Panel defers decision on DTC report; meet likely on February 17

10 Feb 2012 Evaluate

Due to some unresolved differences the Standing Committee on Finance, headed by the former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, has postponed the adoption of its final report on the Direct Tax code (DTC). The committee is expected to give its nod by March 2 after three more meetings to be scheduled on February 17, 24 and March 2.

The Standing Committee was to review the DTC bill tabled by the Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee in Lok Sabha in August 2011. The DTC is an important UPA-2 reform backed strongly by finance minister.  The key suggestions, which are awaiting a decision, are raising of the exemption slab for personal income tax from Rs 1.8 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, indexing rates to inflation and freeing assesses with up to Rs 5 lakh annual income from the burden of filing returns.

The current income tax slab is said to have affected retail businesses because of a reduction in real incomes due to rising prices. Hence, it is believed that there is a need to revise the tax slabs. The tax rates that the committee is expected to propose are 10% for the slab of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, 20% for upto Rs 20 lakh and 30% beyond that.

The Committee is also to look into the proposal to index tax rates to inflation as this can do away with the need to mention tax rates, even if they are unchanged, in the budget statement made by the finance minister every year. The third key issue is the freeing of income tax assesses from the burden of filing returns if their income is less than 5 lakh per annum.  It is also understood that the Committee, has also suggested categorization of the home and commercial property for the purpose of income-tax. The income from these two sources should be accorded different tax treatment.

The DTC, which seeks to modernize the direct taxation system, will replace the Income Tax Act, 1961. With the Standing Committee expected to give its report in the upcoming Budget session, the government may not be in a position to move a reworked bill for passage in Parliament immediately. The new law is now likely to be implemented only from April 2013. The bill was to come into effect from April 1, 2012.

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