Tax exemption for political funding consolidated with stricter documentation, audit and distribution conditions under new clause.
Clause 12 of the Income Tax Bill, 2025 consolidates exemption rules for political parties and electoral trusts, retaining existing excluded income categories while reorganising eligibility and conditions into Schedule VIII's tabular format. It strengthens documentation, retains the cash-donation cap, expands acceptable non-cash payment modes to account-payee and electronic methods and electoral instruments, mandates timely return filing and enhanced audits, requires electoral trusts to distribute the bulk of aggregate donations to registered parties, and provides for taxation of exempt income where statutory conditions are not met.