General info on Income Tax

What is Income Tax?
Income tax is a charge or levy collected by the government based on what you earn. Tax laws are broadly based on laws of equity. Which means the more you earn, the more you pay. Sounds fair, doesn't it?
For sheer convenience, income (or what you earn) has been categorised as follows:
1) Salary
2) House/ Property
3) Business and Profession
4) Capital Gains
Don't feel too thrilled in case your 'income' does not fit into any of the above categories. There is one more head for the leftovers. It's called:
5) Other Sources
Though the charge or levy on each of the heads is the same, certain special concessions are available for each category. An individual is supposed to includel his/ her income under all these heads when calculating his entire income.
Who has to pay tax?
Since tax is a charge on income, it includes everyone. All individuals, whether Indian or not, have to pay tax on income earned in India. This tax is the individual's contribution towards the development and well-being of the country.
What are the current tax rates?
Once a year, the parliament comes out with the nation's annual budget.
This budget is presented by the finance minister, approved and passed by Parliament and signed by the president. The budget fixes the income tax rates for the year.
Take a look at the current rates.

Income Slab	Surcharge (10 percent)	Education Cess (2 percent)	Tax Rate
Rs 0 – Rs 50,000	No	No	0 percent
Rs 50,001 – Rs 60,000	No	Yes	10 percent
Rs 60,001 – Rs 1,50,000	No	Yes	20 percent
Rs 1,50,001 – Rs 8,50,000	No	Yes	30 percent
Exceeds Rs 8,50,000	Yes	Yes	30 percent

How is income tax calculated?
Let's assume Mr X earns an annual income of Rs 4,50,000.

Income	Tax rates	What it means for the tax payer
Rs 0 – Rs 50,000	No tax	--
Rs 50,001 – Rs 60,000	10 percent	Since no tax is levied up to Rs 50,000, tax in this case is calculated on Rs 10,000 (Rs 60,000 – Rs 50,000). Rs 10,000 x 10 percent = Rs 1,000
Rs 60,001 – Rs 1,50,000	20 percent	Since you have already paid tax on Rs 60,000, you now pay tax on Rs 90,000 (Rs 1,50,000 – Rs 60,000). Rs 90,000 x 20 percent = Rs 18,000
Above Rs 1,50,000	30 percent	You have already paid tax on Rs 1,50,000, so you now pay tax on Rs 3,00,000 (Rs 4,50,000 – Rs 1,50,000). (Rs 3,00,000 x 30%) = Rs 90,000
Total Tax		Rs 1,000 + Rs 18,000 + Rs 90,000 = Rs 1,09,000
Surcharge	10 percent	Not applicable
Education Cess	2 percent	Rs 2,180
Total tax payable		Rs 1,11,180

Now, let's take a look at Mr Y.
He earns an annual income of Rs 9,00,000, so he ends up paying a surcharge as well.

Income	Tax rates	What it means for the tax payer
Rs 0 – Rs 50,000	No tax	--
Rs 50,001 – Rs 60,000	10 percent	Since no tax is levied up to Rs 50,000, tax in this case is calculated on Rs 10,000 (Rs 60,000 – Rs 50,000) (Rs 10,000 x 10 percent) = Rs 1,000
Rs 60,001 – Rs 1,50,000	20 percent	Since you have already paid tax on Rs 60,000, you now pay tax on Rs 90,000 (Rs 1,50,000 – Rs 60,000) (Rs 90,000 x 20 percent) = Rs 18,000
Above Rs 1,50,000	30 percent	You have already paid tax on Rs 1,50,000, so you now pay tax on Rs 7,50,000 (Rs 9,00,000 – Rs 1,50,000) (Rs 7,50,000 x 30 percent) = Rs 2,25,000
Total Tax		Rs 1,000 + Rs 18,000 + Rs 2,25,000 = Rs 2,44,000
Surcharge	10 percent	(Rs 2,44,000 x 10 percent) = Rs 24,400
Tax including surcharge		Rs 2,44,000 + Rs 24,400 = Rs 2,68,400
Education Cess	2 percent	(Rs 2,68,400 x 2 percent) = Rs 5,368
Total Tax Payable		Rs 2,73,768

Hey, cheer up! You won't end up paying that much if you invest smartly.
Look at instruments that offer a tax benefit. Sell your shares a year after buying them so you don't have to pay capital gains tax.
The government has given you options that can reduce the amount of tax you pay. Use them to your advantage.
Relax With Tax is a Mumbai-based personal tax & finance solutions provider.

It is proposed to give basic information about Income Tax which every industrialist should know. The intention is only to give an overview, without using any technical jargon. It is obviously advisable to consult an expert, if one is not familiar with the intricacies of the law. The legal position is as applicable for financial year 2005--2006 (Assessment Year 2006-2007) unless specified otherwise. Provisions applicable for financial year 2006-07 (AY 2007-08) are also indicated at appropriate places.
Income Tax is payable by every assessee at the rates prescribed from time to time. These rates are fixed by Finance Act every year. The Finance Bill is presented at the time of presenting Budget. The relation between Finance Act and Budget is so close that often people associate budget only with taxation. Really, taxation is only one of the aspects of the Budget.
Who can be assessee ? - The assessee may be * Individual * HUF * Company * Partnership Firm * Association of Firms * Local Authority like Municipality etc. * Artificial Judicial person not falling in any of the aforesaid categories e.g. a Hindu deity.
Different sources of income - An assessee may get income from different sources e.g. * Salaries * House property income * Profits and gains of business or profession * Capital Gains * Income from other sources not falling under any of preceding heads e.g. interest on securities, lotteries, races. Income from each of these sources is first calculated. All this income is added to find out total income of the assessee. Permissible deductions are reduced and then income-tax payable is calculated at the prescribed rates.
Income from one head can be set off against loss from other head, unless specifically prohibited. In Rajasthan State Warehousing Corporation v. CIT 2000 AIR SCW 629, it was held that if income is derived from various heads, assessee is entitled to claim deduction permissible under respective head whether or not computation under each head results in taxable income. If income to assessee arises under any of the heads of income but from different items e.g. different house properties or different securities etc., and income from one or more items alone is taxable whereas income from the other item is exempt under the Act, the entire permissible expenditure in earning the income from that head is deductible. - . - If assessee carries business in various ventures, entire expenditure incurred on all ventures is deductible if all ventures constitute one business
Financial Year and Assessment Year - One very confusing aspect of Income Tax for a common man is the difference between Financial Year and Assessment Year. The Financial Year for income tax purposes (called ‘Previous Year’) is always the year ending 31st March. The ‘assessment year’ is next to the ‘Financial Year’ or ‘Previous Year’ e.g. for Financial Year (FY) 2005-06 (1st April 05 to 31st March 2006), the ‘Assessment Year’ (AY) is 2006-07. Thus, income-tax rates prescribed for Assessment Year 2006-07 are applicable in respect of income earned during financial year 2005-06.
It may be noted that an assessee can have separate accounting year for his own purposes e.g. a Company can close its accounts on any day of the year, an individual may start his year on Diwali or any other auspicious day. However, for income tax purposes, the accounts must be closed only on 31st March.