Skip to main content

Tax Returns: Myths and facts of filing your Tax Returns

THE fiscal year has ended and many choose to make tax-filling.
Despite this being a regular, annual ritual, several tax payers have some misconceptions, some of which are listed below:

Misconception No. 1
Filing tax returns is a complex and cumbersome process. I need a Chartered Accountant to help me file my tax returns.

Contrary to popular belief, preparing and filing tax returns is actually quite simple. If you have a digital signature you can accomplish the entire process sitting at home on your computer thanks to the e-filing facility on www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. Alternatively, you can submit the returns online, print a one-page receipt, sign it and drop it off at the income tax office within fifteen days of submitting the returns. No documents are required to be submitted with the receipt. However, if you want help, there are several third party service providers who offer tax preparation and filing services for a fee as low as Rs 200.

Misconception No. 2
The interest I pay on a home loan is deductible from my income from house property up to a maximum of Rs 1, 50, 000 per year.

This is true if you have taken a home loan for a single house and it is self-occupied. However, if you take a home loan on a second house, the entire interest paid on the loan can be claimed as a deduction from your income on house property. If you expect that the property would appreciate in value over time, you could take advantage of the above rule. Thus a smart investment strategy would be to take a home loan on a second house, rent out the house and claim interest paid on the loan as a deduction from rental income, thus reducing your borrowing costs significantly.

Misconception No. 3
I receive tax exemption on the actual rent I pay for my rented home.

This is not entirely accurate. Section 13 A of the Income Tax Act states that the maximum amount that is exempt from tax is the lower of the following amounts:

(i) the House Rent Allowance given by the employer,
(ii) 50% of your basic salary if you live in a metro, (iii) or, actual rent paid minus 10% of your basic salary.

If actual rent paid is lower than 10% of your basic salary, you receive no exemption. Also, you cannot claim any exemption under this section if you live in your own house or if you are not paying any rent.

Misconception No. 4
Section 80C benefits are available only on making an investment or saving or paying a premium on insurance.

You can claim a deduction for the school or university tuition fees you pay for your children (maximum of two) provided they are enrolled in a full-time course at any institute in India. In addition you can claim a deduction for the repayment of principal on any home loan that you may have taken. Both these deductions have to, of course, be within the overall annual Section 80C cap of Rs1 lakh.

Misconception No. 5
If I avail of tax-free medical reimbursement from my employer up to Rs15, 000, I cannot claim deduction on health insurance premium paid.

Tax-free medical reimbursement by your employer up to an amount of Rs 15,000 per year for your family’s medical expenditure is separate from the Rs 15,000 deduction available under Section 80D for the premium paid on health insurance.

Both these exemptions are covered under different sections of the Income Tax Act. The former covers cost of your daily medical needs and outpatient treatment (OPD), while the latter protects you from expenditure for hospitalization.

Popular posts from this blog

SBI Magnum Tax Gain Scheme 1993 Applcation Form

    https://sites.google.com/site/mutualfundapplications/tax-saving-mutual-funds-elss     Investment Details Basics Min Investment (Rs) 500 Subsequent Investment (Rs) 500 Min Withdrawal (Rs) -- Min Balance -- Pricing Method Forward Purchase Cut-off Time (hrs) 15 Redemption Cut-off Time (hrs) 15 Redemption Time (days) -- Lock-in 1095 days Cheque Writing -- Systematic Investment Plan SIP Yes Initial Investment (Rs) -- Additional Investment (Rs) 500 No of Cheques 12 Note Monthly investment of Rs 1000 for 6 months and quarterly investment of Rs 1500 for 4 quarters.

Birla Sun Life Tax Plan Online

Invest Birla Sun Life Tax Plan Online   An Open-ended Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) with the objective to achieve long-term growth of capital along with income tax relief for investment.   After a bad patch from 2008 to 2010, Birla Sun Life Tax Plan has made a big comeback in the last five years, with a particularly good run since 2014. The fund's rankings, which had slipped to two stars in 2011-12, recovered sharply to three-four stars in the last three years. The fund has delivered a particularly large outperformance over its benchmark and peers in the last couple of years. The fund's investment strategy focuses on a diversified and high-quality portfolio, with parameters such as capital ratios and balance-sheet strength used to judge quality. It uses a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches to take sector/stock positions. The fund avoids highly leveraged plays. Staying more or less fully invested at all times, the fund parks roughly half of its portfoli

Should you Roll Over 1 year Fixed Maturity Plans?

The period between January and March typically sees an uptick in the launch of fixed maturity plans, or FMPs. Not this year. Instead, fund houses are busy rolling over or extending the tenure of their one- year FMPs launched last year to three years. Investors in one- year FMPs have a choice. Either redeem units or roll over to three years. If you exit now, your gains will be added to your income and taxed in line with your individual slab rate of 10, 20 or 30 per cent. If you stay invested for two more years, you pay 20 per cent tax with indexation benefit. Yields have softened in the past few months on expectations of a rate cut. If the central bank continues its soft monetary stance, yields are likely to fall further. In such a scenario, it makes sense for investors, particularly those in the 30 per cent tax bracket, to roll over their investments and lock in at a higher yield now. In a surprise move, the Reserve Bank of India cut repo rate by 25 basis

Mutual Fund Review: IDFC Premier Equity Fund

  IDFC Premier Equity Fund, which falls under the presumed high risk group of mid- and small-cap schemes, can rely on astute and timely equity picks. These make it less vulnerable to fluctuations compared with others in the category   IDFC Premier Equity Fund is designed to invest in upcoming, but promising businesses available at cheap valuations, and hold on to these businesses until they reap desired returns. The experiment has been successful so far, and IDFC Premier Equity has emerged as one of the top performing mutual fund schemes in the mid- and smallcap category of equity schemes.    While the scheme is an open-ended equity fund, i.e. open for subscriptions throughout the year, it has a unique philosophy to limit fresh inflows. Thus, while an investor can always take the systematic investment plan ( SIP ) route to invest in the scheme throughout the year, inflows through a lumpsum investment have been restricted. Since inception, IDFC Premier Equity has been opened for l

IDFC Premier Equity Fund dividend

  IDFC Mutual Fund   has announced dividend under the dividend option of   IDFC Premier Equity Fund Direct-D . The quantum of dividend shall be   R 4.3464 per unit.   The record date has been fixed as May 06, 2015. Best Tax Saver Mutual Funds or ELSS Mutual Funds for 2015 1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan 2. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund 3. HDFC TaxSaver 4. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund 5. Religare Tax Plan 6. Franklin India TaxShield 7. Canara Robeco Equity Tax Saver 8. IDFC Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund 9. Axis Tax Saver Fund 10. BNP Paribas Long Term Equity Fund You can invest Rs 1,50,000 and Save Tax under Section 80C by investing in Mutual Funds Invest in Tax Saver Mutual Funds Online - Invest Online Download Application Forms For further information contact Prajna Capital on 94 8300 8300 by leaving a missed call --------------------------------------------- Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them OR You can write to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot]
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now