Reforming Political Contribution Deductions for Transparency and Accountability : Clause 137 of Income Tax Bill, 2025 Vs. Section 80GGC of Income-tax Act, 1961

Non-cash political contributions incentivised by tax deduction promote traceability and exclude public-funded entities from benefits.

Deductibility is confined to contributions made by non-cash means to political parties registered under the Representation of the People Act or to electoral trusts, with exclusions for local authorities and artificial juridical persons wholly or partly funded by the Government. The rule aims to ensure traceability and transparency by disallowing cash donations, requires contemporaneous treatment within the tax year, and imposes documentary and payment-channel compliance obligations on donors and recipients, while leaving certain interpretative points-such as the definition of artificial juridical person and acceptable modern payment modes-open to clarification.