Income tax in India

Income Tax Department logo: the three-lion Indian emblem above white-on-red "Income Tax Department"
Income Tax Department logo

Central Revenue collections in 2007–08[1]

  Personal income tax (17.43%)
  Corporate taxes (33.99%)
  Other taxes (2.83%)
  Excise taxes (20.84%)
  Customs duties (17.46%)
  Other taxes (8.68%)
  other taxes (11.96%)

Income tax in India is governed by Entry 82 of the Union List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, empowering the central government to tax non-agricultural income; agricultural income is defined in Section 10(1) of the Income-tax Act, 1961.[2] Income-tax law consists of the 1961 act, Income Tax Rules 1962, Notifications and Circulars issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), annual Finance Acts, and judicial pronouncements by the Supreme and high courts.

The government taxes certain income of individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUF's), companies, firms, LLPs, associations, bodies, local authorities and any other juridical person. Personal tax depends on residential status. The CBDT administers the Income Tax Department, which is part of the Ministry of Finance's Department of Revenue. Income tax is a key source of government funding.

The Income Tax Department is the central government's largest revenue generator; total tax revenue increased from 1,392.26 billion (US$17 billion) in 1997–98 to 5,889.09 billion (US$71 billion) in 2007–08.[3][4] In 2018–19, direct tax collections reported by the CBDT were about 11.17 lakh crore (₹11.17 trillion).[5]

  1. ^ Compiled from Comptroller and Auditor General of India reports.
  2. ^ Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (2011). Taxation. ISBN 978-81-8441-290-1.
  3. ^ "Growth of Income Tax revenue in India" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Home – Central Board of Direct Taxes, Government of India". Incometaxindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2 December 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Total direct tax collections for FY18-19 fall short by Rs 83,000 crore". Moneycontrol.com. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.