Now additional tax benefit to salaried and other taxpayers on purchase of electric car

The businessmen can claim interest paid towards any business assets purchased as deduction against its income. However, the same benefit can now be availed by non – business individual taxpayer also.

With a view to improve environment and to reduce vehicular pollution, it is proposed to insert a new section 80EEB in the Act so as to provide for a deduction in respect of interest on loan taken for purchase of an electric vehicle from any financial institution up to one lakh fifty thousand rupees subject to the following conditions:

1. the loan has been sanctioned by a financial institution including a non-banking financial company during the period beginning on the 1st April, 2019 to 31st March, 2023;
2. The assessee does not own any other electric vehicle on the date of sanction of loan.
3. It is also proposed that where a deduction under this section is allowed for any interest, deduction shall not be allowed in respect of such interest under any other provisions of the Act for the same or any other assessment year.

This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2020 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to assessment year 2020-2021 and subsequent assessment years.

Section 80EEB reads as under:

1. In computing the total income of an assessee, being an individual, there shall be deducted, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of this section, interest payable on loan taken by him from any financial institution for the purpose of purchase of an electric vehicle.
2. The deduction under sub-section (1) shall not exceed one lakh and fifty thousand rupees and shall be allowed in computing the total income of the individual for the assessment year beginning on the 1st day of April, 2020 and subsequent assessment years.
3. The deduction under sub-section (1) shall be subject to the condition that the loan has been sanctioned by the financial institution during the period beginning on the 1st day of April, 2019 and ending on the 31st day of March, 2023.
4. Where a deduction under this section is allowed for any interest referred to in sub-section (1), deduction shall not be allowed in respect of such interest under any other provision of this Act for the same or any other assessment year.
5. For the purposes of this section,––
   (a) “electric vehicle” means a vehicle which is powered exclusively by an electric motor whose traction energy is supplied exclusively by traction battery installed in the vehicle and has such electric regenerative braking system, which during braking provides for the conversion of vehicle kinetic energy into electrical energy;
   (b) “financial institution” means a banking company to which the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 applies, or any bank or banking institution referred to in section 51 of that Act and includes any deposit taking non-banking financial company or a systemically important non-deposit taking non-banking financial company as defined in clauses (e) and (g) of
   Explanation 4 to section 43B.’.

This is to give just the preliminary information. There are multiple issues involved in the deduction. I will cover it in my next article on the same issue.