Tag: budget 2021

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Startup

Startups in India Get a Major Boost As Govt Allocates Rs 830 Crore for Fund of Funds for Startups in Union Budget 2021–22

startup ipo india

New Delhi, February 3: With an aim to give a major fillip to the startups in India, the government has allocated Rs 830 crore for the ‘Fund of Funds for Startup’s in the Budget 2021-22. This is higher then the revised estimate of about Rs 430 crore. The government has set up a Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore. The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the operating agency for the FFS.

According to the Budget documents, the allocation for Startup India programme has been increased slightly to Rs 20.83 crore for 2021-22 from the revised estimate of Rs 20 crore in 2020-21.The government’s Startup India initiative aims at fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation by creating an ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of budding entrepreneurs. The allocation for the fund of funds in Budget 2020-21 was Rs 1,054.97 core, but it was later revised to Rs 429.99 crore.

Moreover, the government has earmarked Rs 300 crore for credit guarantee fund. The cumulative allocation for the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has been hiked to Rs 7,782.24 crore for 2021-22 as against the revised estimate of Rs 7,583.06 crore in 2020-21. Similarly, the cumulative allocation for the department of commerce has also been increased to Rs 4,986 crore for 2021-22 as against the revised estimate of Rs 4,600 crore in 2020-21.

The total allocations for export promotion schemes, such as Market Access Initiative and Interest Equalisation Scheme, has been increased to Rs 2,365 crore for 2021-22 as against the revised estimate of Rs 2,175 crore in 2020-21.

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Startup

Union Budget 2021-22: Here Is What the First Paperless Budget Has In Store for Business Start-Ups

Union Budget 2021: Key Takeaways for Start-Ups| Representational Image (Photo Credits: Pixabay)
Union Budget 2021: Key Takeaways for Start-Ups| Representational Image (Photo Credits: Pixabay)

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday presented the central government budget for the upcoming financial year 2021-22 in the parliament. The start-up sector also received a fair share of the estimated public expenditure for the fiscal year set ti begin from April 1, this year. To encourage budding start-up owners and aspiring business person, several steps have been proposed by the Finance Minister in the Union Budget that unveiled in the Lok Sabha yesterday. The allocation for Startup India initiative has been increased marginally to Rs 20.83 crore for the fiscal 2021-22 from  Rs 20 crore in 2020-21.

Mostly importantly, Sitharaman proposed to provide an extension of tax holiday to start-up owners for one additional year upto March 31, 2022. Along with this, he eligibility period of claiming capital gains exemption for investment made in the startups has also been extended till March 31, 2022. Union Budget 2021: Here Is What the First Paperless Budget Has In Store for the MSME Sector.

In the Union Budget 2021-22, Nirmala Sithraman has also proposed to set up a ‘world class’ Fintech (Finance-Technology Firms) park at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, near state’s capital Gandhinagar. It has also been proposed to apportion a sum of Rs 15,000 to enhance the penetration of digital payments as well as other measures to boost financial inclusion.

For making legal compliance and regulations easier, the finance minister has proposed to use data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning to make regulatory filings more frictionless for businesses and startups in a revamp of the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) portal. Centre had said that the ministry would look to introduce AI-based features in MCA-21 when version 3.0 of the portal is rolled out. Union Budget 2021 Highlights: The 5 Big Takeaways.

MCA-21 shares crucial information about firms to various stakeholders such as the regulators, investors, creditors and companies. The MCA-21 3.0 will reportedly have various process to ease the regulatory process. It is expected to have a single source of truth, ease of doing business, e-adjudication, online compliance monitoring, among others, thereby making the authenticity and comprehensiveness of corporate affairs even better.

For the start-ups and initiatives in the healthcare and wellness sector, the Budget has proposed to allocate a sum of Rs 2.23 Lakh Crore. It includes a healthcare portal for the entire country for digital health management, as well as a Mission Poshan 2.0 for nutrition and diet programmes in rural districts.

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Finance

Union Budget 2021 Live Updates: Expect Costlier Phones as Govt hikes customs duty on parts

Budget 2021 live updates

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today presented her third Union Budget in the Parliament this year. The Budget 2021 is based on the six pillars as physical, financial capital and infrastructure, health and well-being, inclusive development for aspirational India, reinvigorating human capital, innovation, and R&D, and minimum government and maximum governance.

Calling the current Budget an active and not a reactive budget, the FM stated that India is moving from Covid-related reforms to Atmanirbhar resolve. All eyes were set on the Union Budget 2021 and besides the parliamentarians, it was seen by both domestic and foreign investors, middle class, and corporates, along with various interest groups like farmers.

The 2.5 % duty hike is also applicable on parts of manufacture of PCBA (Printed Circular Board Assembly)of cellular mobile phones, camera modules, and manufacture of connectors and raw materials.
In a bid to improve the manufacturing sector in India, the government has increased the customs duty for up to 10% on mobile chargers, sub-parts of phones. This step could lead to a rise in the cost of mobile phones by 3-4% from February 2, 2021.

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MSME

Union Budget 2021: Here Is What the First Paperless Budget Has In Store for the MSME Sector

union budget-2021
Union Budget 2021-22 | Representational Image

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday presented the central government’s Budget for the upcoming financial year 2021-22 in the Parliament. The MSME sector got a fair share of the estimated public expenditure for the next fiscal year set to begin from April 1 this year. In the budget unveiled today in Lok Sabha, Sitharaman has allocated a fund of over Rs 15,000 Crore to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, which stands at double the amount apportioned to the sector last fiscal. “We have taken a number of steps to support the MSME sector in this budget. I have provided Rs 15,700 crore more than double the previous year,” said the Finance Minister. Union Budget 2021: How the post-COVID Budget will Impact the Corporates & Common Taxpayers?

The budget has also slashed the custom duty rates on various commodities to support the MSMEs affected by the COVID-19 induced economic slowdown. Customs duty on semis, flat, and long products of non-alloy, alloy, and stainless steels has been reduced to 7.5 per cent uniformly as per the Union Budget for 2021-22.  “To provide relief to metal recyclers, mostly MSMEs, I am exempting duty on steel scrap for a period up to March 31, 2022. Further, I am also revoking ADD and CVD on certain steel products,” said Nirmala Sitharaman.

The custom duties on steel screws and plastic builder wares has been increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent while on prawn feed it has increased to 15 per cent from the existing 5 per cent. Meanwhile the duty on cooper scrap has been halved from 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent. For MSMEs dealing in the textile industry,  nylon chain has been made in par to polyester and other artificial fabrics as part of easing duty on raw materials and inputs.Union Budget 2021: Healthcare, Infrastructure will remain in the limelight!

In order to provide budgetary incentives to the promoters and exporters of garments, leather and handicraft products that are in the MSME sector, Nirmala Sitharaman announced the withdrawal of exemptions on imports of some types of leathers as they are manufactured domestically in quality and quantity.

Apart from the above measures, the finance minister has announced the establishment of a special framework for MSMEs for debt resolution. To resolve cases faster, the NCLT framework will also be strengthened including the implementation of the e-Courts system from the businesses in the sector. An additional year of tax holiday has also been provided to the affordable housing business.

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Finance

Union Budget 2021 Live Updates: Healthcare expenditure doubles up in “Get Well Soon” budget

Budget 2021 live updates

With FM Nirmala Sitharam unveiling the annual budget on February, 1, the government focuses on the healthcare sector in the wake of the pandemic. The focus of the entire world has been majorly centered on the healthcare industry. Keeping with the trend, the post-COVID budget provides a major boost to healthcare and infrastructure.

In healthcare spending, Sitharaman announced a total spend of around Rs 2.23 Lakh crore on healthcare, which is a 137% increase from last year under the Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana. The government also proposes a budget of Rs 35,000 crore on COVID 19 vaccine development and inoculation. This will ensure uninterrupted healthcare services for more people.

Along with the National Health Mission, the investment of Rs 64,180 crores over the next 6 years are expected to improve primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare. The government has also proposed the establishment of critical care units and hospital blocks that will act as a catalyst in the country`s domestic market growth and place India as a key player in the global markets.

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Finance

Union Budget 2021 Live Updates: No Income Tax Slab Change in Budget 2021.

Budget 2021 live updates

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has concluded Union Budget 2021 speech. She has proposed various benefits for the investors, depositors, and taxpayers. While keeping the Income Tax slab rates unchanged, FM Sitharaman has provided relief for senior citizens above 75 and NRIs by proposing few changes.

Senior citizens who are earning pension and income from deposits are exempted from filing Income Tax Return. Annual premium up to Rs 2.5 lakh on the maturity of ULIP will also be exempted from Tax. However, EPF interest income above Rs 2.5 lakh will be taxable.
The Government will also take all the necessary steps to provide GST relief by reducing inverted GST structures.

As the FM earlier had promised that the post-COVID Budget 2021 will be like no other, the common man was expecting that the government would expand some tax advantages through the budget. Several experts and professional bodies like ICAI had also recommended the government to increase the deduction limit under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act.

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Finance

Union Budget 2021 Live Updates: Government focuses on Fiscal Deficit & Tax Exemption for Senior Citizens

Budget 2021 live updates

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting the most awaited post-COVID Budget 2021. Not only the Union Budget 2021 will be paperless this year, but it will also put forward a concrete plan to boost the COVID-hit economy.

Finance Minister has announced some significant changes to the taxation process that involves the removal of income tax for senior citizens under certain conditions, new rules for the scrapping of double taxation for NRIs, and a reduction in the period of tax assessments. She has also announced that the advance tax liability on dividend income will arise after the declaration of payment of dividends.
In her speech, Nirmala Sitharaman also said that India`s fiscal deficit is expected to jump to 9.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product in 2020-21 as per Revised Estimates. The rise in fiscal deficit is estimated on the account of the increase in expenditure
While unveiling the Union Budget 2021-22 in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said that the government is expecting to bring down the fiscal deficit below 4.5 percent, which has soared to a high of 4.6 percent in 2019-20. The fiscal deficit is expected to go down below 4.5 percent of GDP by 2025-26

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What is a Fiscal Deficit?
Fiscal Deficit is the difference between the expenditure of the government and the revenue generated in a financial year. It is calculated both in absolute terms and as a percentage of the country`s gross domestic product (GDP).

According to the Finance Minister, the government is planning to borrow Rs. 80,000 crores during the residual two months of the current fiscal year.

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Finance

Union Budget 2021 Expectations: What India’s Aviation Sector is Expecting?

Aviation Sector (Photo Credits: Pexels)

The novel coronavirus pandemic has majorly affected the aviation sector. The industry incurred severe losses after thousands of flights daily came to a standstill in March 2020. To cope with this, the sector is hoping for support from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the 2021 Budget on February 1.

From lowering air turbine fuel taxes (ATF) to reducing airport, landing, parking and navigation charges- the industry is expecting help from the government. The ATF comprises around 30-40 per cent of the total cost of an airline.

The sector is also expecting the government to remove a cap on fare prices. A fare cap price band was introduced in order to avoid exploitation by airlines. However, the sector now believes that the government should remove the price band and airlines should be allowed to set ticket prices.

“Since the airlines have to currently follow a fare band as per the directives of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), which is constraining their ability to charge higher fares, they want relaxations in terms of the fares they can charge,” said Kinjal Shah, vice president, ICRA.

Recently, the government also hintend at rationalisation of various taxes in the aviation sector. “We are working on a long-term plan to help the sector by rationalizing various taxes,” said Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation. As of now, the government has allowed airlines to run on 80 per cent capacity, after starting out with 33 per cent in May 2020.

 

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Finance

Union Budget 2021: How the post-COVID Budget will Impact the Corporates & Common Taxpayers?

union budget-2021
Union Budget 2021-22 | Representational Image

With the economy slowly gaining momentum from the pandemic, a lot of hopes are riding on the Union Budget 2021. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is supposed to announce the first post-COVID Budget 2021 on February 1, is ready to steer the Indian economy back on the growth track.

Due to the global pandemic, almost all the sectors of the economy were knocked-off in 2020. However, there have been few indications that some of them are showing a quick recovery.

The major challenge for the Finance Minister is to hit the perfect balance between managing the fiscal deficit considerations and reviving broad-based growth.

While the auto and real estate sectors are still struggling, MSMEs across several sectors are still facing the financial crunch, resulting in little or no job creation. In the wake of the pandemic-induced economic shock, the government is expected to provide more tax breaks to netizens, so that they can have higher disposable incomes.

Now that the end of the pandemic is in sight, all eyes are on Union Budget 2021 in the hope of some much-awaited reliefs and incentives. The corporates and individual taxpayers are all expecting the tax concessions in this year`s budget.

Let us look at some of the most crucial expectations that the taxpayers have from the upcoming Union Budget 2021:

Tax Reliefs for Corporates

Before the pandemic struck the world, the corporate taxes in India were reduced to 22% for companies and 15% for manufacturing firms. So, any further reduction in corporate tax seems unlikely. However, to support the companies to cope up with the losses suffered during the lockdown, investment-based reliefs and flexible adjustment of the previous year`s losses could be in the pipeline.

Insurance Awareness

The importance of insurance in India has been low for many decades. In 2020, people became more aware due to the pandemic and the high medical costs related to it. Perhaps, this is an excellent time for the insurance sector to increase its foothold in the country.

Worst Hit Industries & Sectors

Several industries like aviation, food & beverages, tourism, etc., have suffered major losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recovery time for these sectors will also be longer as compared to the other industries that are already on their path to recovery.

To provide relief to worst-hit sectors, the government may extend their 8-year-loss-carrying forward window. These industries will have minimal income levels in this as well as in the upcoming financial year until they recover completely.

Vivad se Vishwas Scheme

The introduction of Vivad se Vishwas Scheme was one of the highlights of the 2020 Budget. The government aimed to increase their tax revenues by offering to settle cases upon 100% payment of disputed taxes. This would result in the saving of interest as well as the penalty.

However, there were fewer takers of the scheme due to the pandemic. Thus, the government might consider extending this scheme so that more taxpayers can avail the benefit of this scheme in the upcoming Union Budget 2021.

While there are numerous expectations from Budget 2021, the government has announced various relief policies to keep the economy afloat.

The Budget 2021 will be announced on February 1. Finance Minister Sitharaman will deliver the longest ever budget speech last year. This year the Union Budget 2021 will be paperless.

Categories
Finance

Union Budget 2021 Should Focus More on Growth Recovery; Fiscal Deficit May Fall to 6.2 Percent in FY22, Says Report

budget 2021-2022

Mumbai, January 28: The annual Union Budget is round the corner. The Union Budget is slated to be presented on Monday, February 1, 2021 while the Economic Survey will be tabled on Friday, January 29, 2021. All eyes will be on the forthcoming Union Budget as it is expected to focus more on putting the economy back on track. According to a report by India Ratings, the focus of the budget will be to get back things to normalcy and not too much on arresting fiscal deficit, which is seen at 6.2 percent in 2021-22, down from 7 percent this year.

The Union Budget 2020-21 had estimated fiscal deficit at Rs 7.96 lakh crore or 3.5 percent of GDP but India Ratings sees it printing in at Rs 13.44 lakh crore or 7 percent if the government cleared its payables and roll over some portion of expenditure to 2021-22.

India Ratings Chief Economist Devendra Pant said that the 2021-22 budget is likely to project a fiscal deficit of 6.2 percent but that will be achievable if nominal growth comes in around 14 percent and real growth prints in at 9.5-10 percent. The study pegged growth at 9.6 per cent for 2021-22 and (-)7.8 per cent for the current financial year 2020-21.

The report said that the fiscal impact of the economic packages worked out to be about Rs 3.5 lakh, or 1.8 percent of GDP. Even without this package, Ind-Ra had estimated that FY21 will witness a revenue shortfall of Rs 60,000 crore due to aggressive estimation of revenue receipts, it added. The government adopted a lose fiscal policy due to the coronavirus pandemic and announced a number of policy measures under Atmanirbhar Bharat packages to support the economy. The report adds that as per the grant-wise expenditure trend, the report estimates revenue expenditure in 2020-21 to be Rs 26.65 lakh crore as against a Budget Estimate of Rs 26.30 lakh crore.