E. Measures to promote socio-economic growth
Exemption of income of Foreign company from storage and sale of crude oil stored as part of strategic reserves.
The existing provisions of section 5 of the Act provides for the scope of total income. In the case of a non-resident, the taxation of income takes place only if the income accrues or arises in India or is deemed to accrue or arise in India or is received in India. Section 9 of the Act provides for circumstances in which the income is deemed to accrue or arise in India. One of the circumstances providing for income to be deemed to accrue or arise in India is if any income is directly or indirectly derived through or from a business connection in India.
The Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) is in the process of setting up underground storage facility for storage of crude oil as part of strategic reserves. The maintenance of strategic reserves is in India's national interest and ensures price stability for Indian oil companies. The filling cost of such facility entails huge financial burden. The Government has explored the possibility of meeting a substantial part of the financial burden through participation of private players including foreign national oil companies (NOCs) and multinational companies (MNCs) storing and selling crude oil from outside India. However, the storage of crude oil by NOCs/MNCs and its sale in India would create tax liability for these entities.
In order to achieve neutrality in terms of taxation to encourage the NOCs & MNCs to store their crude oil in India and to build up strategic oil reserves, it is proposed to amend the provisions of section 10 of the Act to provide that any income accruing or arising to a foreign company on account of storage of crude oil in a facility in India and sale of crude oil therefrom to any person resident in India shall not be included in the total income, if, -
I. such storage and sale by the foreign company is pursuant to an agreement or an arrangement entered into by the Central Government or approved by the Central Government; and
II. having regard to the national interest, the foreign company and the agreement or arrangement are notified by the Central Government in this behalf.
Since the storage of oil is expected to begin in the current financial year, this exemption would be available from the previous year 2015-16, i.e. assessment year 2016-17.
This amendment will take effect retrospectively from 1st April, 2016 and will accordingly apply in relation to assessment year 2016-17 and subsequent assessment years.
[Clause 7]
Exemption in respect of certain activity related to diamond trading in "Special Notified Zone".
The existing provisions of Section 5 of the Act provides for the scope of total income. In case of non-resident person, the taxation of income in India happens only if the income accrues or arises in India or is deemed to accrue or arise in India or is received in India. Section 9 of the Act provides circumstances under which income is deemed to accrue or arise in India. One of the circumstances providing for income to be deemed to accrue or arise in India is if any income is directly or indirectly derived through or from a business connection in India.
A "Special Notified Zone" (SNZ) had been created to facilitate shifting of operations by foreign mining companies (FMC) to India and to permit the trading of rough diamonds in India by the leading diamond mining companies of the world. The activity of FMC of mere display of rough diamonds even with no actual sale taking place in India may lead to creation of business connection in India of the FMC. This potential tax exposure has been an area of concern for the mining companies willing to undertake these activities in India.
In order to facilitate the FMCs to undertake activity of display of uncut diamond (without any sorting or sale) in the special notified zone, it is proposed to amend section 9 of the Act to provide that in the case of a foreign company engaged in the business of mining of diamonds, no income shall be deemed to accrue or arise in India to it through or from the activities which are confined to display of uncut and unassorted diamonds in a Special Zone notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette in this behalf.
This amendment will take effect retrospectively from 1st April, 2016 and will accordingly apply in relation to assessment year 2016-17 and subsequent assessment years.
[Clause 5]
Extending the benefit of initial additional depreciation under section 32(1)(iia) for power sector
Under the existing provisions of section 32(1)(iia) of the Act, additional depreciation of 20% is allowed in respect of the cost of new plant or machinery acquired and installed by certain assessees engaged in the business of generation and distribution of power . This depreciation allowance is over and above the deduction allowed for general depreciation under section 32(1)(ii) of the Act.
Under the existing provisions, the benefit of additional depreciation is not available on the new machinery or plant installed by an assessee engaged in the business of transmission of power.
In order to rationalise the incentive of power sector , it is proposed to amend this section so as to provide that an assessee engaged in the business of transmission of power shall also be allowed additional depreciation at the rate of 20% of actual cost of new machinery or plant acquired and installed in a previous year.
This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017-18 and subsequent assessment years.
[Clause 13]
Taxation of Income from 'Patents'
In order to encourage indigenous research & development activities and to make India a global R & D hub, the Government has decided to put in place a concessional taxation regime for income from patents. The aim of the concessional taxation regime is to provide an additional incentive for companies to retain and commercialise existing patents and to develop new innovative patented products. This will encourage companies to locate the high-value jobs associated with the development, manufacture and exploitation of patents in India. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has recommended, in Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project under Action Plan 5, the nexus approach which prescribes that income arising from exploitation of Intellectual property (IP) should be attributed and taxed in the jurisdiction where substantial research & development (R&D) activities are undertaken rather than the jurisdiction of legal ownership only.
Accordingly, it is proposed to insert new section 115BBF to provide that where the total income of the eligible assessee income includes any income by way of royalty in respect of a patent developed and registered in India, then such royalty shall be taxable at the rate of ten per cent ( plus applicable surcharge and cess) on the gross amount of royalty. No expenditure or allowance in respect of such royalty income shall be allowed under the Act.
For the purpose of this concessional tax regime an eligible assessee means a person resident in India, who is the true and first inventor of the invention and whose name is entered on the patent register as the patentee in accordance with Patents Act, 1970 and includes evey such person, being the true and the first inventor of the invention, where more than one person is registered uas pententee under Patents Act, 1970 in respect of that patent.
These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017-18 and subsequent years.
[Clause 52 & 53]
Tax incentives for start-ups
With a view to providing an impetus to start-ups and facilitate their growth in the initial phase of their business, it is proposed to provide a deduction of one hundred percent of the profits and gains derived by an eligible start-up from a business involving innovation development, deployment or commercialization of new products, processes or services driven by technology or intellectual property.
The benefit of hundred percent deduction of the profits derived from such business shall be available to an eligible start-up which is setup before 01.04.2019.
Further, in order to promote the start-up ecosystem in the country, it is envisaged in 'start-up India Action Plan' to establish a Fund of Funds which intends to raise ₹ 2500 crores annually for four years to finance the start-ups.
Keeping this objective in view, it is proposed to insert a new Section 54EE to provide exemption from capital gains tax if the long term capital gains proceeds are invested by an assessee in units of such specified fund, as may be notified by the Central Government in this behalf, subject to the condition that the amount remains invested for three years failing which the exemption shall be withdrawn. The investment in the units of the specified fund shall be allowed up to ₹ 50 lakh
The existing provisions of section 54GB provide exemption from tax on long term capital gains in respect of the gains arising on account of transfer of a residential property, if such capital gains are invested in subscription of shares of a company which qualifies to be a small or medium enterprise under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Act, 2006 subject to other conditions specified therein.
With an objective to provide relief to an individual or HUF willing to setup a start-up company by selling a residential property to invest in the shares of such company, it is proposed to amend section 54GB so as to provide that long term capital gains arising on account of transfer of a residential property shall not be charged to tax if such capital gains are invested in subscription of shares of a company which qualifies to be an eligible start-up subject to the condition that the individual or HUF holds more than fifty per cent shares of the company and such company utilises the amount invested in shares to purchase new asset before due date of filing of return by the investor.
The existing provision of section 54GB requires that the company should invest the proceeds in the purchase of new asset being new plant and machinery but does not include, inter-alia, computers or computer software.
With a view to avoid the incidence of the aforesaid condition on start-ups where computers or computer software form the core asset base owing to nature of business activity, it is proposed to amend section 54GB so as to provide that the expression "new asset" includes computers or computer software in case of technology driven start-ups so certified by the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification notified by the Central Government in the official Gazette.
These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017-18 and subsequent assessment years.
[Clause 31, 32 & 41]
Incentives for Promoting Housing for All
With a view to incentivise affordable housing sector as a part of larger objective of 'Housing for All', it is proposed to amend the Income-tax Act so as to provide for hundred per cent deduction of the profits of an assessee developing and building affordable housing projects if the housing project is approved by the competent authority before the 31st March, 2019 subject to certain conditions which inter alia, include:-
(i) The project is completed within a period of three years from the date of approval,
(ii) The project is on a plot of land measuring not less than 1000 sq. metres where the project is within 25 km from the municipal limits of four metros namely Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai & Kolkata and in any other area, it is measuring not less than 2000 sq. metres where the size of the residential unit in the said areas is not more than thirty sq. metres and sixty sq. metres, respectively,
(iii) where residential unit is allotted to an individual, no such unit shall be allotted to him or any member of his family, etc.
The existing provisions of section 80EE provide a deduction of up to 1 lakh rupees in respect of interest paid on loan by an individual for acquisition of a residential house property. This benefit is available for the two assessment years beginning on the 1st day of April 2014 and on the 1st day of April 2015.
In furtherance of the goal of the Government of providing 'housing for all', it is proposed to incentivise first-home buyers availing home loans, by providing additional deduction in respect of interest on loan taken for residential house property from any financial institution up to ₹ 50,000. This incentive is proposed to be extended to a house property of a value less than fifty lakhs rupees in respect of which a loan of an amount not exceeding thirty five lakh rupees has been sanctioned during the period from the 1st day of April, 2016 to the 31st day of March, 2017. It is also proposed to extend the benefit of deduction till the repayment of loan continues.
The deduction under the proposed section is over and above the limit of ₹ 2,00,000 provided for a self-occupied property under section 24 of the Act.
These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2017-18 and subsequent assessment years.
[Clause 37 & 43]
Tax incentive for employment generation
The existing provisions of Section 80JJAA provide for a deduction of thirty percent of additional wages paid to new regular workmen in a factory for three years. The provisions apply to the business of manufacture of goods in a factory where 'workmen' are employed for not less than three hundred days in a previous year. Further, benefits are allowed only if there is an increase of at least ten percent in total number of workmen employed on the last day of the preceding year.
With a view to extend this employment generation incentive to all sectors, it is proposed to provide that the deduction under the said provisions shall be available in respect of cost incurred on any employee whose total emoluments are less than or equal to twenty five thousand rupees per month. No deduction, however, shall be allowed in respect of cost incurred on those employees, for whom the entire contribution under Employees' Pension Scheme notified in accordance with Employees' Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, is paid by the Government.
It is further proposed to relax the norms for minimum number of days of employment in a financial year from 300 days to 240 days and also the condition of ten per cent increase in number of employees every year is proposed to be done away with so that any increase in the number of employees will be eligible for deduction under the provision.
It is also proposed to provide that in the first year of a new business, thirty percent of all emoluments paid or payable to the employees employed during the previous year shall be allowed as deduction.
This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2017 and will accordingly apply in relation to assessment year 2017-18 and subsequent assessment years.
[Clause 44]
