Thursday, July 24, 2008

circle of competence

CONITNUED FROM YESTARDAY......
We also know Buffett’s discipline of operating only within his “circle
of competence.” Think of this circle of competence as the cumulative
history of your experience. If someone had successfully operated a certain
business within a certain industry for a decade or more, we would say
that person had achieved a high level of competence for the task at hand.
However, if someone else had only a few years’ experience operating a
new business, we could reasonably question that person’s level of competence.


So perhaps Buffett faces a dilemma. Within his circle of competence,
the types of stocks he likes to purchase are not currently selling at
discounted prices. At the same time, outside his circle of competence,
faster-growing businesses are being born in new industries that have yet
to achieve the high level of economic certainty Buffett requires. If this
analysis is correct, it explains why there have been no new large buys of
common stocks in the past few years


We would be foolish indeed to assume that because the menu of
stocks available for purchase has been reduced, Warren Buffett is left
without investment options. Certainly he has been active in the fixedincome
market, including taking a significant position in high-yield
bonds in 2002. He is alert for the periodic arbitrage opportunity as well,
but considering the amount of capital Buffett needs to deploy to make
meaningful returns, the arbitrage markets are perhaps not as fruitful as
they once were.


The basic ideas of investing are to look at stocks as businesses,
use market f luctuations to your advantage, and seek a margin
of safety. That’s what Ben Graham taught us. A hundred years
from now they will still be the cornerstones of investing.4
WARREN BUFFETT

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.......


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REDEFINING PROFESSIONALISM......
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FINANCIAL LITERACY

WHY FINANCIAL LITERACY IS IMPERATIVE??

Sub Heading : It helps you to make the most of the financial resources available

Financial literacy is the process by which investors improve their understanding of financial markets, products, concepts and risks. Through information and objective advice, they develop the skills and confidence to become more aware of financial risks and opportunities and make informed choices to improve their financial position.Financial education primarily relates to personal finance, which enables individuals to take effective action to improve overall well-being and avoid distress in financial matters.Financial literacy goes beyond the provision of financial information and advice. It is the ability to know, monitor, and effectively use financial resources to enhance the well-being and economic security of oneself, one’s family, and one’s business.

Why do we need financial literacy?
India is among the world’s most efficient financial markets in terms of technology, regulation and systems. It also has one of the highest savings rate in the world - our gross household savings rate, which averaged 19% of gross domestic product (GDP) between 1996-97 and 1999-2000, increased to about 23% in 2003-04 and has been growing ever since.While savings are more in India, where the savings are invested is a cause for concern. Investments by households have been more into either bank fixed deposits, risk-free government-backed securities and low-yielding instruments, or in non-financial assets. A majority of our households do not use modern financial markets. As per an RBI report, only 1.4% of household savings was invested in equity, mutual funds and debentures in 2003-04. Though this went up to about 4% in 2005-06, it is still very small.Unless the common person becomes a wiser investor and is protected from wrongdoings, wealth creation for the investor and the economy will remain a distant dream. We need to convert a country of savers into a nation of investors.Participation in modern finance throws up a number of questions and choices for households like:* Do you make household budgets?* How much do you need to save every month to meet all your financial goals? * How should you allocate your savings into various asset classes and among asset classes to various products? * How should you change your asset allocation pattern with age and circumstances?* What should be the basis of selecting a mutual fund house, insurance company, bank or lender?* Do you know there is a need for diversification of your investments to diversify risk?* What are the channels through which financial services are provided?
Which one should you use? Such questions and choices appear tough to even urban population not to talk of those in rural areas, where most of India’s population is. When it comes to financial solutions, investors tend to use thumb rules or seek advice from friends and relatives, which are often poor approximations compared to those that follow from a systematic process. If they get bad advice, their outcomes will be poor, and they will start to lose faith in the financial sector. A big improvement of financial knowledge of households is necessary so that they participate continuously in financial markets.Financial literacy plays a significant role in the efficient allocation of household savings and the ability of individuals to meet their financial goals. It also means the ability to seek sound financial adviceFinancial literacy has assumed greater importance in recent years as financial markets have become increasingly complex and the common man finds it very difficult to make informed decisions. Financial literacy is considered an important adjunct for promoting financial inclusion and ultimately financial stability. Both developed and developing countries, therefore, are focusing on programmes for financial literacy/education. In India, the need for financial literacy is even greater considering the low levels of literacy and the large section of the population, which still remains out of the formal financial set-up.To understand financial planning, a person should be financially literate to understand the importance of preparing household budgets, cash-flow management and asset allocation to meet financial goals. Everyone saves money for future needs but the approach is to save surplus money without preparing household budgets, without prioritising personal financial goals, without properly allocating investments in different asset classes and without understanding the real rate of return (after adjusting for inflation).Individuals make a wide array of financial decisions through their lifetime. Examples of such decisions include providing for children’s higher education, saving for retirement, managing credit wisely, budgeting, tax and estate planning, insurance, etc. Each of these decisions is prompted by the emergence of a need. To help consumers make informed decisions, financial education is very important.
“The writer is a certified financial planner & full member of FPSB India, and is currently working as academic & regional head (western region) with International College of Financial Planning, Mumbai. FPSB India relies on its members’ prudence, competence, and ethical standards to have submitted this write up in good faith in their personal respective capacity. The article and the views are those of the writer and do not represent that of FPSB India. Readers are advised to consult their professional financial planners for advice

Author : Madhu Sinha/DNAContent :
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REDEFINING PROFESSIONALISM......
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PROFESSIONALISM..

As the slogan of our group is redifining Professionalism So i would like to put some light on Do,s And Donts of profissionalism
The Do's
Be eager for a challenge
Be yourself
Be open-minded
Be on time
Know the dress code
Observe and ask thoughtful questions
Treat everyone you meet with respect and professionalism
Understand that everyone makes mistakes
Carry a notebook with you at all times
Pay attention to the details
Be proactive
Show energy and interest
Set goals for yourself

The Don’ts
Let a bad day get you down
Take on more than you can handle
Pretend to know something you don’t
Have nothing to do
Ask everyone the same questions
Take yourself too seriously
Talk negatively about co-workers
Focus all of your attention on senior management
Bring your personal life into the office
Surf the web all day
Spend working hours on social networking sites or texting friends

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SOURABH SONI

SECRETATY

JAB WE MER CA

REDEFINING PROFESSIONALISM...

“ENJOY TODAY ,WAIT FOR BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW ”

FMP Vs FDRs

FMP Vs Bank FDRs
With the recent equity market volatility and rising inerest
rates, it is time to think and have an appropriate balance
between equity and fixed income instruments consistent
with one's risk profile and time horizon of the needs.
Fixed Maturity Plans (FMP)
FMPs are quite in fashion now a days - and they all tell
you they're going to save you a lot more tax than bank
fixed deposits (FDs). How?
FMPs are a kind of debt funds. Debt funds are simply
those that invest in debt securities - like Govt. securities,
corporate bonds, corporate rated deposits etc.
· Fixed Maturity Plans (FMPs) are debt funds that
have a fixed term - usually 3 to 15 months, and
· are closed ended, meaning you can only buy in an
NFO, not after that.
FMP Returns are not guaranteed, but usually indicative
returns are reached. Why? Because they buy products at
the same maturity level, and hold till maturity. So an FMP
now may say indicative returns are 10% for a 370 day
period, which involves them buying securities yielding
11% for the period, and holding till maturity. They charge
you about 1% as management fees, so the return to you
is 10%, pre tax.
Tax Advantage
Even if the interest rate goes up or down it doesn't change
the yield for them (since they don't sell or buy the
security). How do they give you lesser tax? Two ways :
1. Double indexation. The gains you make are indexed
over two years (typical indexation rates are 5% a year) so
that you make no gains according to the tax authorities.
That involves buying, say, in March of one year and
maturing in April of the next year. That gives you two
financial years (since years are April-March) of holding,
which means a typical indexation of 10%+ - so you make
10% or so on interest, and the government thinks you
made nothing because of two years of inflation, so you
pay no (or very little) tax.
2. Lower tax rate: All longer term debt fund dividends
are taxed at 12.5% for individuals versus FD interest
being at your marginal rate (say 30%). Note: short term
debt that involves money market and call money is
charged higher dividend rates. Also, capital gains for debt
funds held over a year is only 10% (without indexation)
or 20% with indexation.
Both these are significantly less taxing than FDs, where
the interest is added to your income and taxed at your
marginal rate.
Risk
What's risk with FMPs? Well, the interest rate is not fixed.
You never know how much you'll eventually get. Second,
there is usually some penalty for early liquidation (before
maturity) that can actually erode your capital. If they put
a 1.5% early exit load, and you want to exit in say a
month, the NAV may not have moved enough to cover the
exit load itself, so your capital also goes! This doesn't
happen with FDs.

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SATBIR SINGH
PRESIDENT
JAB WE MET CA
REDEFINING PROFESSIONALISM......
“ENJOY TODAY ,WAIT FOR BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW ”

ITAT DECISIONS

Issue: Deduction u/s80IB in respect of housing
Project

Laukik Developers v. DCIT, circle-3, Thane (W) {105 ITD
657(Mum)}
In this case, assessee developed housing cum
commercial project in the A.Y.2002-2003. The tribunal
noted that local authority approved the project as
housing cum commercial project since it constructed
3,143 S.Ft. for shops in the project. Hence It did not
meet the condition as pure housing project and deduction
u/s80 IB was denied to the assessee. Even Tribunal
refused to allow proportionate deduction relating to the
residential area constructed for the reason that project
needs to be housing project only.
Issue:- Taxability of Goodwill
Alankar Business Corporation Ltd., v. DCIT, Company
Circle I(3)Chennai
{105 ITD 629(Chennai)}
The company entered into agreement to sell goodwill on
28-2-1999 and received the consideration. However it
was shown as advance payment in view of the fact that
other business was sold by agreement dated 27-7-1999
and the same was confirmed by the appropriate
authority later on. Hence “A” offered the capital gain on
sale of goodwill in the A.Y.2002-2003. The Dept did not
accept the contention and taxed it in the year of receipt of
amount. The Tribunal ruled that substance of the
agreement needs to be looked into and not the form of
agreement. The advance receipt of amount was
crystallized once other assets were sold hence assessee
has rightly offered the income in the year in which other
assets were sold.
Issue: Deductibility of expenses u/s14A
ACIT v. Tamil Nadu Silk Producers Federation Ltd.{105
ITD 623(Chennai)}
The Tribunal held that department can not deny
deduction of expenses incurred on income which is
eligible for deduction under chapter VI-A (Section 80A to
80U) in as much as such income goes in to computation of
total income thereafter deduction under chapter VIA is
allowed. Whereas Section 14A speaks about restriction
of expenses incurred in relation to exempt income that
does not go into the computation of total Income.
Issue: Maintainability of order u/s 263
Colorcraft Kashimira Ceramic Compound v.ITO ward-
4(4) Thane{105 ITD 599(Mum)}
In this case , the Tribunal observed that if CIT issued show
cause notice to invoke section 263 for any order being
erroneous and prejudicial to the interest of the revenue,
he ought to have passed order on the points covered in
the show cause notice. If he deviates from the show
cause notice and passes order on different issues, that
order is not sustainable under law.
However Tribunal endorsed the view of dept. that mere
supply of information by assessee would not debar CIT
for not exercising the provision of section 263 of the Act.
If A.O. did not make enquiry on the materials furnished
before him by the assessee in order to assess as to
whether the claim of the assessee is correct or not. The
CIT is empowered to pass order u/s 263 of the Act.
Issue: Rejection of books of Accounts u/s145 of
the Act

ITO, Ward 2(5),Rajkot v. Girish M. Mehta {105 ITD 585
(Rajkot)}
In his case, Tribunal held that before rejecting books of
accounts, depatment has to prove that accounts are
unreliable, incorrect or incomplete. When accounts are
regularly maintained in the ordinary course of business,
duly audited under the provisions of the Act and free from
any qualification from auditors , should be taken as
correct . If depatment needs to enhance the gross profit
margin , first it should need to satisfy the conditions of
section 145 with regard to specific defects in the
accounts . In the absence of any proof of the falsity or
defects in the accounts, department. can not make
addition on account of lower G.P. Margin declared by the
assessee.
Issue: Slump Sale u/s 50B, Disallowance of
Interest u/s14A

Zuari Industirs Ltd., v. ACIT, Circle-2, Margao{105 ITD
569(Mum)}
The Tribunal decided that net worth of undertaking in
case of slump sale can either be positive or nil in case of
liabilities exceeds depreciable values and book value of
other assets. The Members did not accept the contention
of department that negative net worth ought to be added
in the sale consideration in case of slump sale of
undertaking.
As regards disallowance of interest in view of investment
made in shares whose dividend income thereof is tax
free. The Tribunal held that onus is on the department. to
prove that any expenditure was incurred for earning tax
free income. If department can not prove by identifying
the nexus between the borrowed fund and investment
thereof in investment which generates tax free income,
the same can not disallowed u/s14A of the Act.
Issue: Deemed Dividend u/s 2(22)(e) of the Act.
ACIT. Circle I(1), Trichur v. Smt. Lakshmikutty Naryan
{105 ITD 558(Cochin)}
The tribunal observed that if there is an outflow of money
from the company to shares holders who holds more than
10% shares therein, and merely book entry is passed and
debited his accounts. In this event, there is no tax liability
with regard to deemed dividend u/s2 (22)(e) of the Act.
Issue: Speculation loss u/s73
ACIT, circle 4(3) Mumbai v. Sucham Fin.&Investment(I)
Ltd.{105 ITD 353(Mum)}
The “A” was engaged in the only business of purchase and
sale of shares. The” A” disclosed certain loss on trading of
shares where delivery was not taken and certain profit on
trading of shares where delivery was taken. The Tribunal
held that entire business will fall within the ambit of
explanation to section 73 of the Act. Therefore entire
profit and loss will be merged and resultant profit after
set off loss of non delivery based transaction will be liable
for taxation

FORM NO 16/16A

Clarification regarding new Form 16/ 16A
• Central Board of Direct Taxes had issued a
Notification vide S.O. 455 (E) dated 26th March, 2007
prescribing new Form No.16 and Form No.16A for
issuing TDS Certificate .
• One of the columns in each of these Forms requires
mentioning 'Acknowledgement Nos. in respect of all
Quarterly Statements of TDS under sub-section (3)
of section 200 as provided by TIN Facilitation
Centre or NSDL website'.
• It was pointed out that the deductor will not be able to
give the Acknowledgement No. in respect of
Quarterly Statements for the fourth quarter as the
TDS certificates 16 for TDS on salaries and 16A for
consolidated TDS certificate in respect of other TDS
payments are issued by 30th April whereas Quarterly
Statements for the last quarter, i.e. the fourth
quarter, are allowed to be furnished on or before 15th
of June.
• Now an explanation has been issued on April 25th
mentioning that
o Wherever fourth quarter return has been
submitted before issuing TDS certificate, the
same should be mentioned. The reason being
that fourth quarter return can be issued any time
after 1st April and 15th June is the last date.
o Wherever the same is not submitted, it is
suggested to mention “Not Available as the last
Quarterly Statement is yet to be furnished'
• The explanation however is silent about monthly TDS
certificate

SATBIR SINGH

PRESIDENT

JAB WE MET CA

REDEFINING PROFESSIONALISM......

MONEY MARKET

CONTINUED FROM YESTARDSY..........
Repurchase Agreements: Repurchase transactions, called Repo or Reverse Repo are
transactions or short term loans in which two parties agree to sell and repurchase the same
security. They are usually used for overnight borrowing. Repo/Reverse Repo transactions can
be done only between the parties approved by RBI and in RBI approved securities viz. GOI
and State Govt Securities, T-Bills, PSU Bonds, FI Bonds, Corporate Bonds etc. Under
repurchase agreement the seller sells specified securities with an agreement to repurchase the
same at a mutually decided future date and price. Similarly, the buyer purchases the securities
with an agreement to resell the same to the seller on an agreed date at a predetermined price.
Such a transaction is called a Repo when viewed from the perspective of the seller of the
securities and Reverse Repo when viewed from the perspective of the buyer of the securities.
Thus, whether a given agreement is termed as a Repo or Reverse Repo depends on which
party initiated the transaction. The lender or buyer in a Repo is entitled to receive
compensation for use of funds provided to the counterparty. Effectively the seller of the
security borrows money for a period of time (Repo period) at a particular rate of interest
mutually agreed with the buyer of the security who has lent the funds to the seller. The rate of
interest agreed upon is called the Repo rate. The Repo rate is negotiated by the counterparties
independently of the coupon rate or rates of the underlying securities and is influenced by
overall money market conditions.
Commercial Papers: Commercial paper is a low-cost alternative to bank loans. It is a short
term unsecured promissory note issued by corporates and financial institutions at a
discounted value on face value. They are usually issued with fixed maturity between one to
270 days and for financing of accounts receivables, inventories and meeting short term
liabilities. Say, for example, a company has receivables of Rs 1 lacs with credit period 6
months. It will not be able to liquidate its receivables before 6 months. The company is in
need of funds. It can issue commercial papers in form of unsecured promissory notes at
discount of 10% on face value of Rs 1 lacs to be matured after 6 months. The company has
strong credit rating and finds buyers easily. The company is able to liquidate its receivables
immediately and the buyer is able to earn interest of Rs 10K over a period of 6 months. They
yield higher returns as compared to T-Bills as they are less secure in comparison to these
bills; however chances of default are almost negligible but are not zero risk instruments.
Commercial paper being an instrument not backed by any collateral, only firms with high
quality credit ratings will find buyers easily without offering any substantial discounts. They
are issued by corporates to impart flexibility in raising working capital resources at market
determined rates. Commercial Papers are actively traded in the secondary market since they
are issued in the form of promissory notes and are freely transferable in demat form.
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...........
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SATBIR SINGH
JAB WE MET CA
REDEFINING PRFOFESSONALISM.......

India Ranks Low

India ranks low in financial inclusion: ICRIER
India has been ranked poorly, even below African countries like Kenya and Moracco, in the first-ever index of financial inclusion prepared by city -based think-tank ICRIER to find out the extent of reach of banking services in 100 country's of the world.
India has been placed at the 50th spot, much above Russia but below China, in the index of financial inclusion (IFI) prepared by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
The financial inclusion index, which gives the extent of availability and usage of banking services in key nations of the world, is based on indicators like number of bank accounts per thousand adults, number of ATMs and bank branched per million people and amount of bank credit and deposit.
The index assumes significance as one of the major goals of the 11th Five-Year Plan is to work for financial inclusion and extend the reach of microfinance to meet credit needs of approximately 80 per cent of the population not directly covered by banks.
Spain has occupied the top position in the IFI, which is based on 2004 data, followed by Canada and Portugal, while countries including Nepal, Zimbabwe and Bostwana are at the bottom of the list.
Among the important countries, Germany has been placed at 4th position, the UK 17th, USA 21st and Japan 22nd.
Referring to India, the ICRIER study said inspite of low density of bank branches, the usage of banking system in terms of volume of credit and deposit seems to be moderately high.
source-business standard
New Delhi July 23, 2008, 15:42 IST

Disinvestment process

Disinvestment process may gain speed

“We will complete the NHPC IPO by September-October, if market conditions permit”, says Mr Jairam Ramesh.

New Delhi, July 23 After the initial euphoria over reforms getting a leg-up following the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government surviving a trust vote and freeing itself from the Left’s clutches, reality seems to be dawning upon policymakers.
The win at Tuesday’s confidence vote will technically allow the Congress-led alliance to be in power till April next. But as a senior official noted, the ‘window of opportunity’ to push through major reforms exists only till around October, after which Assembly elections would take off in six States.
“Any Bill to be passed would have to be taken up in the Monsoon session, starting next month.
“While there is also the Winter session after that, it would be politically difficult to enact any big-ticket legislation then”, he pointed out.
The Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, on Wednesday, stated that the Government will ‘try’ to take up various pending Bills in the coming session itself.
These pertain to raising the existing 26 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in insurance companies to 49 per cent, removing the 10 per cent individual voting rights cap in banks and conferring statutory status to the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.
“Getting each of them passed is akin to surviving a fresh trust vote. After all the bad blood created in the recent vote, it would take some deft manoeuvring to obtain the support of the main Opposition, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), leave alone the Left”, the official said.
While the Government’s new ally, Samajwadi Party (SP), has indicated that it is open to pension, banking and insurance reforms, “it is risky to rely just on their numbers, more so after all the recent horse-trading allegations”.
The official was also pessimistic on FDI being permitted in retail, even if it involves no legislation per se. “Forget SP, even sections within the Congress are dead opposed to it”, he added.Possible areas
So what reforms can one realistically expect? Disinvestment is one area that could see some action. With the Left off its back, the Government is planning to go full steam with the initial public offerings (IPO) of NHPC Ltd and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC).
Confirming this, the Minister of State for Power, Mr Jairam Ramesh, told Business Line, “We will complete the NHPC IPO by September-October, if market conditions permit”.
The company is slated to issue 10 per cent fresh equity and offload five per cent through an offer for sale, which will reduce the overall Government stake to 86.3 per cent.Study under way
In the case of DVC, the Government has already commissioned KPMG to work out the modalities for going public. “DVC is a statutory corporation that was, in fact, created 60 years back through an Act of the Constituent Assembly. The consultant is examining various options, including floating of a subsidiary that can be listed without the need to amend the Act relating to the parent company”, Mr Ramesh said.
The Government also wants to list companies such as Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation, though these are unlikely to happen in the current Government’s term, Mr Ramesh admitted.

SOURCE :Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publicationsThursday, Jul 24, 2008

TDS MAY BE WAIVED ON RENTAL INCOME


TDS may be waived for rental income up to Rs 2 lakh

July 24, 2008, 0:06 IST

Source- Business Standards
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is likely to increase the exemption limit for tax deducted at source on rental income to Rs 2,00,000 a year from Rs 1,20,000 at present.
The move will go a long way towards reducing the tax burden of individuals and companies earning rental income. Professionals, small businesses and companies paying rent above Rs 1,20,000 annually are statutorily required to deduct TDS.
The TDS rate is 15 per cent for individuals and 20 per cent for companies earning rental income from land, buildings (including factory buildings) and furniture. The rate is 10 per cent on rental income from machinery, plant and equipment.
The move to increase the rental income limit has become necessary after the basic exemption limit from income tax for individuals was raised to Rs 1,50,000 a year in Budget 2008, officials said.
"The move will be a great relief to pensioners and retired people whose only source of income is from immovable property like house rent," said a tax consultant.

Golden Quotes

Why not be instrumental in solving the problems of others instead of being a problem yourself?