Source: https://www.millioninformations.com/2016/02/budget-2016-2017-overview.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 11:58:01+00:00

Document:
§ Growth of Economy accelerated to 7.6% in 2015-16.
§ India hailed as a ‘bright spot’ amidst a slowing global economy by IMF.
§ Foreign exchange reserves touched the highest ever level of about 350 billion US dollars.
§ Despite increased devolution to States by 55% as a result of the 14th Finance Commission award, plan expenditure increased at RE stage in 2015-16 – in contrast to earlier years.
§ Risks of further global slowdown and turbulence.
§ Additional fiscal burden due to 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations and OROP.
§ 'Transform India' to have a significant impact on economy and lives of people.
· ensuring macroeconomic stability and prudent fiscal management.
· continuing to the pace of economic reforms and policy initiatives to change the lives of our people for the better.
§ Focus on enhancing expenditure in priority areas of - farm and rural sector, social sector, infrastructure sector employment generation and recapitalisation of the banks.
· undertake important banking sector reforms and public listing of general insurance companies undertake significant changes in FDI policy.
§ ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana’ to be implemented in mission mode. 28.5 lakh hectares will be brought under irrigation.
§ Soil Health Card scheme will cover all 14 crore farm holdings by March 2017.
§ Promote organic farming through ‘Parmparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ and 'Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region'.
§ Allocation under Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana ` 5,500 crore.
§ Allocation for rural sector - ` 87,765 crore.
§ A sum of ` 38,500 crores allocated for MGNREGS.
§ 100% village electrification by 1st May 2018.
§ District Level Committees under Chairmanship of senior most Lok Sabha MP from the district for monitoring and implementation of designated Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
§ Priority allocation from Centrally Sponsored Schemes to be made to reward villages that have become free from open defecation.
§ A new Digital Literacy Mission Scheme for rural India to cover around 6 crores additional household within the next 3 years.
§ National Land Record Modernisation Programme has been revamped.
§ New scheme Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan proposed with an allocation of ` 655 crores.
§ Allocation for the social sector including education and health care – `1,51,581 crore.
§ ` 2,000 crores allocated for the initial cost of providing LPG connections to BPL families.
§ New health protection scheme will provide health cover up to ` One lakh per family. For senior citizens, an additional top-up package up to ` 30,000 will be provided.
§ 3,000 Stores under Prime Minister’s Jan Aushadhi Yojana will be opened during 2016-17.
§ “Stand Up India Scheme” to facilitate at least two projects per bank branch. This will benefit at least 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs.
§ Digital Depository for School Leaving Certificates, College Degrees, Academic Awards and Mark sheets to be set-up.
§ Allocation for skill development – ` 1804. crore.
§ 1500 Multi Skill Training Institutes to be set-up.
§ GoI will pay a contribution of 8.33% for of all new employees enrolling in EPFO for the first three years of their employment. A budget provision of ` 1000 crore for this scheme.
§ 100 Model Career Centres to operational by the end of 2016-17 under National Career Service.
§ Model Shops and Establishments Bill to be circulated to States.
§ Total investment in the road sector, including PMGSY allocation, would be ` 97,000 crores during 2016-17.
§ India’s highest ever kilometres of new highways were awarded in 2015. To approve nearly 10,000 km of National Highways in 2016-17.
§ Allocation of ` 55,000 crores in the Budget for Roads. Additional ` 15,000 crores to be raised by NHAI through bonds.
§ Total outlay for infrastructure - ` 2,21,246crore.
§ Action plan for the revival of unserved and underserved airports to be drawn up in partnership with State Governments.
§ Comprehensive plan, spanning next 15 to 20 years, to augment the investment in nuclear power generation to be drawn up.
§ Reforms in FDI policy in the areas of Insurance and Pension, Asset Reconstruction Companies, Stock Exchanges.
§ 100% FDI to be allowed through FIPB route in the marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India.
§ A comprehensive Code on Resolution of Financial Firms to be introduced.
The Statutory basis for a Monetary Policy framework and a Monetary Policy Committee through the Finance Bill 2016.
§ A Financial DataManagement Centre to be set up.
§ RBI to facilitate retail participation in Government securities.
§ New derivative products will be developed by SEBI in the Commodity Derivatives market.
§ Amendments in the SARFAESI Act 2002 to enable the sponsor of an ARC to hold up to 100% stake in the ARC and permit non-institutional investors to invest in Securitization Receipts.
§ Comprehensive Central Legislation to be bought to deal with the menace of illicit deposit taking schemes.
§ Increasingmembers and benches of the Securities Appellate Tribunal.
§ Allocation of ` 25,000 crores towards recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks.
§ Target of amount sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana increased to ` 1,80,000 crore.
§ General Insurance Companies owned by the Government to be listed on the stock exchanges.
§ A Task Force has been constituted for rationalisation of human resources in various Ministries.
§ Comprehensive review and rationalisation of Autonomous Bodies.
§ Bill for Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services by using the Aadhar framework to be introduced.
§ Introduce DBT on the pilot basis for fertilizer.
§ Automation facilities will be provided in 3 lakh fair price shops by March 2017.
§ Amendments in Companies Act to improve the enabling environment for start-ups.
§ Price Stabilisation Fund with a corpus of ` 900 crores to help maintain stable prices of Pulses.
§ “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” programme will be launched to link States and Districts in an annual programme that connects people through exchanges in areas of language, trade, culture, travel and tourism.
The Fiscal deficit in RE 2015-16 and BE 2016-17 retained at3.9% and 3.5%.
§ Special emphasis to sectors such as agriculture, irrigation, the social sector including health, women and child development, the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, infrastructure.
§ Mobilisation of additional finances to the extent of ` 31,300 crores by NHAI, PFC, REC, IREDA, NABARD and Inland Water Authority by raising Bonds.
§ Plan / Non-Plan classification to be done away with from 2017-18.
§ Every new scheme sanctioned will have a sunset date and outcome review.
§ Rationalised and restructured more than 1500 Central Plan Schemes into about 300 Central Sector and 30 Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
§ Committee to review the implementation of the FRBM Act.
§ Raise the ceiling of tax rebate under section 87A from `2000 to `5000 to lessen the tax burden on individuals with income up to `5 lakhs.
§ Increase the limit of deduction of rent paid under section 80GG from `24000 per annum to `60000, to provide relief to those who live in rented houses.
§ Increase the turnover limit under Presumptive taxation scheme under section 44AD of the Income Tax Act to ` 2 crores to bring big relief to a large number of assessees in the MSME category.
§ Extend the presumptive taxation scheme with profit deemed to be 50%, to professionals with gross receipts up to `50 lakh.
· New manufacturing companies incorporated on or after 1.3.2016 to be given the option to be taxed at 25% + surcharge and cess provided they do not claim profit linked or investment-linked deductions and do not avail of investment allowance and accelerated depreciation.
· Lower the corporate tax rate for the next financial year for relatively small enterprises i.e companies with turnover not exceeding ` 5 crores (in the financial year ending March 2015), to 29% plus surcharge and cess.
§ 100% deduction of profits for 3 out of 5 years for startups setup during April 2016 to March 2019. MAT will apply in such cases.
§ 10% rate of tax on income from the worldwide exploitation of patents developed and registered in India by a resident.
§ Complete pass through of income-tax to securitization trusts including trusts of ARCs. Securitization trusts required to deduct tax at source.
§ Period for getting the benefit of long-term capital gain regime in case of unlisted companies is proposed to be reduced from three to two years.
§ Non-banking financial companies shall be eligible for the deduction to the extent of 5% of its income in respect of provision for bad and doubtful debts.
§ Determination of residency of the foreign company on the basis of Place of Effective Management (POEM) is proposed to be deferred by one year.
§ Commitment to implement General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) from 1.4.2017.
§ Exemption of service tax on services provided under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana and services provided by Assessing Bodies empanelled by Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
§ Exemption of Service tax on general insurance services provided under ‘Niramaya’ Health Insurance Scheme launched by National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disability.
§ Basic custom and excise duty on refrigerated containers reduced to 5% and 6%.
§ Changes in customs and excise duty rates on certain inputs to reduce costs and improve competitiveness of domestic industry in sectors like Information technology hardware, capital goods, defence production, textiles, mineral fuels & mineral oils, chemicals & petrochemicals, paper, paperboard & newsprint, Maintenance repair and overhauling [MRO] of aircraft and ship repair.
§ Withdrawal up to 40% of the corpus at the time of retirement to be tax exempt in the case of National Pension Scheme (NPS). Annuity fund which goes to legal heir will not be taxable.
§ In the case of superannuation funds and recognized provident funds, including EPF, the same norm of 40% of the corpus to be tax-free will apply in respect of corpus created out of contributions made on or from 1.4.2016.
§ Limit for the contribution of an employer in recognized Provident and Superannuation Fund of ` 1.5 lakh per annum for taking tax benefit. Exemption from service tax for Annuity services provided by NPS and Services provided by EPFO to employees.
§ Reduce service tax on Single premium Annuity (Insurance) Policies from 3.5% to 1.4% of the premium paid in certain cases.
§ 100% deduction for profits to an undertaking in the housing project for flats upto30 so. metres in four metro cities and 60 so. metres in other cities approved during June 2016 to March 2019 and completed in three years. MAT to apply.
§ Deduction for additional interest of `50,000 per annum for loans up to `35 lakh sanctioned in 2016-17 for first time home buyers, where house cost does not exceed ` 50 lakh.
§ Distribution made out of the income of SPV to the REITs and INVITs having specified shareholding will not be subjected to Dividend Distribution Tax, in respect of dividend distributed after the specified date.
§ Exemption from service tax on construction of affordable houses up to 60 square metres under any scheme of the Central or State Government including PPP Schemes.
§ Extend excise duty exemption, presently available to Concrete Mix manufactured at the site for use in construction work to Ready Mix Concrete.
§ Additional tax at the rate of 10% of gross amount of dividend will be payable by the recipients receiving the dividend in excess of ` 10 lakh per annum.
§ Surcharge to be raised from 12% to 15% on persons, other than companies, firms and cooperative societies having income above ` 1 crore.
§ Tax to be deducted at source at the rate of 1 % on purchase of luxury cars exceeding the value of ` ten lakh and purchase of goods and services in cash exceeding ` two lakh.
§ Securities Transaction tax in case of ‘Options’ is proposed to be increased from .017% to .05%.
§ Equalization levy of 6% of the gross amount for payment made to non-residents exceeding ` 1 lakh a year in the case of B2B transactions.
§ Krishi Kalyan Cess, @ 0.5% on all taxable services, w.e.f. 1 June 2016. Proceeds would be exclusively used for financing initiatives for improvement of agriculture and welfare of farmers. Input tax credit of this cess will be available for payment of this cess.
and SUVs. No credit of this cess will be available nor credit of any other tax or duty be utilized for paying this Cess.
§ Excise duty of ‘1% without input tax credit or 12.5% with input tax credit’ on articles of jewellery [excluding silver jewellery, other than studded with diamonds and some other precious stones], with a higher exemption and eligibility limits of ` 6 crores and ` 12 crores respectively.
§ Excise on readymade garments with a retail price of ` 1000 or more raised to 2% without input tax credit or 12.5% with input tax credit.
§ ‘Clean Energy Cess’ levied on coal, lignite and peat renamed to ‘Clean Environment Cess’ and the rate increased from `200 per tonne to `400 per tonne.
§ Excise duties on various tobacco products other than beedi raised by about 10 to 15%.
§ Assignment of right to use the spectrum and its transfers has been deducted as a service leviable to service tax and not the sale of intangible goods.
§ Committed to providing a stable and predictable taxation regime and reduce black money.
§ Domestic taxpayers can declare undisclosed income or such income represented in the form of any asset by paying tax at 30%, and surcharge at 7.5% and penalty at 7.5%, which is a total of 45% of the undisclosed income. Declarants will have immunity from prosecution.
§ Surcharge levied at 7.5% of undisclosed income will be called Krishi Kalyan surcharge to be used for agriculture and rural economy.
be settled by paying 25% of the minimum of the imposable penalty and tax interest on quantum addition.
§ High-Level Committee chaired by Revenue Secretary to oversee fresh cases were assessing officer applies the retrospective amendment.
§ One-time scheme of Dispute Resolution for ongoing cases under the retrospective amendment.
§ Penalty rates to be 50% of the tax in case of underreporting of income and 200% of tax where there is misreporting of facts.
§ Disallowance will be limited to 1% of the average monthly value of investments yielding exempt income, but not exceeding the actual expenditure claimed under rule 8D of Section 14A of Income Tax Act.
§ Time limit of one year for disposing of petitions of the taxpayers seeking the waiver of interest and penalty.
§ Mandatory for the assessing officer to grant a stay of demand once the assessee pays 15% of the disputed demand while the appeal is pending before Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals).
The Monetary limit for deciding an appeal by a single member Bench of ITAT enhanced from ` 15 lakhs to ` 50 lakhs.
§ 11 new benches of Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT).
§ 13 cesses, levied by various Ministries in which revenue collection is less than ` 50 crores in a year to be abolished.
§ For non-residents providing alternative documents to PAN card, higher TDS not to apply.
§ Revision of return extended to Central Excise assessees.
§ Additional options to banking companies and financial institutions, including NBFCs, for reversal of input tax credits with respect to non-taxable services.
importers and exporters with proven track record.
§ Customs Single Window Project to be implemented at major ports and airports starting from beginning of next financial year.
§ Increase in free baggage allowance for international passengers. Filing of baggage only for those carrying dutiable goods.
§ Expansion in the scope of e-assessments to all assessees in 7 mega-cities in the coming years.
§ Interest at the rate of 9% p.a against normal rate of 6% p.a for the delay in giving effect to Appellate order beyond ninety days.
§ ‘e-Sahyog’ to be expanded to reduce compliance cost, especially for small taxpayers.

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