Provision for reduction in compliance burden by omission of TCS on sale of specified goods under Section 206C of the Act.

iv. Rationalization of tax deducted at source (TDS) rates under various provisions of the Act.

v. Simplification of the Income-tax Act is proposed.

The new Income-tax Bill 2025 proposes to make the direct tax provisions concise, lucid, easy to read and understand. Redundant provisions have been eliminated and the drafting style of the new Bill is straightforward and clear.

This information was given by Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Credit guarantee for MSMEs expands access to secured lending for eligible small businesses under streamlined eligibility and lender rules. The Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs provides 60% guarantee coverage through NCGTC for MLIs on equipment financing to eligible MSMEs; eligibility requires valid Udyam registration, no NPA status, and equipment constituting at least 75% of project cost, while SCBs, AIFIs and NBFCs may participate as MLIs subject to agreement and portal submission. Parallel direct tax measures aim to reduce compliance for small taxpayers via presumptive taxation, tax audit provisions, omission of specified TCS, TDS rate rationalization, and a proposed simplification of direct tax drafting in the Income-tax Bill 2025.