Best Top 100 Startup Companies in India 2015 - 2016

 

Small Savings Rates Cut : PPF, Senior Citizen Scheme, Deposits to Earn Less

Since the indian government is now moving on revising interest rates on such schemes every quarter, the new rates, therefore, will be applicable from April 1, 2016  to June 30, 2016.

 

Taxation in India

Taxes are the government’s way of earning an income which can then be used for various projects that the government needs to indulge in to help boost the country’s economy or its people. Taxes in India are decided on by the central and state governments with local governments, such as municipalities, also deciding on smaller taxes that can be levied within their jurisdiction. It must, however, be remembered that the government cannot impose any tax that it wishes to. All the taxes imposed by the government must be laws. 

Types of Taxes : Taxes are of two distinct types, Direct and Indirect Taxes. The difference comes in the way these taxes are implemented. Some are paid directly by you. 

1) Direct Taxes : Direct tax, as stated earlier, are taxes that are paid directly by you. These taxes are levied directly on an entity or an individual and cannot be transferred onto anyone else. One of the bodies that overlooks these direct taxes is the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) which is a part of the Department of Revenue. It has, to help it with its duties, the support of various acts that govern various aspects of direct taxes. Some of these acts are:

These are some of the direct taxes that you pay

• Income Tax : This is one of the most well-known and least understood taxes. It is the tax that is levied on your earning in a financial year. There are many facets to income tax, such as the tax slabs, taxable income, tax deducted at source (TDS), reduction of taxable income, etc. The tax is applicable to both individuals and companies. For individuals, the tax that they have to pay depends on which tax bracket they fall in. This bracket or slab determines the tax to be paid based on the annual income of the assessee and ranges from no tax to 30% tax for the high income groups.

• Capital Gains Tax : This is a tax that is payable whenever you receive a sizable amount of money. It could be from an investment or from the sale of a property. It is usually of two types, short term capital gains from investments held for less than 36 months and long term capital gains from investments held for longer than 36 months. The tax applicable for each is also very different since the tax on short term gains is calculated based in the income bracket that you fall in and the tax on long term gains is 20%. The interest thing about this tax is that the gain doesn’t always have to be in the form of money. It could also be an exchange in kind in which case the value of the exchange will be considered for taxation. 

• Securities Transaction Tax : It’s no secret that if you know how to trade properly on the stock market, and trade in securities, you stand to make a substantial amount of money. This too is a source of income but it has its own tax which is known as the Securities Transaction Tax . How this tax is levied is by adding the tax to the price of the share. This means that every time you buy or sell shares, you pay this tax. All securities traded on the Indian stock exchange have this tax attached to them.

• Perquisite Tax : Perquisites are all the perks or privileges that employers may extend to employees. These privileges may include a house provided by the company or a car for your use, given to you by the company. These perks are not just limited to big compensation like cars and houses, they can even include things like compensation for fuel or phone bills. How this tax is levied is by figuring out how that perk has been acquired by the company or used by the employee. In the case of cars, it may be so that a car provided by the company and used for both personal and official purposes is eligible for tax whereas a car used only for official purposes is not. 

• Corporate Tax : Corporate tax is the income tax that is paid by companies from the revenue they earn. This tax also comes with a slab of its own that decides how much tax the company has to pay. For example a domestic company, which has a revenue of less than Rs. 1 crore per annum, won’t have to pay this tax but one that has a revenue of more than Rs. 1 crore per annum will have to pay this tax. It is also referred to as a surcharge and is different for different revenue brackets. It is also different for international companies where the corporate tax may be 41.2% if the company has a revenue of less than Rs. 10 million and so on. 

• Wealth Tax : The wealth tax, governed by the Wealth Tax Act, allows the government to impose a tax on the net wealth of a person, an HUF or a company. This tax is set to be abolished in 2016 but until then the tax levied on the net wealth is about 1% of the wealth that exceeds Rs. 30 lakhs. There are exceptions to this tax which are organisations that don’t have to pay wealth tax. These organisations could be trusts, partnership firms, social clubs, political parties, etc.

2) Indirect Taxes : Indirect taxes are those taxes that are levied on goods or services. They differ from direct taxes because they are not levied on a person who pays them directly to the government, they are instead levied on products and are collected by an intermediary, the person selling the product. The most common examples of indirect tax can be VAT (Value Added Tax), Taxes on Imported Goods, Sales Tax, etc. These taxes are levied by adding them to the price of the service or product which tends to push the cost of the product up.

These are some of the common indirect taxes that you pay.

• Sales Tax : As the name suggests, sales tax is a tax that is levied on the sale of a product. This product can be something that was produced in India or imported and can even cover services rendered. This tax is levied on the seller of the product who then transfers it onto the person who buys said product with the sales tax added to the price of the product. The limitation of this tax is that it can be levied only ones for a particular product, which means that if the product is sold a second time, sales tax cannot be applied to it. 

• Service Tax : Like sales tax is added to the price of goods sold in India, so is service tax added to services provided in India. In the reading of the budget 2015, it was announced that the service tax will be raised from 12.36% to 14%. It is not applicable on goods but on companies that provide services and is collected every month or once every quarter based on how the services are provided. If the establishment is an individual service provider then the service tax is paid only once the customer pays the bills however, for companies the service tax is payable the moment the invoice is raised, irrespective of the customer paying the bill. An important thing to remember is that since the service at a restaurant is a combination of the food, the waiter and the premises themselves, it is difficult to pin point what qualifies for service tax. To remove any ambiguity, in this regard, it has been announced that the service tax in restaurants will be levied only on 40% of the total bill.

 

• Value Added Tax (VAT) : The value added tax is a tax that is levied at the discretion of the state government and not all states implemented it when it was first announced. The tax is levied on various goods sold in the state and the amount of the tax is decided by the state itself. For example in Gujrat the government split all the good into various categories called schedules. There are 3 schedules and each schedule has its own VAT percentage. For Schedule 3 the VAT is 1%, for schedule 2 the VAT is 5% and so on. Goods that have not been classified into any category have a VAT of 15%.

• Custom duty & Octroi : When you purchase anything that needs to be imported from another country, a charge is applied on it and that is the customs duty. It applies to all the products that come in via land, sea or air. Even if you bring in products bought in another country to India, a customs duty can be levied on it. The purpose of the customs duty is to ensure that all the goods entering the country are taxed and paid for. Just as customs duty ensures that goods for other countries are taxed, octroi is meant to ensure that goods crossing state borders within India are taxed appropriately. It is levied by the state government and functions in much the same way as customs duty does. 

• Excise Duty : This is a tax that is levied on all the goods manufactured or produced in India. It is different from customs duty because it is applicable only on things produced in India and is also known as the Central Value Added Tax or CENVAT. This tax is collected by the government from the manufacturer of the goods. It can also be collected from those entities that receive manufactured goods and employ people to transport the goods from the manufacturer to themselves.

What is Tax Deduction

Tax deduction helps in reducing your taxable income. It decreases your overall tax liabilities and helps you save tax. However, depending on the type of tax deduction you claim, the amount of deduction varies. You can claim tax deduction for amounts spent in tuition fees, medical expenses and charitable contributions. Also, you can invest in various schemes such as life insurance plans, retirement savings schemes, and national savings schemes etc. to get tax deductions. The government of India offers tax exemptions for various expenses incurred in different activities to encourage individuals and commercial institutions take part in activities having social benefits.  

Tax Deduction under Section 80C:  

Under section 80C of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961, you can get tax deductions on premiums paid towards life insurance, annuity received through deferred annuity plans , contributions made to provident fund schemes , investments in certain equity stocks /debentures etc. Section 80C has the following subsections:

• 80CCC: Deduction arising from contributions to certain pension funds of LIC or any other insurer. Deduction is allowed up to Rs. 1, 00,000.

 

• 80CCD: Deduction arising from contribution to pension scheme notified by Central Government. You can get tax deduction up to 10% of your salary. 

 

• 80CCF: Tax deduction for subscription to notified long-term infrastructure bonds. You can get tax deduction up to Rs.20,000. 

• 80CCG: Deduction up to Rs. 25,000 for investing in notified equity savings scheme. Individuals and members of Hindu undivided family (HUF) can avail this deduction. 

Tax Deduction under Section 80D:  

Under this section, get tax deduction for medical premiums paid for self, spouse and children by using any other means of payment other than cash to LIC or other insurance providers. Both individuals and members of HUF can benefit from this section. 80D includes the following sub-sections: 

• 80DD: Deduction of Rs. 50,000 is allowed to resident individual and members of HUF for the expense incurred in medical treatment of a dependent, or in training and rehabilitation of a dependent. 

 

• 80DDB: Deduction is offered for expenses spent in medical treatment of specified diseases and ailments. 

Tax Deductions under Section 80E:  

Under section 80E , get tax deduction for taking educational loan from financial institutions or approved charitable institutions. Deduction under this section is applicable for individuals only. 80E has the below mentioned subsection: 

• 80EE: Deduction is allowed on the interest payable on loan taken from any financial institution for purchasing residential property. Maximum deduction allowed is Rs. 3, 00,000. Deduction under both the sections (80E and 80EE) can be availed by individuals.  

Tax Deductions under Section 80G:  

Tax deduction under this section can be availed by all assesses. Donations to certain approved funds, trusts, charitable institutions, and donations for renovation or repairing of notified temples qualify for tax deduction under this section. 80G has four subsections which include: 

• 80GG: Rent paid in excess of 10% of total income for furnished or unfurnished residential accommodation qualifies for tax deduction.

 

• 80GGA: Donations for scientific, social or statistical research or rural development program qualifies for tax deduction under this section.  

• 80GGB: Amount contributed to any political party or electoral trust is eligible for tax deduction.

 

• 80GGC: Sum contributed to any political party or electoral trust is eligible for tax deduction.

Tax Deductions under Section 80 IA:  

You can get tax deductions for profits and gains from industrial undertakings or enterprises engaged in infrastructure development. 80 IA has the following subsections: 

• 80-IAB: Deduction for profits and gains derived from the business of developing a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) notified on or after 1/4/2005. This deduction can be availed by the developers of SEZ.

 

• 80-IB: Profits and gains from industrial undertakings, hotel, scientific research & development, mineral oil concern, cold storage plant, housing projects, cold chain facility, convention centers, multiplex theatres etc. qualify for tax deduction under this section. All assesses can avail this deduction.

• 80-IC: Profits and gains derived by an enterprise in the special category states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, qualify for tax deduction. All assesses can avail this deduction.

 

• 80-ID: Deduction arising from profits and gains from business of hotels and convention centers in certain areas. All assesses can avail this deduction.

• 80-IE: Get tax deduction for taking up certain activities in Northeastern states. All assesses can avail this deduction. 

Tax Deductions under Section 80J:  

Section 80J has been amended and it includes the following subsections: 80JJA and 80JJAA: 

• 80JJA: Deduction arising from profits and gains from the business of collecting and processing bio-degradable waste. All assesses can avail this deduction.

• 80JJAA: 30% additional wages paid to new regular workmen employed in the previous year qualifies for tax deduction. Indian company having profits and gains derived from manufacturing of goods can avail tax deductions under this section.

Tax Deduction under Section 80LA 

Incomes of Scheduled banks and banks incorporated outside India having offshore banking units in a Special Economic Zone qualify for tax deduction. Scheduled banks, banks incorporated outside India, units of International Financial Services Centre can get tax deductions under this act.  

Tax Deduction under Section 80P 

Deductions arising from specified incomes qualify for tax deduction. Co-operative societies can avail this deduction. 

Tax Deduction under Section 80QQB:  

Tax deduction under this section applies to the royalty income of an author of certain category of books. Maximum tax deduction allowed is up to Rs. 3, 00,000. Resident individual authors can avail tax deduction under it. 

Tax Deduction under Section 80RRB:  

You can get tax deduction on royalty on patents. Maximum deduction allowed is up to Rs. 3, 00,000. Such deduction can be availed any resident individual who is a patentee and receives the income by way of royalty for patent registered on or after 1/4/2003. 

Tax Deduction under Section 80TTA:  

Interest on deposits in savings bank accounts qualifies for tax deduction under this section. Maximum deduction offered is Rs. 10,000 p.a. Individuals and members of HUF can avail tax deduction under this section.  

Tax Deduction under 80U:  

Under this section, tax deduction of Rs. 50,000 is allowed to a resident individual who is certified by the medical authority to be a person with disabilities in the previous year. Autism, cerebral palsy etc. are included under multiple disabilities in this section.
 

What is Income Tax Return (ITR)

There is a prescribed form through which the particulars of income earned by a person, and the taxes paid thereon, are communicated to the Income Tax Department. There are different forms for the filing of returns based on different status and heads of income. This is called the return of income.

It’s basically just you telling the government how much you’ve earned, from where you’ve earned it, and how much tax you’ve paid on it.

Tax Forms:

The different forms which have been prescribed for different classes of taxpayers are as follows:

ITR Form Name	Description of Taxpayer
ITR – 1	This is applicable to all individuals having salary or pension income or income from one house property, or income from other sources (which aren’t income from lottery winnings and income from race horses). This is also known SAHAJ.
ITR – 2	This is for Hindu Undivided Families that have income from sources other than “Profits and Gains of Business or Profession”.
ITR – 3	This is for Hindu Undivided Families or individuals who are partnered in a firm. The income here is either by the way of interest, salary, bonus, commission or remuneration that’s due or received from the partnered firm. The head of income should be “Profits and Gains of Business or Profession”.
ITS – 4S	This is for individuals and Hindu Undivided Families who’ve opted for the presumptive taxation scheme of Section 44AD / 44AE. This is also called SUGAM.
ITR – 4	This is for individuals or Hindu Undivided Families who carry on a proprietary business or profession.
ITR – 5	This is for firms, LLPs, AOPs, BOIs, artificial judiciary persons, co-operative societies and local authorities. This does not apply to trusts, political parties, colleges, etc. who are required to instead file return of income under Sections 139(4A), 139(4B), 139(4C) and 139(4D) and do not use this form.
ITR – 6	This for companies that don’t claim exemptions under Section 11. Charitable and religious trusts can claim exemptions under Section 11.
ITR – 7	This is for persons and companies who are required to furnish returns under Sections 139(4A), 139(4B), 139(4C) and 139(4D).
ITR – V	This is the acknowledgement of filing of return of income.

 

One can acquire these forms from http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in.

You can also file your return electronically through a free software that the Income Tax Department has provided on www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in.

12 Projects You Should Know About Under the Digital India Initiative

To increase digital connectivity and make governance more transparent, Digital India initiative has launched some amazing projects. Here are 12 of them.

Here are some key initiatives which form a part of Digital India week-

1. Digi Locker

The service was launched as an important facility to store crucial documents like Voter ID Card, Pan Card, BPL Card, Driving License, education certificates, etc. in the cloud.

2. MyGov.in

The portal works as an online platform to engage citizens in governance through a “Discuss”, “Do” and “Disseminate” approach.

3. eSign Framework

This initiative would enable users to digitally sign a document online using Aadhaar authentication.

4. Swach Bharat Mission mobile app

The app will enable organizations and citizens to access information regarding the cleanliness drive and achieve the goals of the mission.

5. National Scholarship Portal

This initiative aims at making the scholarship process easy. From submitting the application, verification, sanction and disbursal to end beneficiary, everything related to government scholarships can be done on this single portal online.

6. eHospital

Online Registration System under this initiative enables people to avail services like online registration, payment of fees and appointment, online diagnostic reports, checking on the availability of blood online, etc.

7. Digitize India Platform

This initiative will involve digitization of data and records on a large scale in the country to make easy and quick access to them possible.

8. Bharat Net

Under this initiative, a high-speed digital highway will connect all 250,000 gram panchayats of the country. This is the world’s largest rural broadband project using optical fibre.

9. Wi-fi Hotspots

Development of high speed BSNL wi-fi hotspots throughout the country is yet another initiative to improve digital connectivity in the country.

10. Next Generation Network

Launched by BSNL, this service will replace 30-year old telephone exchanges to manage all types of services like voice, data, multimedia and other types of communication services.

11. Electronics Development Fund

The fund will be set up to support the manufacturing of electronics products that would help create new jobs and reduce import. The funds will promote innovation, research and product development to create a resource pool within the country.

12. Centre of Excellence on Internet of Things (IoT)

In partnership with NASSCOM, DeitY and ERNET in Bangalore, Centre of Excellence will enable rapid adoption of IoT technology and encourage a new growth strategy. IoT will help the citizens in services like transport system, parking, electricity, waste management, water management and women’s safety to create smart cities, smart health services, smart manufacturing and smart agriculture, etc.