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Monday, December 8, 2008

If your bankers do not know, tell them that the entire pension of gallantry awardees is exempted from Income Tax

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A Gallantry awardee retired Lieutenant General recently wrote to me that his bank was deducting Income Tax from his pension, he also enquired if gallantry awardees were indeed exempted from payment of Income Tax on their pensions.

The answer is in the positive. Income Tax is not to be paid on the entire pension of personnel who are recipients of "Param Vir Chakra", "Maha Vir Chakra", "Vir Chakra" or such other gallantry awards as the Central Government may specify by notification in the Official Gazette. Even family pension paid to the family of such gallantry awardees is exempted from IT. As earlier published in this blog, the entire pension of disability pensioners is also exempted from IT and more on it can be seen by clicking here.

Exemption of IT on pension and family pension of gallantry awardees was introduced by the Central Govt with effect from 1st of April 1999 by inserting a new sub-clause (18) to Section 10 of the Income Tax Act. The said amendment / insertion was introduced through the ‘Finance Act, 1999’.

Besides PVC, MVC and VrC, the following awards are also covered under IT Exemption as per Govt of India SRO 1048(E) 1 dated 24-11-2000 when awarded for gallantry :

Ashok Chakra

Kirti Chakra

Shaurya Chakra

Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak

Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak

Jeevan Raksha Padak

President's Police Medal for Gallantry

Police Medal for Gallantry

Sena / Nao Sena / Vayu Sena Medal

President's Police and Fire Services Medal for Gallantry

President's Fire Services Medal for Gallantry

Fire Services Medal for Gallantry

President's Home Guards and Civil Defence Medal for Gallantry

Home Guards and Civil Defence Medal for Gallantry

THE COMPLETE NOTIFICATION LISTING ALL AWARDS EXEMPTED FROM INCOME TAX CAN BE SEEN BY CLICKING HERE

Please inform your bank about Section 10(18) of the IT Act and the above mentioned notification by the Central Govt if you are a gallantry awardee pensioner / family pensioner and if still your bank is deducting IT from pension. If the bank does not cease and desist from deducting IT, then please inform the IT department and also file a Consumer Complaint in the District Consumer Redressal Forum of your district. In case IT has been deducted from your pension or you have paid IT on your pension any time after 2000, you may contact the IT department or your CA for initiating refund of the same.

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14 comments:

maverick said...

Great job Navdeep, you are doing a great service for the ignorant faujis

Anonymous said...

This is indeed news to large number of people... great show brother

Anonymous said...

@ navdeep

now soon you'll hear voices on this blog saying that do not shift your focus from pay commission issues wihtout realizing how important these little things are for us. after 35 years of service in the air force, i did not know that i was not supposed to pay tax on my pension because i am a vayu sena medal award winner for gallantry. thank you for throwing light on such issues - u're much better than those service booklets given to us on retirement which only give out vague statement without quoting relevant authorties or provisions of law.

once again thank you. u don't know what you are doing for all of us.

Anonymous said...

I like the new header. It looks cool.

bill said...

Dear Navdeep,
Could you tell us wheather 6CPCR on Disability Pension rates(30%of pay, like civil)have been approved by GOI or not?If yes then its current status for implementation by MOD?Is there a mischief in MOD letter for pre2006 pensioners where it gives revised (unapproved)calculations as "interim" rates!!Pl educate us on this.

Devinder said...

Dear Navdeep,
There are some surviving Pre - Independence gallantry award winners. The notification is silent and does not list these awards. I presume this exemption of pension from Income Tax is also applicable to them.May I request you to clarify the matter.

Anonymous said...

Dear Maj Navdeep

When everybody is talking on PB-4 Lt Cols & equivalent and OROP, one issue regarding pension seems to have been overlooked. Earlier (Pre SCPC) Defence Officers use to get weightege (4 to 9 yrs) depending on rank to qualify for full pension. This weightage was given to nullify / counter early retirement age. Now SCPC has mentioned that this is no more required as a person gets full pension after 20 yrs.
However assuming two persons having same qualification and dt of birth (Assume 31.12.1954) choose to join two different service (one Army officer the other civil Gp A service), drawing the same pay as on dt will draw different pension. The Army officer will retire on 31.12.08 where as the civilian will retire on 31.12.14. Even if the civilian does not get any promotion for the next 6 yrs still he will get 3% annual increment for the next six years, which will amount to at least Rs. 10,000/-. There by drawing at least 5000/-higher Basic Pension
To avoid this disparity all Defence Officers should be given notional increments (0 to 6 yrs) depending on their rank on retirement before fixing their pension.
If you feel this argument has some merit, may I request you to take up the issue through your blog or any other suitable forum.

Anonymous said...

Please intimate the fate of the committee formed to look into the grievances of armed forces personnel post VI pay commission recommendations.
Regards

Anonymous said...

Dear Ved,
the advantage of civilians is to an extent covered up by inclusion of MSP for calculation of pension. However, it would not cover it fully.
Maverick

Anonymous said...

@ Navdeep,

This comment is in reference to the Warrant of Precedence.
Do you have any idea where the Marshals of the Defence forces stand in the Warrant of Precedence since they never retire and are considered to be in service for life.So where does a serving Defence officer of a rank above that of a General figure in the WoP?

Anonymous said...

Navdeep, you are indeed rendering yeoman's service to the services !!! Thanks a ton.

colonel hada said...

dear navjot i am told that mention in despatches receiptents also have been exempted from income tax on pension in budget of year 2002-03 or 2003-04. can u confirm and give auth thanks col ds hada

Sarjeet Yadav said...

is the tax exemption applicable only for pension????

lt jairaj singh bisht said...

sir, my mother is receiving family pension as widowed daughter of my late grand father who was a military cross holder of world war II , is she also exempt from income tax?