Split accounts to tax EPF income: Finance Ministry
The HinduThe government has decided to split existing Provident Fund accounts into two separate accounts in order to operationalise the new tax on PF income arising out of employee contributions exceeding ₹2.5 lakh a year. Accordingly, all EPF accounts will have to be bifurcated into a taxable and non-taxable contribution account, with the latter including their closing account balance as on March 31, 2021, any contributions made thereafter that are “not included in the taxable contribution account” and annual interest accrued on these two components. Comment | Re-examining the EPF tax rules The Central Board of Direct Taxes’ top brass had earlier said that taxpayers will have to include the taxable PF interest in their total income while filing tax returns, but the new rules suggest that the EPFO and PF trusts run by companies may have to deduct tax and remit it to the exchequer from such accounts. In this year’s Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the withdrawal of tax exemption on interest income accrued into PF accounts arising out of employee contributions exceeding ₹2.5 lakh, arguing that some employees were contributing huge amounts into their PF accounts and getting tax-free incomes.