08 May 2010
According to the new proposal of the Union Budget 2009-10, any property received from a non-relative where the value is in excess of Rs 50,000 in a particular year will be considered as income in the hands of the recipient.
Earlier, gifts in the form of cash from non-relatives were exempted up to a limit of Rs 50,000 a year (if sum exceeds Rs 50,000, then entire amount is eligible for being taxed).
While this limit remains unchanged, the key change proposed is aimed at bringing in non-cash gifts into the tax ambit. Earlier, gifts in non-cash form (like shares and securities, jewellery, archeological collections, paintings and gold), even if they were in excess of Rs 50,000, were exempt from any tax in the hands of the recipient