Tax incentives on investments - Things to know

1) The tax incentives on investments are provided in the form of exemption for the amount invested, income earned and maturity amount. These incentives may be provided at any, none or all three stages of investment.

2) The EEE (exempt, exempt, exempt) taxation implies that the amount invested is exempt from tax in the year in which the investment is made. The returns and the amount redeemed are also exempt from tax. The PPF, ELSS and life insurance fall under this category.

3) Under the EET (exempt, exempt, tax) regime, the investment is only taxed at the withdrawal stage. NSC and pension policies are examples of EET investment as the amount put in is deductible from the total income and the income earned is exempt from tax.

4) If income in the form of interest or dividend is taxed, while the investment and maturity are exempt, the investment falls under the ETE (exempt, tax, exempt) regime. Tax-saving bank deposits and senior citizens savings schemes are such investments.

5) No exemption from tax is available for the amount invested under the TEE (tax, exempt, exempt) regime. The income earned from the investment and redemption, if the investment is held for a specified period, is tax-free. This is the case for equity shares and equity MFs.

Should you put your money in company FDs

Those who swear by fixed deposit (FD) have never had it so good. The rates offered by banks are high. Now, they have even better news from companies. There are around 100 companies offering FD schemes currently, and most of them offer at least 1% to 4% more than bank FDs. A three-year FD from Mahindra Finance, for example, gives 10.5%, while one from Jaiprakash Associates offers 12.50%.

Compared with this, the State Bank of India and HDFC Bank offer 9.25% and 8.5%, respectively, for a three-year FD. You don't need to be an investment wizard to figure out that the rates offered by the companies are the best you can pocket and you should park some money in their FD schemes. But, don't commit the mistake of equating a company FD with a bank FD, say experts. This is because bank deposits are covered by a guarantee from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, which assures repayment of Rs 1 lakh in case of default by a bank, but there is no such guarantee for company deposits. The safety of the FD rests firmly on the financial position of the company. That is why you have to be extra careful while choosing and investing your money in a company FD.