'Rates go up, revenues go up, and the need for compensation diminishes.'

Your choice between the Old and New Tax Regimes should reflect your financial strategy and investment goals, says Ramalingam Kalirajan

The Indian market remains an attractive place to do business for the nation's entrepreneurs, with 75 per cent of them operating domestically.

The Union government is expecting to rake in Rs 100-200 crore in additional revenue from Pillar Two, only under specific circumstances, a senior finance ministry official said requesting anonymity. It is proceeding cautiously, and is unlikely to implement rules anytime soon, the source said.

If you lack an emergency fund or it is depleted, use part of your bonus to build or replenish it.

India's thriving mutual fund (MF) industry is drawing interest from several firms, with multiple applications submitted to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for asset management company (AMC) licences.

'More investors now view the stock market as a valuable opportunity, though many still seek quick gains, leading to a rise in futures and options trading.'

Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Nitin Narkhede your mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.

To me he always symbolised the sincere, confident, face of a Bharat whose rise is unstoppable. Ratan Tata was a Rishi who was unquestioningly trusted by people who never saw him and never met him, asserts Tarun Vijay, the former BJP MP.

For Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), the September 2024 quarter (Q2FY25) may turn out to be yet another weak one as refining margins drag, say analysts. Two brokerage firms - ICICI Securities and Nuvama - expect a 1-13 per cent dip in reported profits in Q2FY25 from a year ago. Kotak Institutional expects a modest 2.2 per cent rise. Revenue, at best based on available analyst estimates, could rise up to 4 per cent.

The Congress was fighting the elections in a pre-poll alliance with National Conference and had fielded 32 candidates, mostly in Jammu region, compared to 51 by the regional party.

In a recent townhall meeting, creditors of WazirX pressed founder Nischal Shetty and the restructuring legal team for solutions, seeking representation on the committee of creditors (CoC) and expeditious restructuring within four months, and asked for clarity on redistribution of potential gains from future crypto market upswings.

Shigeru Ishiba is expected to prioritise strengthening Japan's military capabilities and fostering deeper international partnerships, particularly with India, with whom Japan shares significant strategic interests, explains Dr Rajaram Panda.

Inflows into gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which manage a total of Rs 37,390 crore, have surged sharply in recent months. This trend is likely to continue, especially after the reintroduction of long-term capital gains tax (LTCG), which is likely to attract smart money into mutual fund offerings amid a robust outlook for the yellow metal. Smart money, also known as opportunistic flows, refers to strategic investments that are generally of a short-term horizon.

rediffGURU Samkit Maniar answers readers' personal income tax queries.

With 7 per cent economic growth, India is not creating enough jobs as reflected by the number of applicants for vacant posts in some states, Reserve Bank's former governor Raghuram Rajan said and suggested the government needs to focus on promoting labour-intensive industries to generate employment. Rajan further said some Indians, especially those at upper level, are comfortable and have high incomes, but consumption growth from the lower half of the country has still not recovered to pre-pandemic level.

'We have filed a complaint with the police authorities.'

'Any earnings, regardless of location, will be subject to Indian income tax.'

The Rs 84,000 crore domestic fund of funds (FoFs) space, which was in the doldrums over the past 18 months, has now caught the attention of investors due to a change in the tax structure in Budget 2024. The broader category, which includes offerings across equity, debt and commodities, has seen a spike in the inflows over the past two months. FoFs typically deploy the pooled capital in one or multiple MF schemes rather than investing directly into equities, debt or commodities.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that GST collection from online gaming has increased 412 per cent in six months from October 1, 2023, when 28 per cent tax was levied on these services. Briefing media on the decisions taken at the 54th meeting of the GST Council, Sitharaman said the status on revenue collection from casinos, online gaming and horse races after six months of implementation of 28 per cent GST was presented to the Council. "The revenue from online gaming has increased by 412 per cent and reached Rs 6,909 crore in just for six months.

'By investing in a basket of funds, FoFs can help minimise the impact of underperforming funds, thus reducing overall investment risk.'

'We do not believe in fire sale. We don't do it.'

'Subject to any worldwide economic collapse.'

Many senior citizens 'underestimate the impact of inflation, taxation, health-related expenses, and the heavy premium they will have to pay on health insurance.'

Younger people, who usually have a longer investment horizon which allows them to handle the interim volatility, may go for them.

Iron ore mining major NMDC's results for the April-June quarter (Q1) of FY25 were better than estimates. Weak volumes were balanced off by higher realisations, better average selling price (ASP) and lower royalties which boosted bottomline. The revenue was in line with estimates at Rs 5,400 crore, flat year-on-year (Y-o-Y) and down 17 per cent quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q).

A sharp rise can be attributed to the significant changes in India's share buyback tax regime, which will come into effect from October 1, 2024.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy Managing Director (MD) Gita Gopinath has condemned the "terrible and disturbing" incident of rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata. "Personally, it is terrible to have any event of this kind. It is disturbing," she told Business Standard in New Delhi.

'Despite rising inflows, many NRIs lack awareness about NRO and NRE accounts and mistakenly use family accounts or invest in a relative's name.' 'Many are unaware of tax implications.'

Tech and startup industry bodies have again pushed back against calls by telecom operators to bring over-the-top (OTT) services under a licensing regime similar to telcos, and open them up to taxation. Ahead of public consultations on the issue later this week, the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Nasscom and the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), among others, have written to the government arguing against such efforts.

All investors should ideally have a 10 to 15 per cent allocation to gold. Whether they invest in gold ETFs or SGBs should depend on their investment horizon.

The Supreme Court verdict on mining royalty case will give a further jolt to the Indian mining industry and will have very large financial implications, as arrears may work out to the tune of more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore, industry players said on Wednesday. The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the power of states to levy tax on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land, and allowed them to seek refund of royalty from April 1, 2005 onwards. According to a senior mines ministry official, the verdict will have a very large financial impact on mining, steel, power and coal companies.

Submitting a late return helps you stay compliant with tax regulations and avoid legal issues.

The disqualification of wrestler Vinesh Phogat in the Olympics after being found overweight before the final bout also saw the government and Opposition come to blows in Parliament.

Data from Amfi shows that NAV of every one in two BAFs declined 1.5% or less on Monday compared to a 3.13% decline in Nifty 500.

The government on Tuesday sought to address a significant concern stemming from the 2024-25 Budget announcement by introducing flexibility in the computation of long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax on unlisted assets, including properties. For any assets, such as land or buildings, acquired before July 23, taxpayers can choose between the new and old regimes, opting for whichever results in a lower tax liability. Under the new LTCG regime, the tax rate is set at 12.5 per cent without the benefit of indexation.

A taxpayer who does not revise their return within the stipulated deadline would be stuck with the original return, including its errors.

The government on Tuesday proposed a relief to taxpayers with respect to capital gain tax on real estate properties by giving them the option to choose between 20 per cent and 12.5 per cent tax rates.

The best solution would be the one followed in 2018 -- allow cost indexation until March 31, 2024 -- but exit at any time. The second-best alternative would be to allow time until March 31, 2025 for investors to exit their investments under the old indexation regime, points out Harsh Roongta.

'Volumes in F&O trading had gone up rapidly and, in a way, the increase in STT on F&O will protect investor interest.'