Your investments post Budget 2004

Small savings rates to stay the same. PPF and RBI taxable bonds at 8 per cent and post office schemes as before. Lock into this high risk-fr...

Small savings rates to stay the same. PPF and RBI taxable bonds at 8 per cent and post office schemes as before. Lock into this high risk-free return for the longest time period that is available like in the NSC, the MIS and recurring deposit combo. Hold shares for more than a year and your profits are tax free. But if you book a loss, you can no longer set it off against gains.

Short term capital profits now taxed at 10 per cent. Taxed earlier at your marginal rate of 10, 20 or 30 per cent plus surcharge, this is now just 10 per cent of total profit. Losses can still be offset against short term gains.

Turnover tax introduced. If you buy a stock from a stock exchange, you have to pay Rs 15 as a tax if you buy equity worth Rs 10,000. Not a big bother if you are a long-term investor, but this is upsetting those who day-trade.

Dividend distribution tax norms changed. Dividends from equity oriented mutual funds, that is funds that have more than half their corpus in an equity product, are fully exempt from tax. Debt oriented funds would have to withhold 12.5 per cent as before, of the income distributed to individual and HUF unit holders, but for the corporate unit holders the debt funds would have to withhold 20 per cent of the income distributed.

Dividend and bonus stripping loophole closed. Good for the small investor who bore the entry and exit costs of large buyers who indulged in buying before record date to claim divided and bonus and then selling at a lower price and getting a tax kick as well.

For the over-65 years old people, a 9 per cent bond that will replace the earlier insurance scheme from LIC. Enjoy the high risk free return if you are an oldie, or if you have parents in this age, use this to enhance family income.

Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raja Raghuvanshi, meghalaya honeymoon murder news, indian express

‘Raja was killed in front of Sonam’: Chargesheet filed in Meghalaya honeymoon murder case

India1 hr ago

In a 790-page chargesheet filed on Saturday, the East Khasi Hills police in Meghalaya alleged that the honeymoon murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi took place in the presence of his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, following a criminal conspiracy hatched by her and Raj Kushwaha, with whom she was in a relationship.

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