Tax proposals to provide relief to taxpayers: Arun Jaitley (Part 1)

New Delhi, Feb 29 (ANI): Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that tax proposals will provide relief to small taxpayers through rebates. People who do not have any house of their own and don't get any house rent allowance from their employer will get a reduction of Rs.24000 per annum. There would be an increase in limit of deduction in respect of rent paid from Rs 24000 pa to Rs 60000 pa. Jaitley also said that service tax would be exempted for general insurance schemes under Niramayi Swasthya Bima Yojna. He said that to lessen burden on individuals with income not exceeding Rs. 5 lakh, a proposed ceiling of tax rebate under sec 87A from Rs 2000 to Rs 5000 has been announced. The minister also said that a limited tax compliance window from Jun 1 - Sep 30 will be given for declaring undisclosed income at 45% inclusive of surcharge and penalties. He further added that excise duty on tobacco products would be raised by 10-15%. He also proposed to abolish 13 different taxes levied by various Ministries in which revenue collection is less than Rs 50 crores per year. Arun Jaitley even said that relief would be provided to differently-abled people on braille paper by exempting the duty levied on it. He also said that there would be no change in Income Tax slab.