Income tax rate cut, sops for PSUs: Brokerage expectations from Modi 3.0 budget

Expectations (as measured by pre-budget equity market performance), wrote analysts at Morgan Stanley in a note, are important in determining what the market does immediately after the budget

Amazon is in the news again for exploitative work conditions. The company’s warehouse and delivery workers in India have alleged inhuman corporate practices employed at its facilities, including not being allowed enough time to take restroom breaks and a lack of financial assistance for work-related injuries.

Amazon is in the news again for exploitative work conditions. The company’s warehouse and delivery workers in India have alleged inhuman corporate practices employed at its facilities, including not being allowed enough time to take restroom breaks and a lack of financial assistance for work-related injuries.

As many as 1,838 participants alleged dire working conditions at Amazon’s facilities in India, in a survey conducted by UNI Global Union in partnership with the Amazon India Workers Association (AIWA). The survey was published on Wednesday, prompting the e-commerce firm to deny its claims.

 

The funding support from asset management companies to non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) has grown in the six months until May 2024 after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiked the risk weights on bank loans to NBFCs in November 2023.

According to CareEdge Ratings data, the total debt funds deployed in NBFCs via commercial paper and corporate debt rose from Rs 1.6 trillion at the end of October 2023 to about Rs 2.1 trillion at the end of May 2024.

“The overall economic environment globally and in India is so uncertain to talk about interest rate cuts. Second thing is CPI headline inflation continues to be close to 5 per cent and according to surveys done it is expected to be close to 5 per cent [for June]; I think it is too early to talk about an interest rate cut,” he said in an interview with CNBC TV18. “I would rather not give any kind of forward guidance which may lead the market players, stakeholders and others to board the wrong train," he added.

Two of the six members of the RBI's monetary policy committee voted last month to cut the policy repo rate, arguing that an overly tight policy might hinder economic growth.

More tax benefits for health insurance under the new tax regime, relaxation in payment norms for MSMEs and incentives for the agri-tech sector are among the expectations of stakeholders from the first budget of the Modi 3.0 government.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the full Budget for fiscal 2024-25 on July 23, which will be the first major policy document of the new government.

Anup Rau, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Future Generali India Insurance Company, said the deduction limit on health insurance premiums under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act has remained unchanged for the past nine years despite the fact that there has been a significant rise in healthcare costs across the country.

"It would be best if the limit for medical insurance is linked to inflation and gets revised automatically every year or once in a couple of years. Also, the benefits need to be extended to the New Tax regime since increasing health insurance penetration is critical. So, we hope the upcoming Budget to announce some hike in the deduction limit on health insurance premiums," Rau said.

Tapan Singhel, MD & CEO of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, said reforms like offering health insurance to employees at negotiated rates, reducing GST on health insurance premiums, and offering tax benefits like increased Section 80D exemption limits would make health insurance more affordable and accessible, especially for The next fortnight will be a volatile phase for the Indian stock markets as they prepare and then digest finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget proposals for fiscal 2024-25 (FY25). 

June quarter corporate earnings season (Q1-FY25), too, analysts suggest, is likely to see stock specific moves and have some bearing on the overall market sentiment.

As many as 1,838 participants alleged dire working conditions at Amazon’s facilities in India, in a survey conducted by UNI Global Union in partnership with the Amazon India Workers Association (AIWA). The survey was published on Wednesday, prompting the e-commerce firm to deny its claims.

Bankrupt airline Go First on Thursday told the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) that it has no objection to the release of four engines in its possession to the owner, Engine Lease Finance BV.

The Resolution Professional's (RP) counsel, Advocate Diwakar Maheshwari, told the tribunal that they had already started the process of returning one engine.

The Reserve Bank of India’s decision to appoint an additional director to the Bandhan Bank board is a prudent measure and will ensure the proper functioning of the lender, broking firm Macquarie said in a latest note.

On Monday, the regulator inducted an additional director on the board of Bandhan Bank – Arun Kumar Singh, former chief general manager of RBI, weeks before the current managing director and chief executive officer Chandra Shekhar Ghosh’s retirement.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is using “vast computing power” and alternative data sources for analysis and economic insights, said Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday.

“We are conscious that we are moving from an era of data scarcity to data abundance. The volume of digital data stored as well as the storage capacity are growing at an exponential pace, bringing forth new challenges along with new opportunities,” he said in Mumbai at the 18th Statistics Day Conference organised by the Department of Statistics and Information Management.

Given the uncertain economic environment and inflation hovering around five per cent, it is premature to consider discussing an interest rate cut, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Thursday.

The domestic rate-setting panel has kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.50 per cent for more than a year now.

Das further stated that India’s rating upgrade should have happened earlier; however, it should follow through now. India is currently rated BBB-.

“The government has announced a fiscal consolidation path. And the interim budget gave a fiscal deficit of 5.1 per cent. And next year, 2025-2026, it is supposed to be 4.5 per cent, according to the roadmap which the government has given. Things appear to be moving in that direction. So, I think a rating upgrade should happen. It should have happened earlier. But it should happen,” he said.

He also said that the RBI will release the neutral rate after completing the current analysis within 1-2 months. The neutral rate or the real rate of interest is the repo rate minus inflation.