Taxability of Interest on various funds where income is exempt

Clause (11) of section 10 of the Act provides for exemption with respect to any payment from a provident fund to which the Provident Funds Act, 1925 (19 of 1925) applies or from any other provident fund set up by the Central Government and notified by it in this behalf in the Official Gazette.

Similarly, Clause (12) of this section provides for exemption with respect to the accumulated balance due and becoming payable to an employee participating in a recognised provident fund, to the extent provided in rule 8 of Part A of the Fourth Schedule.

Instances have come to the notice where some employees are contributing huge amounts to these funds and entire interest accrued/received on such contributions is exempt from tax under clause (11) and clause (12) of section 10 of the Act.

This exemption without any threshold benefits only those who can contribute a large amount to these funds as their share. Accordingly, it is proposed to insert proviso to clause(11) and clause (12) of section 10 of the Act, providing that the provisions of these clauses shall not apply to the interest income accrued during the previous year in the account of the person to the extent it relates to the amount or the aggregate of amounts of contribution made by the person exceeding two lakh and fifty thousand rupees in a previous year in that fund, on or after 1st April, 2021, computed in such manner as may be prescribed.

These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2022 and shall apply to the assessment year 2022-23 and subsequent assessment years.

[Clause 5]

5. In section 10 of the Income-tax Act,––

Amendment of section 10.

(d) with effect from the 1st day of April, 2022,––
(i) in clause (11), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:––
“Provided that the provisions of this clause shall not apply to the income by way of interest accrued during the
previous year in the account of a person to the extent it relates to the amount or the aggregate of amounts of
contribution made by that person exceeding two lakh and fifty thousand rupees in any previous year in that fund, on
or after the 1st day of April, 2021 and computed in such manner as may be prescribed;”;

(ii) in clause (12), the following proviso shall be inserted, namely:––
“Provided that the provisions of this clause shall not apply to the income by way of interest accrued during the
previous year in the account of a person to the extent it relates to the amount or the aggregate of amounts of
contribution made by that person exceeding two lakh and fifty thousand rupees in any previous year in that fund, on
or after the 1st day of April, 2021 and computed in such manner as may be prescribed;”;