Budget 2019 : Income Tax exemption limit raised to Rs. 5 lakh

Budget 2019 : Income Tax exemption limit raised to Rs. 5 lakh

Finance Minister Piyush goyal has proposed that individuals with income upto Rs 5 lakh will not have to pay any income tax for FY2019-20.

In the previous budgets also, the Narendra Modi led-government provided tax relief to taxpayers. In Budget 2014, the minimum tax-exemption limit was raised from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh. Along with that deduction, limit under section 80C was hiked by Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh and deduction on interest paid on a housing loan to Rs 2 lakh.

Currently, income up to Rs 2.5 lakh for resident individuals (age below 60 years) is exempt from tax. Similarly, for senior citizens aged 60 years and above but below 80 years, income up to Rs 3 lakh is exempt from tax. Income up to Rs 5 lakh is exempt from tax for super senior citizens (age 80 years and above).

In Budget 2017, Jaitley slashed the tax rate for income between Rs 250,001 and Rs 5 lakh to 5 per cent from 10 per cent earlier. This rate cut gave a tax relief of Rs 12,500 to every taxpayer.

Income tax rates for individuals below 60 years is as follows: No tax on income up to Rs 2.5 lakh, 5 per cent tax on income between Rs 250,001 to Rs 5 lakh; 10 per cent tax on income between Rs 500,001 and Rs 10 lakh; and 30 per cent tax on income above Rs 10 lakh.

For senior citizens (aged 60 years or above but less than 80 years), income up to Rs 3 lakh is exempt from tax. Income from Rs 300,001 to Rs 5 lakh is taxed at 5 per cent, from Rs 500,001 to Rs 10 lakh at 20 per cent and above Rs 10 lakh at 30 per cent.

For super senior citizens, aged 80 years and above, income up to Rs 5 lakh is exempt from tax. Income from Rs 500,001 to Rs 10 lakh is taxed at 20 per cent and above Rs 10 lakh is taxed at 30 per cent.