Byapaar.com -The Indian Business Blog

Finally the turbulence of politics is over with the UPA led by the Indian National Congress withstanding a tight no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on 22^nd July. The Left Front has been blocking almost all major reforms which are so badly needed to push the economy to the next level. It has been frustrating 4 years for both pro-reform Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and also the business community. Now that all is over, the UPA government is determined to push through reforms in many fields like insurance, telecom etc. despite the alarmingly high rate of inflation that stands @ 11.98% today!

High rate of inflation has also made the apex bank (Reserve bank of India) to raise interest and thereby make bank deposit attractive. On the other hand, the long bull run of the stock market also ended with the start of the turbulence of government instability and skyrocketing international fuel price.

So as an individual – where do I put my money? Most banks are offering an attractive 10% annual interest rate. But is it long lasting? Despite forecast of an economic slowdown, businesses remain upbeat on long-term economic prospect of the country.

So the ideal way to invest your money is to divide your funds and put them into both the markets. While it is not guaranteed that bank rates will always remain the same, one can not also say for sure when the equity/stock market is going to recover! Read the rest of this entry »

My exam is over- but my PCP (Personal Contact Program) for second year will start tomorrow and will continue till 27th. Still I’ll keep blogging regularly here.So no problem.

The other day I was browsing the net and chanced upon a site called UK Business For Sale. To be frank I have never heard of the word business sales as I live in a remote place in India. I do frequent to big cities for this or that reason but still have never came across it.

Let me be more forthcoming! I believe this is a totally new concept in India.

So what is this concept?

Simple! There are some agencies that broker between buyer and sellers of start-ups or established businesses. The agencies have people as members from both groups – buyers and sellers. To be more precise, suppose I own an established business that is making reasonable profit. But there is something I found which seems more interesting and appealing to me. In this situation I want to sell my current business so that I can venture into the new domain of my interest and also can fully concentrate on it. Instead of finding the suitable buyer myself, I can hire an agency that will do the needful for me for a specific amount of fee. This will save me lots of time, energy not to mention the convenience factor. In India, I saw this in real estate rector but not in business establishment sector.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Union Budget for the financial year 2008-09 has brought few smiles on the faces of middle class people. It is clear that, the UPA government has an eye for early national pools -may be by end of this year and hence there is lots of cheers for the all powerful middle class.

The Finance Minister has not only raised the taxable income level from that of last year, but it has also offered some schemes to lessen tax liability. For example, if someone is earning a monthly income of Rs. 25,00/month, his current tax liability is around Rs. 3,347.50/month. In the new taxation syste, the liability for the same income will be Rs. 1,287.50/month and that too without claiming any tax benefit on offer.

So how to save this extra money?

The best way, according to analysts is to invest in real estate. Due to higher interest rates - the rela estate market has been going through a price adjustment or correctional phase over the last few months. So price is quite stable at the moment. The new budget is not offering any extra benefit under Sec. 80 C or Sec 80 D - but due to lower tax liability, the taxpayer can easily utilize the fund judiciously.

The Sec. 80 C has been facilitating tax benefits for certain saving instruments including repayment of home loans. But only Rs. 1,00,000/annum can be accounted for this purpose. One can also claim benefit for Rs.1,50,000/annum as repayment of interest for the housing loan. So thats a cool benefit for Rs. 2,50,000/annum.

Another attractive factor in this regard is that, some banks are already lowering interest rates for housing loans and it seems that, the home loan interest rate might come down further due to global meltdown trend.

Now, we may consider how one gains through investment in real estate properties. Studies have shown that value of Indian real estate properties has seen a compounded annual growth rate of around 15-18 percent. S, the value is always increasing.

Just one point to be cautious is that, the government is giving these sops for personal or live in properties only. If some one buys a property and sells it within next five years, then he/she will have to pay taxes for all these years.

If you have a house and are pondering at what to do - just go ahead, take home loans, buy a nice property and rent it out. The rent will help you pay the EMI (Easy Monthly Installment) and by the time you are ready to settle down, your home loan liability will be NIL. You can enjoy your superannuiation benefits for your recreations. Just remember one thing - the tax implications in this case will have to be worked out after deducting the rent you get. Still you are the winner.