Thursday, March 3, 2011

HIGHLIGHTS OF UNION BUDGET 2011-2012




POSITIVE HIGHLIGHTS
• Excise duty to be reduced from 10% to 5% on parts of specified machinery
• Surcharge for companies cut to 5 per cent, from 7.5 per cent
• Citizens over 80 years to have exemption limit of Rs 5 lakh
• Special incentives for hybrid vehicle makers if manufacturing done in India to be positive for auto companies
• Crude palm used in sports exempted from customs duty to be positive for palm oil companies
• Duty reduced on hybrid & electric cars along with batteries imported for such vehicles
• Senior Citizen Age Limit reduced from 65 years to 60 years for Income Tax purposes
• Basic customs duty on agricultural machinery reduced to 4.5 per cent from 5 per cent
• No import duty on ship parts positive for SCI
• Tax exemption limit for senior citizens raised to Rs 2.5 lakh from 2.4 lakh
• Basic food and fuel and precious stones, gold and silver jewellery to be exempted from central excise duty
• Nominal 1 per cent central excise duty on 130 items entering the tax net LED to cost less

NEGATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
• EXPENSIVE: International Air Travel
• EXPENSIVE: Domestic Air Travel
• Tax on life insurance service providers could be negative for insurance companies
• Travel, Healthcare to become expensive due to increased service tax
• Lack of FDI in retail was a disappointment
• Air travel to cost more
• Branded clothes may cost more
• Rise in MAT to hurt RIL, GVK Power, telcos

OTHERS HIGHLIGHTS
Tax exemption limit raised to Rs 1.8 lakh, from Rs 1.60 lakh for individual tax papers.
• For senior citizens, the qualifying age reduced to 60 years and exemption limit raised to Rs 2.50 lakh.
• Citizens over 80 years to have exemption limit of Rs 5 lakh.
• Surcharge for companies cut to 5 per cent, from 7.5 per cent.
• A new revised income tax return form 'Sugam' to be introduced for small tax papers.
• Service tax retained at 10 per cent; duty exemptions to be withdrawn on various items.
• Net loss from direct tax proposals estimated at Rs 11,500 crore for the year.
• Excise and customs duty proposals to result in the net gain of Rs 7,300 crore.
• Standard rate of central excise (rpt) excise duty maintained at 10 per cent; No change in CENVAT rates.
• Nominal one per cent central excise duty on 130 items entering the tax net. Basic food and fuel and precious stones, gold and silver jewellery will be exempted.
• Peak rate of customs duty maintained at 10 per cent in view of the global economic situation.
• Basic customs duty on agricultural machinery reduced to 4.5 per cent from 5 per cent.
• Service tax widened to cover hotel accommodation above Rs 1,000 per day, A/C restaurants serving liquor, some category of hospitals, diagnostic tests.
• Service tax on air travel increased by Rs 50 for domestic travel and Rs 250 for international travel in economy class. On higher classes, it will be ten per cent flat.

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