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Types Of Taxes In India – Direct & Indirect Taxation

Types of taxes in India are explained in this article. 1. Income Tax Slab Of India 2. Direct Tax 3. Indirect Tax & other forms of taxes are received by the govt. of India.

Table of Contents

types of taxes in india

Overview: Types Of Taxes In India

The government must collect taxes from eligible residents in order to administer a country. Irrespective of where we reside in the globe, contributing to society to the local authorities is an important aspect of everybody’s life. Taxation can be acquired in a variety of ways, including from the national govt, direct and indirect taxes, state and local taxes, and so on. 

Now, in order to understand more about taxes, types of taxes in India, have a deep look at this article.

What is tax?

Authorities impose taxes on residents to create revenue for programs that would strengthen the economic growth and enhance the level of living of the population. In India, the administration’s right to tax people is drawn from the Indian Constitution, which divides the authority to impose taxes between the Federal and Local governments. All charges charged in India must be accompanied by a regulation issued by the Legislative enactment.

Types of Taxes In India

The following types of taxes are broadly distinguished into two types, they are as follows:

  • Direct Tax
  • Indirect Tax

To understand each of the following in detail keep reading the article till the end.

Income Tax Slab In India For The Year 2023-24

Everybody with a source of revenue in India is required to contribute taxable income. This applies to Indian citizens under 60 years as well as those more than 60 years. Hindu Undivided Family, Association of Persons, Body of Individuals, Corporate Firms, Local Authorities, Companies, and any Virtual Jurisprudential Individuals are among the different bodies that must pay any taxes.

 

Income Tax Slab Rate for FY 2023-24 
AgeIncome Tax Slab (taxable income)Income Tax Rate (%)
<60 years<2.5LNA
>2.5L < 5L5% of the sum that exceeds 2.5 L
>5L <10L20% of the sum that exceeds 5L
>10L30% of the sum that exceeds 10L
AgeIncome Tax Slab (taxable income)Income Tax Rate (%)
>60 years<3LNA
>3L <5L5% of the sum that exceeds 3L
>5L <10L20% of the sum that exceeds 5L
>10L30% of the sum that exceeds 10L
AgeIncome Tax Slab (taxable income)Income Tax Rate (%)
>80 years<2.5L
>2.5 L < 5 L
NA
> 5L < 10L20% of the sum that exceeds 5L
>10L30% of the sum that exceeds 10L

What is a Direct Tax?

You pay these taxes directly, as previously mentioned. Such taxes are levied directly by the government on an individual or a business and cannot be transferred to another person or entity. There is just one such federation that winks at direct taxes, namely the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which is overseen by the Department of Revenue. The CBDT has the support of many statutes that preside over various parts of direct taxes to help it with its feeling of duty.

Types of Direct Taxes

Income Tax Act: 

The Income Tax Act is also known as the IT Act of 1961. This legislation establishes the laws for income tax in India. The income taxed by this legislation may originate from any source, including gains from wages and investments, owning a property or a dwelling, running a company, and so on. The IT Act specifies the tax benefits available for life insurance premiums and fixed deposits. It also determines your income tax bracket and the amount you may save via investments.

Interest Tax Act:

The Interest Tax Act of 1974 deals with the tax that was levied on interest earned in certain circumstances. The most recent update to the statute states that this statute does not apply to interest received after March 2000.

Wealth Tax Act: 

The Wealth Tax Act, which went into operation in 1951, governs the taxation of an individual’s net worth, a Hindu Unified Family (HUF), or a firm. The simplest way to calculate the wealth tax was:

If an individual’s net worth surpasses Rs. 30 lakhs, a tax of 1% of the excess amount is levied. It was terminated in the 2015 budget announcement. Since then, it has been replaced with a 12% surcharge on persons with an annual income of more than Rs. 1 crore. It is also relevant to businesses with annual revenues of more than Rs. 10 crores. The new rules drastically increased the amount the government would collect in taxes as opposed to the amount they would collect via wealth tax.

Expenditure Tax Act:

The Expenditure Tax Act was enacted in 1987 to deal with the expenses that you, as a person, may incur when using the services of a restaurant or a hotel. Except for Jammu & Kashmir, it applies to the whole country. It claims that if the sum exceeds Rs. 3,000 depending on a hotel and all expenditures drawn in a restaurant, certain expenses are chargeable under the laws.

Gift Tax Act:

The Gift Tax Act was enacted in 1958 to ensure that if a person got gifts or presents, jewels or monetary, he must pay a tax on such items. The tax on the aforementioned gifts was kept at 30% until 1998 when it was repealed. Originally, if a present was given that resembled shares, jewels, or property, it was taxed. According to the new laws, gifts provided by family members such as parents, spouses, uncles, aunts, sisters, and brothers are not taxed. Even gifts from municipal governments are free from such taxes. If you receive anything worth more than Rs. 50,000 from someone other than one of the exempted entities, the whole amount is liable to tax.

Read More: Dividend DeclarationReturn on Taxes

Benefits Of Direct tax

  • Constructive: Direct taxes can also be quite beneficial. The money collected by direct taxes is approximately proportional to developments in the nation’s economic output. Simply put, if an economy’s prosperity grows, so will its immediate tax records.
  • Equitable: Direct taxes are levied on the grounds of a person’s earnings. Individuals with stronger revenue earnings are required to pay more taxes than those whose earnings are weak. In other words, the wealthy pay more taxes than the poor. Taxation is levied on the same percentage of adults who are in similar financial situations. The straight tax’s egalitarian feature promotes fairness and equality among all segments of society.

What is Indirect Tax

Indirect taxes are imposed by the national and provincial governments on spending, consumer, activities, entitlements, and benefits, but not on ownership or earnings. This comprises immigration restrictions on goods, as well as administrative levies on manufacturing and price associated cost on specific phases of commodity manufacture and sale, among other things. Because they are a progressive approach in implementation and are not based on financial capability, indirect taxes are sometimes referred to as sales taxes.

Indirect tax can be broadly classified into many types, they are as follows:

Taxes on Entertainment

The county government increases this levy, which is levied on any commodities or activities of arts and entertainment. Pleasure Duty is payable on the purchase of computer games, cinema displays, team sports, playgrounds, theme parks, and other similar items.

Responsibility of Customs

This is a levy on foreign products in India. Duties and taxes are sometimes paid on commodities that are transported out of India.

Excise tax 

When a company in India makes a product, the taxation levied on that product is referred to as immigration charges. On the items, the manufacturer pays the same amount, where they then recuperate from their customers.

Tax on services

The tax is imposed by an organization in exchange for the services they supply. The employment revenue is generated and submitted by the Government of India.

Tax on Securities Transactions

The tax is imposed when assets are traded on the Indian Trading Platform. 

VAT 

VAT is a type of levy that is applied on every transferable commodity that is offered by the company to a purchaser. Value-added tax is divided into two parts: centralized taxing, which goes to the government of India, and personal income tax, which goes to the government.

Tax on stamps 

It is a tax levied on the transaction of any underlying asset within an Indian state. The state government imposes this type of tax where the business is located. Business rates are also levied on all court documentation.

Indirect Tax Characteristics

The characteristics of Indirect tax are as follows:

  • Existence: Indirect taxes were originally discriminatory, and they’re now rather egalitarian due to the establishment of the Value-added Tax.
  • Investing and rescuing: Because they incentivize individuals to provide and develop, indirect taxes are often economic expansion.
  • Taxation: The vendor contributes indirect taxes to the state, which are then passed on to the customer.
  • Tax avoidance: Because indirect taxes are now countertops accented through offerings, it is impossible to escape them.
  • Tax obligation: The network operator or salesperson is responsible for paying indirect amounts of tax, which is then passed on to the customer.

Benefits of Indirect Tax

  • Taking money from the poverty-stricken: Someone with a yearly income that is less than Rs.2.5 lakh is free from paying any tax, which indicates they do not donate to the nation. Because indirect taxes are collected at the time of purchase, all persons, based on the income tax bracket, participate in the organization’s survival.
  • Collection easiness: In contrast to direct taxes, indirect taxes are simple to obtain. Because indirect taxes are only gathered when people purchase goods, the government doesn’t have to bother about them. 
  • Donations that are fair: Indirect taxes are proportional to the price of the product. This effectively implies that fundamental essentials are taxed at cheaper rates, whilst quality products are taxed at greater percentages, guaranteeing that expenditures are fair.
  • Accessibility: Indirect taxes are not burdensome to the consumer and are simple to pay because they are only collected when a transaction is completed. Furthermore, individual states consider indirect taxes simple to impose because they are gathered immediately at the retail locations, saving time and resources.

Drawbacks of Indirect Tax

  • Indirect taxes are unfavorable to businesses. Taxation is placed on primary products and materials, which raises the price of manufacturing and prevents businesses from expanding due to a lack of looking to update.
  • Indirect taxes can sometimes be imposed in a predictable order. This indicates that in an argument payment platform, intermediaries can induce their tax amount, potentially raising the company’s total price.

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

Goods and services tax was established on July 1st, 2017 to replace the nation’s higher indirect taxation. Owing to the implementation of a new taxation system, previously mandatory levies have been abolished. Many of the most tangible benefits of GST would be that it prevents the ripple impact of personal income tax, ensuring that consumers will not have to compensate for every improvement in employment. At the provincial level, the GST takes into account fees, district vehicle tax, attempting to balance responsibility, extra centralized taxation, and special additional customs duties.

Indirect taxation on products and services in India has been made simpler by the GST. You simply need to think about the following three taxes when using GST.

Central Goods & Services Tax (CGST)

The Central Government collects CGST money, which is used for intrastate (inside the same state) transactions.

State Goods & Services Tax (SGST)

The State Goods and Services Tax is referred to as SGST. It is a levy the state government imposes on all sales of products and services within the state. 

Integrated Goods & Services Tax (IGST)

The interstate (between two states) trade in products and services is subject to the integrated goods and services tax. Both imports and exports are included.

Direct and Indirect Taxes: What's The Difference?

  • Direct taxes offer stronger factors of production benefits over indirect taxes because direct taxes impose a lower weight on gathering than indirect taxes, which disperse payment among entities and products for the benefit’ desires for items caused by price differences caused by indirect taxes.
  • Direct tax is paid by organizations, Hindu undivided households, corporations, citizens, and other entities, whereas indirect tax is paid by commodity terminals.
  • Embezzlement is possible, due to the scarcity of competence in the collection of excise duty, whereas taxation, which is imposed on contributions, cannot be prevented.
  • Indirect taxes seem to be more growth-oriented since they inhibit spending and encourage investment. Direct taxes deter profit and minimize earnings.
  • Since indirect tax is imposed on all customers and through revenue earned, they have a longer scope than payroll taxes, which are exclusively charged towards those who fit into significant tax classifications.

Conclusion

India has a complex tax structure, with both the federal and state governments imposing a variety of taxes. India’s tax system provides the government with a crucial source of income, enabling the delivery of necessary services and fostering the nation’s growth. Individuals and corporations must understand the various tax kinds in order to fulfill their tax duties and support the development and well-being of the country by paying their taxes. Some of the important taxes in India include capital gains tax, income tax, and customs duty. A united national market has been facilitated by the implementation of the GST, which has streamlined the taxes structure. To maintain effectiveness, transparency, and a fair distribution of the tax burden, the government keeps reviewing and improving the tax structure.

Contact the professionals at OnDemand International if you have any additional questions about the different sorts of taxes in India. Your questions will be answered with pleasure by our professionals.

Want to calculate your income tax? Use our special tax calculator by clicking here.

FAQ’s

You should first submit your tax filings in order to receive a reimbursement for excessive taxation. And they will be repaid to your savings account via the Digital Payment Process. 

The several types of taxes are: sales tax, federal tax, income tax, social security tax, property tax, corporate tax.

Yes, in India the majority of goods and services are subject to GST. The GST rate could be less or excluded for some necessities, including basic food goods, medical services, and services related to education.

In India, there are fines and penalties for breaking the tax regulations. These sanctions may include fines, interest on back taxes, and even legal action in some severe cases of tax evasion.