India to scrap capital gains tax on foreign investment in government bonds - ET
On early Thursday, a report from The Economic Times (ET) has shown that the Indian government plans to scrap capital gains tax on investments in government securities by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), in an attempt to improve the inflow of foreign funds into the economy.
Additional announcements
Cabinet meet on Wednesday approved the scrapping of capital gains tax on foreign portfolio investment in government bonds.
Decision likely to be implemented via an ordinance amending Income Tax rules.
Foreign investors currently pay 12.5% long term capital gains tax on listed shares and bonds held for more than 12 months.
They also pay 20% withholding tax on interest earned in government bonds. This may be removed as well.
Foreign investors have maintained net positive flows into Indian government debt this year, investing a net amount of $1.4 billion, while nearly $28 billion has been pulled from equity markets.
Indian economy FAQs
The Indian economy has averaged a growth rate of 6.13% between 2006 and 2023, which makes it one of the fastest growing in the world. India’s high growth has attracted a lot of foreign investment. This includes Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into physical projects and Foreign Indirect Investment (FII) by foreign funds into Indian financial markets. The greater the level of investment, the higher the demand for the Rupee (INR). Fluctuations in Dollar-demand from Indian importers also impact INR.
India has to import a great deal of its Oil and gasoline so the price of Oil can have a direct impact on the Rupee. Oil is mostly traded in US Dollars (USD) on international markets so if the price of Oil rises, aggregate demand for USD increases and Indian importers have to sell more Rupees to meet that demand, which is depreciative for the Rupee.
Inflation has a complex effect on the Rupee. Ultimately it indicates an increase in money supply which reduces the Rupee’s overall value. Yet if it rises above the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 4% target, the RBI will raise interest rates to bring it down by reducing credit. Higher interest rates, especially real rates (the difference between interest rates and inflation) strengthen the Rupee. They make India a more profitable place for international investors to park their money. A fall in inflation can be supportive of the Rupee. At the same time lower interest rates can have a depreciatory effect on the Rupee.
India has run a trade deficit for most of its recent history, indicating its imports outweigh its exports. Since the majority of international trade takes place in US Dollars, there are times – due to seasonal demand or order glut – where the high volume of imports leads to significant US Dollar- demand. During these periods the Rupee can weaken as it is heavily sold to meet the demand for Dollars. When markets experience increased volatility, the demand for US Dollars can also shoot up with a similarly negative effect on the Rupee.
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