On March 28, 2021, the Finance Act received President’s assent in order to give effect to the financial proposals of the Central Government for the financial year 2021-2022
INCOME TAX
- Income-tax shall be charged at the rates specified in Part I of the First Schedule and such tax shall be increased by a surcharge, for the purposes of the Union, calculated in each case in the manner provided therein.
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AGRICULTURAL INCOME
- In the cases to which Paragraph A of Part I of the First Schedule applies, where the assessee has, in the previous year, any net agricultural income exceeding five thousand rupees, in addition to total income, and the total income exceeds two lakh fifty thousand rupees, then,—
(a) the net agricultural income shall be taken into account, in the manner provided in clause (b) [that is to say, as if the net agricultural income were comprised in the total income after the first two lakh fifty thousand rupees of the total income but without being liable to tax], only for the purpose of charging income-tax in respect of the total income; and
(b) the income-tax chargeable shall be calculated as follows:—
(i) the total income and the net agricultural income shall be aggregated and the amount of income-tax shall be determined in respect of the aggregate income at the rates specified in the said Paragraph A, as if such aggregate income were the total income;
(ii) the net agricultural income shall be increased by a sum of two lakh fifty thousand rupees, and the amount of income-tax shall be determined in respect of the net agricultural income as so increased at the rates specified in the said Paragraph A, as if the net agricultural income as so increased were the total income;
(iii) the amount of income-tax determined in accordance with sub-clause (i) shall be reduced by the amount of income-tax determined in accordance with sub-clause (ii) and the sum so arrived at shall be the income-tax in respect of the total income:
Provided that in the case of every individual, being a resident in India, who is of the age of sixty years or more but less than eighty years at any time during the previous year, referred to in item (II) of Paragraph A of Part I of the First Schedule, the provisions of this sub-section shall have effect as if for the words “two lakh fifty thousand rupees”, the words “three lakh rupees” had been substituted:
Provided further that in the case of every individual, being a resident in India, who is of the age of eighty years or more at any time during the previous year, referred to in item (III) of Paragraph A of Part I of the First Schedule, the provisions of this sub-section shall have effect as if for the words “two lakh fifty thousand rupees”, the words “five lakh rupees” had been substituted.
FAIR MARKET VALUE
- In relation to capital assets being an undertaking or division transferred by way of such slump sale,—
(i) the “net worth” of the undertaking or the division, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be the cost of acquisition and the cost of improvement for the purposes of sections 48 and 49 and no regard shall be given to the provisions contained in the second proviso to section 48;
(ii) Fair market value of the capital assets as on the date of transfer, calculated in the prescribed manner, shall be deemed to be the full value of the consideration received or accruing as a result of the transfer of such capital asset.’
Income on receipt of capital asset or stock in trade by specified person from specified entity
- Where a specified person receives during the previous year any capital asset or stock in trade or both from a specified entity in connection with the dissolution or reconstitution of such specified entity, then the specified entity shall be deemed to have transferred such capital asset or stock in trade or both, as the case may be, to the specified person in the year in which such capital asset or stock in trade or both are received by the specified person.
- Any profits and gains arising from such deemed transfer of capital asset or stock in trade or both, as the case may be, by the specified entity shall be deemed to be the income of such specified entity of the previous year in which such capital asset or stock in trade or both were received by the specified person; and chargeable to income-tax as income of such specified entity under the head “Profits and gains of business or profession” or under the head “Capital gains”, in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
Audit of accounts of certain persons carrying on business or profession
In section 44AB of the Income-tax Act, for the words “five crore rupees”, the words “ten crore rupees” shall be substituted.
Capital Gains in case of depreciable assets:
In section 50 of the Income-tax Act, in clause (2), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:
“Provided that in a case where goodwill of a business or profession forms part of a block of asset for the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2020 and depreciation thereon has been obtained by the assessee under the Act, the written down value of that block of asset and short term capital gain, if any, shall be determined in such manner as may be prescribed.”
Special provision for computation of capital gains in case of slump sale:
For sub-section (2), the following sub-section shall be substituted, namely:—
‘(2) In relation to capital assets being an undertaking or division transferred by way of such slump sale,—
(i) the “net worth” of the undertaking or the division, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be the cost of acquisition and the cost of improvement for the purposes of sections 48 and 49 and no regard shall be given to the provisions contained in the second proviso to section 48;
(ii) Fair market value of the capital assets as on the date of transfer, calculated in the prescribed manner, shall be deemed to be the full value of the consideration received or accruing as a result of the transfer of such capital asset.’;
Cost Acquisition and Improvement:
In section 55 of the Income-tax Act, in sub-section (2), for clause (a), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:–
(a) in relation to a capital asset, being goodwill of a business or profession, or a trade mark or brand name associated with a business or profession, or a right to manufacture, produce or process any article or thing, or right to carry on any business or profession, or tenancy rights, or stage carriage permits, or loom hours,—
(i) in the case of acquisition of such asset by the assessee by purchase from a previous owner, means the amount of the purchase price; and
(ii) in the case falling under sub-clauses (i)to (iv) of sub-section (1) of section 49 and where such asset was acquired by the previous owner (as defined in that section) by purchase, means the amount of the purchase price for such previous owner; and
(iii) in any other case, shall be taken to benil:
Provided that where the capital asset, being goodwill of a business or profession, in respect of which a deduction on account of depreciation under sub-section (1) of section 32 has been obtained by the assessee in any previous year preceding the previous year relevant to the assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2021, the provisions of sub-clauses (i) and (ii) shall apply with the modification that the total amount of depreciation obtained by the assessee under sub-section (1) of section 32 before the assessment year commencing on the 1st day of April, 2021 shall be reduced from the amount of purchase price;”
