Skip to main content

What is Finance Bill 2020?

The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill by voice vote without any discussion with 40 amendments amidst the coronavirus pandemic. On March 27, President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to amend the Finance Bill 2020 and now it became the Finance Act 2020.

On Monday, The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill by voice vote without any discussion with 40 amendments amidst the coronavirus pandemic. On March 27, President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to amend the Finance Bill 2020 and now it became the Finance Act 2020. 
In the Union Budget 2020-2021, the government proposed to spend INR 30,42,230 crore in the next Fiscal Year which is 12.7% higher than the revised estimate of the year 2019-2020. After the Financial Bill 2020 has passed in the Lok Sabha, these proposals have been given effect. 
What is a Finance Bill?
As per Article 110 of the Indian Constitution, Finance Bill is a Money Bill having a Memorandum containing explanations of the provisions included in it. The Finance Bill can only be introduced in Lok Sabha. However, Rajya Sabha can recommend amendments to be made in the Bill and it is up to Lok Sabha to accept or reject the recommendations. The bill must be passed by the Parliament within 75 days of its introduction.
Why is it important?
The proposals of the government to levy new taxes, modification of the existing tax structure or continuance of the existing tax structure beyond the period approved by Parliament are submitted to Parliament through this bill. 
Below is the list of important amendments in the Finance Bill 2020: 
1- Additional excise duty on Petrol and Diesel by up to Rs 18 per litre and Rs 12 per litre respectively as and when required.
2- The original Finance Bill proposed to reduce the time spent in India by the Indian citizens or people of Indian origins to qualify as Indian tax resident from earlier 182 days to 120 days in 2019. Now, the Finance Act states that the 120-day rule will not apply to those citizens having Indian-sourced income less than INR 15 lakh in the relevant Fiscal Year. 
3- The Tax Deducted at Source or TDS rate on payment of dividend to non-residents and foreign companies have been set at 20% after the amendment. 
4- In the original Finance Bill, the dividend received by the shareholders was taxable. However, after the amendment, the dividends received by the shareholders will not be taxed if DDT has been paid as per the original law with effect to April 1. 
5- After the amendment, 1% of TDS has been imposed on e-commerce transactions. 
6- Finance Act, 2020 has extended reduced tax withholding rate of 2% to royalty in the nature of consideration for sale, distribution or exhibition of cinematographic films.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

GK Questions and Answers: Geographical Indications (GI) Tags in India

A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on certain products like agriculture, machinery products, and sweets, etc. which relates to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., region, or country or a town). We have published a set of 10 important GK questions and answers on the Geographical Indications (GI) Tags in India. This set of 10 important GK questions and answers on the Geographical Indications (GI) Tags in India is very important for exams like UPSC/PSC/SSC/CDS etc. 1. Which was the first Indian product to get the geographical indication tag? (a).Aranmula Kannadi (b).Darjeeling Tea (c).Katarni Rice (d).Madhubani Paintings Answer:- b Explanation:-  Darjeeling Tea was the first Indian product to get the geographical indication tag in 2004.  2. How many products got GI tags till now? (a) 361 (b) 729 (c) 624 (d) None of the above Answer:- a Explanation:-  Till date 361 products have been issued GI tag. The latest recipient of the GI ta...

What is sero-surveillance? How will it help in tracking COVID-19 infection?

Sero-surveillance: The Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR has issued an advisory to all the states of India to conduct serosurvey to monitor the Coronavirus pandemic. The Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR has issued an advisory to all the states of India to conduct serosurvey to monitor the Coronavirus pandemic. The advisory further states that these tests can be carried out on frontline workers, medical professionals, vendors, police personnel, the staff of restaurants and grocery shops, etc. In addition to these, individuals residing in the containment zones and patients with chronic illness tuberculosis, HIV, etc. will also be covered.  The survey will also be conducted on asymptomatic individuals and the previously infected COVID-19 hit patients that have now recovered. The survey will be conducted with the help of the ELISA test kit.  What is sero-surveillance? In serosurvey or sero-surveillance, testing of blood serum of a group of individuals is c...

List of Top investors in Reliance Jio

Reliance Jio the digital platform has sold around 25% stake to different investors to get rid of the debt of the company by March 2021. Facebook is the biggest investor that has purchased a 10% stake in the Jio Platform. The Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) was established by Ambani’s father, Dhirubhai Ambani in Maharashtra on 8 May 1973. Now Mukesh Ambani is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited.  Mukesh is Asia’s richest and world 7th richest man. The RIL has sold 25% of the Jio Platforms stake to become a debt-free company by March 2021. At a time the company had a debt of Rs. 2.17 lakh crore but now it is having a debt of Rs. 21,900 crore. It is expected that the Jio might sell its stake to more companies like Google and other global giants. As of now the Reliance Jio the telecom and digital arm of RIL has raised $15.2 billion in 13 deals over two months. The Analysts predict the Jio could debut at a valuation of $100 billion within ...