What is a corporate tax?

A corporate tax is a tax imposed on a company’s profits. Taxes are levied on a company’s taxable income, which comprise revenue less the cost of goods sold (COGS) general and administrative (G&A) expenses, selling and marketing, R & D, depreciation and other operating costs.

Corporate tax rates differ greatly by country, with certain countries being regarded as tax havens due to their low rates. Because different deductions, government subsidies and tax loopholes can reduce corporate taxes, the effective corporate tax rate or the rate a corporation actually pays, is usually lower than the stationary rate, or the rate a corporation actually pays before any deductions.

Understanding corporate taxes:

As a result of the tax cuts and jobs act (TCJA), which president Donald Trump signed into law in 2017 and took effect in 2018, the federal corporate tax rate in the United States is now a flat 21%. Previously, the maximum corporate income tax rate in the United States was 35%.

The deadline for filing corporation tax returns in the United States is usually March 15. In September, corporations can apply for a six month extension to file their corporate tax filings. Estimated tax return instalment payments are due in the middle of April, June, September and December. Form 1120 is used to report corporate taxes in the United States.

Corporate tax deductions

Corporations are allowed to deduct certain essential and regular business expenses from their taxable income. All current operating expenses for the business are fully tax deductible. Purchases of investments and real estate with the intention of creating income for the business are also deductible.

Salaries, health benefits, tuition reimbursement, and bonuses can all be deducted by a company. In addition, insurance premiums, travel expenditures, bad debts, interest payments, sales taxes, fuel taxes and excise taxes can all be deducted from taxable income. Fees for tax preparation, legal services, bookkeeping and advertising can all be utilized to lower revenues.

Particular points to consider

The concept of double taxation is a major issue in corporate taxation. Certain corporations are taxed based on their taxable income. If this net income is transferred to shareholders, the dividends received will be subject to individual income taxes. Instead, a company can incorporate as an S corporation and have all the profits distributed to the shareholders. Because all taxes are paid through individual tax returns, an S corporation does not pay corporate tax.

Role of the government

For all the businesses, the government has reduced the corporate income tax rate from 30% to 22%. With cess and surcharges factored in, the effective corporation tax rate in India has dropped to 25.17 percent.

After October 1, 2019, new businesses will be subject to a seven lower effective tax rate of 17%.

The rate of minimum alternative tax (MAT) has been decreased from 18.5 percent to 15 percent for enterprises that continue to take advantage of exemptions/ incentives.

Capital gains on the sale of shares by foriegn portfolio investors (FPIs), as well as individuals and other classes of investors, will no longer be subject to a higher surcharge proposed in the budget in July.

There will also be no tax on stock buybacks disclosed before July 5, 219, by publicly traded corporations.

What is the global comparison of these rates?

The new prices put India closer to, and in some cases lower than, many other emerging and industrialised countries. India’s new corporate income tax rates will be lower than those in the United States (27 percent), Japan (30.62 percent), Brazil (34 percent) and China (25 percent).

What and why do corporate taxes do?

The most recent initiatives are by far the most significant and daring attempts to resuscitate the Indian economy, which was once hacked as a worldwide growth engine. The goal is to make India into an investment favorite, demonstrating the government’s commitment to economic management, restoring investor confidence and boosting sentiment and demand.

India’s economy is currently experiencing its worst slowdown in six years. The early indicators of an economy’s health can be found in car showrooms, shopping malls and farm activity. Recent data on these topics suggests that the Indian economy is experiencing some difficulties.

The government was under increasing pressure to produce a speedy turnaround through suitable policy actions. On August 23, 2019, Sitharaman unveiled a raft of policies aimed at reviving India’s broader economy, which appeared to be on the verge of collapse.

What will this achieve?

The move is anticipated to change the Indian corporate ecosystem’s profitability dynamic. For one thing, with the significantly reduced rates, many corporations will break even considerably sooner than they would have under the previous rates.

Lower tax rates should, in theory, lead to better profit margins. This should help their financials and some of these businesses should be able to pass on the larger margins to customers in the form of cheaper product costs.

Companies will likely invest more as a result of lower corporate income tax rates and the resulting shift in profitability, increasing capital expenditure (CAPEX). This will be especially true for companies who have the cash but have been hesitant to invest it in new capacity lines.

Additional capacity will eventually drive these businesses to hire more people as a result of a second-round effect.

 How will the corporate tax cuts be funded?

The government will lose Rs 1.45 lakh crore in revenue each year as a result of the recent corporate income tax cuts. Given that tax collections have been substantially below anticipated predictions, this has raised concerns about fiscal slippage.

For 2019-20, the government has set a fiscal deficit target of 3.3 percent of GDP. Lower tax receipts might throw the budget into disarray. The government may be able to make up for some of the money lost due to business tax cuts by receiving extra dividends and surplus from the Reserve bank of India (RBI).

The Reserve Bank of India has decide to transfer a record Rs 1,23,414 crore of its surplus to the central government for the fiscal year 2018-19, or FY19 (July to June) as well as additional rs 52,637 crore of excess provisions, as recommended by the Bimal jalan committee on economic capital framework (ECF).

The surplus transfer, sometimes known as a “dividend” is nearly twice as large as the previous high of 65,896 crore. Of the amount, the government has already received rs 28,000 crore as an interim dividend.

The government had set aside rs 90,000 crore from RBI profits in its budget. It now has an additional rs 58,000 crore in the bank, which it can use to cover income shortfalls.