Part of a series on |
Taxation |
---|
An aspect of fiscal policy |
Securities Transaction Tax (STT) is a tax payable in India on the value of securities (excluding commodities and currency) transacted through a recognized stock exchange. As of 2016, it is 0.1% for delivery based equity trading. [1]
STT does not apply to off-market transactions or on commodity or currency transactions. [2] The original tax rate was set at 0.125% for a delivery-based equity transaction and 0.025% on an INTER-day transaction. [3] The rate was set at 0.017% on all Futures and Options transactions.
STT was originally introduced in 2004 by the then Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram to stop tax avoidance of capital gains tax. The government reduced this tax in the 2013 budget after protests for years by the brokers and the trading community. The revised STT for delivery-based equity trading is 0.1% on the turnover. For Futures, the tax has been reduced to 0.01% on the sell-side only. For Equity Options, the STT has been reduced to 0.05% on the sell side of the premium amount. The rest of the tax structure remains as is. [4] STT is a direct tax. [5]
The Government announced on 24 March 2023, that STT will increase by 25% effective 01 April 2023. STT on Futures (sell side) will be 0.0125% from the current 0.01% and STT on Options(Sell side) will be 0.0625% from 0.05%. [6]
The STT is levied and collected by the union government of India. [7] STT can be paid by the seller or the purchaser depending on the transaction. The Securities Contract (Regulation) Act, 1956 defines Securities the transaction of which are taxable under STT. [8] [9]
According to the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, STT would be applicable on following securities: [10]
STT is not applicable for any off-market transaction. [11]
As per the Finance Act 2004, and modified by Finance Act 2008 (18 of 2008) STT on the transactions executed on the Exchange shall be as under:
Sr.No. | Taxable securities transaction | Current rate from 01.06.2016 | New rate from 01.04.2023 | Payable by |
---|---|---|---|---|
a | Sale of an option in securities | 0.05% | 0.0625% | Seller |
b | Sale of an option in securities, where option is exercised | 0.125% | 0.125% | Buyer |
c | Sale of a futures in securities | 0.01% | 0.0125% | Seller |
Note that Service Tax, Surcharge and Education Cess are not applicable on STT.
Taxation of profit or loss from securities transactions depends on whether the activity of purchasing and selling of shares / derivatives is classified as investment activity or business activity.
Treatment of STT also depends upon whether the income from these securities transactions are included under the head “Income from Capital Gains” or under the head ‘Profits and Gains of Business or Profession’.
This refers to the scenario where the assessee is either Salaried or is engaged in some other business or profession and trading in securities is not the main line of business. In such cases gains or losses from securities transactions are taxed under the head “Income from Capital Gains”.
Gains or losses are subject to Short Term Capital Gains (STCG) or Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) tax depending upon the period of holding, i.e., if the holding period is less than Or equal to 12 months, gains are classified as STCG and if the holding period is more than 12 months, gains are classified as LTCG. Any equity share, which has been sold through a recognized stock exchange and on which STT has been paid and if it comes under LTCG, it'll be taxed at 10% whereas in case of STCG of such shares, the gains shall be taxed only at 15%, plus surcharge and education cess under section 111A of the Act.
This refers to the scenario where main business of the assessee is trading in securities. In such cases the gains or losses are classified as business income, which is taxed at the regular rate of income-tax.
STT paid in respect of taxable securities transactions entered into in the course of business shall be allowed as deduction under section 36 of the Income-tax Act. Until 31 March 2008, the amount of STT paid was allowed as rebate under section 88E of the Income-tax Act. However, with effect from 1 April 2008, rebate available under section 88E has been discontinued.
In economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a difference in prices in two or more markets – striking a combination of matching deals to capitalize on the difference, the profit being the difference between the market prices at which the unit is traded. When used by academics, an arbitrage is a transaction that involves no negative cash flow at any probabilistic or temporal state and a positive cash flow in at least one state; in simple terms, it is the possibility of a risk-free profit after transaction costs. For example, an arbitrage opportunity is present when there is the possibility to instantaneously buy something for a low price and sell it for a higher price.
In finance, a derivative is a contract that derives its value from the performance of an underlying entity. This underlying entity can be an asset, index, or interest rate, and is often simply called the underlying. Derivatives can be used for a number of purposes, including insuring against price movements (hedging), increasing exposure to price movements for speculation, or getting access to otherwise hard-to-trade assets or markets.
A security is a tradable financial asset. The term commonly refers to any form of financial instrument, but its legal definition varies by jurisdiction. In some countries and languages people commonly use the term "security" to refer to any form of financial instrument, even though the underlying legal and regulatory regime may not have such a broad definition. In some jurisdictions the term specifically excludes financial instruments other than equity and fixed income instruments. In some jurisdictions it includes some instruments that are close to equities and fixed income, e.g., equity warrants.
In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.
Mark-to-market or fair value accounting is accounting for the "fair value" of an asset or liability based on the current market price, or the price for similar assets and liabilities, or based on another objectively assessed "fair" value. Fair value accounting has been a part of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the United States since the early 1990s. Failure to use it is viewed as the cause of the Orange County Bankruptcy, even though its use is considered to be one of the reasons for the Enron scandal and the eventual bankruptcy of the company, as well as the closure of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen.
A capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax on profits realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, bonds, precious metals, real estate, and property.
Stamp duty is a tax that is levied on single property purchases or documents. A physical revenue stamp had to be attached to or impressed upon the document to show that stamp duty had been paid before the document was legally effective. More modern versions of the tax no longer require an actual stamp.
Business valuation is a process and a set of procedures used to estimate the economic value of an owner's interest in a business. Here various valuation techniques are used by financial market participants to determine the price they are willing to pay or receive to effect a sale of the business. In addition to estimating the selling price of a business, the same valuation tools are often used by business appraisers to resolve disputes related to estate and gift taxation, divorce litigation, allocate business purchase price among business assets, establish a formula for estimating the value of partners' ownership interest for buy-sell agreements, and many other business and legal purposes such as in shareholders deadlock, divorce litigation and estate contest.
In U.S. financial law, a unit investment trust (UIT) is an investment product offering a fixed (unmanaged) portfolio of securities having a definite life. Unlike open-end and closed-end investment companies, a UIT has no board of directors. A UIT is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is classified as an investment company. UITs are assembled by a sponsor and sold through brokerage firms to investors.
A 988 transaction is a transaction described in section 988(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code in the United States of America. This transaction occurs when a taxpayer enters into or acquires any debt instrument, forward contract, futures contract, option, or similar financial instrument held in a non-functional currency. The rules for 988 transactions do not apply to any regulated futures contract or non-equity options which would be marked to market under 26 USCA § 1256 if held on the last day of the taxable year.
Taxes in India are levied by the Central Government and the State Governments by virtue of powers conferred to them from the Constitution of India. Some minor taxes are also levied by the local authorities such as the Municipality.
Stocks consist of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporation in proportion to the total number of shares. This typically entitles the shareholder (stockholder) to that fraction of the company's earnings, proceeds from liquidation of assets, or voting power, often dividing these up in proportion to the number of like shares each stockholder owns. Not all stock is necessarily equal, as certain classes of stock may be issued, for example, without voting rights, with enhanced voting rights, or with a certain priority to receive profits or liquidation proceeds before or after other classes of shareholders.
A financial transaction tax (FTT) is a levy on a specific type of financial transaction for a particular purpose. The tax has been most commonly associated with the financial sector for transactions involving intangible property rather than real property. It is not usually considered to include consumption taxes paid by consumers.
The policy of taxation in the Philippines is governed chiefly by the Constitution of the Philippines and three Republic Acts.
The Swedish financial transaction tax was a 0.5% financial transaction tax (FTT) applied to equity securities, fixed income securities and financial derivatives between 1984 and 1991.
Corn Products Refining Company v. Commissioner, 350 U.S. 46 (1955), is a United States Supreme Court decision that helps taxpayers classify whether or not the disposition of a commodity futures contract by a business of raw materials as part of its hedging of business risk is an ordinary or capital gain or loss for income tax purposes.
Income tax return is the form in which assesses file information about his/her income and tax thereon to Income Tax Department. Various forms are ITR 1, ITR 2, ITR 3, ITR 4, ITR 5, ITR 6 and ITR 7. When you file a belated return, you are not allowed to carry forward certain losses.
Axis Direct is the flagship brand under Axis Securities Limited, a subsidiary of Axis Bank in India. Providing Demat and Trading services. Its main offices are in Mumbai. The company employs over 2,100 people.
Securities market participants in the United States include corporations and governments issuing securities, persons and corporations buying and selling a security, the broker-dealers and exchanges which facilitate such trading, banks which safe keep assets, and regulators who monitor the markets' activities. Investors buy and sell through broker-dealers and have their assets retained by either their executing broker-dealer, a custodian bank or a prime broker. These transactions take place in the environment of equity and equity options exchanges, regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or derivative exchanges, regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). For transactions involving stocks and bonds, transfer agents assure that the ownership in each transaction is properly assigned to and held on behalf of each investor.
Taxes has an important part in the Moroccan economy. The taxes are levied by the government and the organization responsible for tax policy on Morocco is called the “General Management of Taxes”.