INCOME TAX (OLD & NEW SCHEME)

 

The assessee can choose between the New Tax Regime and the Old Tax Regime depending on what is best suitable from a tax planning point of view.

 Income-tax rates under the new tax regime v/s the old tax regime

Income slabs (Rs)	Tax Rate(Old Regime)	Tax Rate(New Regime - devoid of exemptions & deductions)
Up to 2.5 lakh	Nil	Nil
2.5-5 lakh	5%	5%
5-7.5 lakh	20%	10%
7.5-10 lakh	20%	15%
10-12.5 lakh	30%	20%
12.5-15 lakh	30%	25%
Above 15 lakh	30%	30%

Note: The above rates are subject to surcharge and cess, as applicable.

Which scheme is better ( New vs. Old )

New Tax Regime has proposed lower income-tax rates, for income segments up to Rs 15 lakh. But the proposed lower tax rates will be applicable only if we are willing to give up exemptions and deductions available.

This means that when we choose the New Tax Regime, we will have to forgo some exemptions such as Leave Travel Allowance (LTA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), etc] and deductions available under chapter VI A of the Act that grant 

Only the deduction under Section 80CCD(2) [i.e., employer’s contribution on account of an employee in a notified pension scheme] and Section 80JJAA [i.e. for new employment] can be claimed.

Even the Standard Deduction under Section 16 [which is currently Rs 50,000] available to salaried individuals and the deduction on home loan interest, under Section 24(b) will be disallowed. Around 70 exemptions and deductions have been removed in the New Tax Regime.

Old regime better option for high-income earners

Particulars	Old Tax Regime (Rs)	New Tax Regime (Rs)
Gross Income	1,000,000	1,000,000
Deductions:
U/Sec: 80C	150,000	-
U/Sec: 80D	25,000	-
U/Sec: 24(b)	75,000	-
Taxable Income	750,000	1,000,000
Tax Slab (OLD)
0 to 2.5 Lakh	-	-
2.5 to 5 Lakh @ 5%	12,500	-
5 Lakh to 10 Lakh @ 20%	50,000	-
> 10 Lakh @ 30%	-	-
Tax Slab (NEW)
0 to 5 Lakh	-	-
2.5 to 5 Lakh @ 5%	-	12,500
5 to 7.5 Lakh @ 10%	-	25,000
7.5 Lakh to 10 Lakh @ 15%	-	37,500
10 Lakh to 12.5 Lakh @ 20%	-	-
12.5 Lakh to 15 Lakh @ 25%	-	-
> 15 Lakh @ 30%	-	-
Income Tax	62,500	75,000
Cess @ 4%	2,500	3,000
Total Tax Outgo	65,000	78,000