BSE - Greenex

Source – Business Today

The country's premier stock exchange BSE on Wednesday launched 'BSE-Greenex', the first environmental friendly equity index, which will enable investors take more informed decisions in the green theme of India.

BSE in association with gTrade (supported by GIZ promoted by Germany, Observer Research Foundation and IIM Ahmedabad) has constructed BSE-Greenex, designed specifically to promote green investing, with emphasis on financial performance and long-term viability of companies. It is based upon purely quantitative and objective performance signals to assess carbon performance.

BSE-Greenex includes top 20 companies based on Green House Gas Numbers, Free Float Market capitalisation and turnover. These companies include Tata Steel, SBI, L&T, ICICI Bank, Tata Motors, Sun Pharmaceuticals, NTPC, Dr Reddy's Labs, HDFC, Bharat Heavy Electricals, GAIL, Hindustan Unilever, Cipla, Sterlite Industries, Tata Power, Ambuja Cements, Lupin, DLF, Glaxosmithkline and Reliance Infrastructure.

Team CrawFin/ Harshal Jawale, CFP

Other Index details ---

Launched – 22 Feb, 2012

Launch Price – 1500

Current Market Price – 1475 (as on 23^rd Feb)

P/E – 18.9

P/B – 2.9

Turnover – above 200 Crore daily

Since there is no other incentive to companies to be a part of this index, I do not expect any price improvement in the stock prices or index. Investment is advisable only if one wish to purchase this basket of stocks instead of Sensex or Nifty or any other basket. Launch of green theme by MF houses may attract investments into these stocks thereby resulting price improvement in future.

“Wealthy Investment needs Healthy Methods”

MCX IPO – Worth a bet

Team CrawFin/ Harshal Jawale, CFP^CM

The Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), India's biggest commodity exchange by turnover is entering the market with an offer for sell from existing investors like FTIL, SBI, Corp Bank etc. Incorporated in 2003, MCX is the largest among these and have above 80% of the market share of the Indian commodity futures exchange industry. It allows trading in more than 50 commodities across sectors like bullion, metals, energy, weather, and agricultural products. MCX has more than 2,107 registered members operating through over 180,000 trader work stations in over 1,139 cities across India. MCX emerged as the 5th largest exchange in the world.

Issue Details –

Open – Feb 22, 2012 – Feb 24, 2012

Price band – INR 860 – INR 1032

Market Lot – 6 Shares

Size – INR 552 Cr – INR 663 Cr

CRISIL Rating – 5/5

Valuation post listing (Assuming issue close at higher price i.e. 1032)

Market Capitalization – INR 5200 Cr Approx

P/BV – 5 times

PE – 18 times (FY12 earning expected at 57)

CAGR – 33% for last 5 years; Expected growth is CAGR 25% for next 3 years

Cash in hand – INR 700 Cr

Dividend yield – 1% expected

Considering all the existing valuation parameters I feel IPO is priced at par. Yet its market leadership, nascent stage of commodities market in country like India, its future plans of entering into equity segment and consistent addition of new products will find high growth in near future. I recommend subscribe to IPO as a good value portfolio addition but do not expect bumper listing.

Low fee, limited service - ICICI into Financial Planning

ICICI Securities? financial advisory services may not be as customised as an individual advisor?s

Source – Business Standard

There is yet another option for those looking for help to plan their finances. ICICI Securities on Tuesday launched its bouquet of financial planning advisory services — including basic financial planning, portfolio evaluation services and estate planning.

ICICI Securities will offer its services through the offline and online routes. In case of the former, individuals can interact with their planner directly. The latter, though, is presently available only for ICICI Direct customers, as it operates on a login basis, according to Abhishake Mathur, senior vice president, financial planning services, ICICI Securities.

Here's how the online model works: Existing customers can log on to their account, choose the financial planning services option and fill details such as family income, expenses and savings, goals, etc. After this, they can proceed to seek an appointment with the financial planner for discussions. The planner would take seven to 10 days to formulate the plan.

AT A GLANCE

Services offered: Financial planning, portfolio evaluation and estate planning

Mode of interaction: Face-to-face or phone interaction

Fees: Rs 5,000 - 7,500 for a basic financial plan

USP:

No sale obligation clause to ensure that advice is unbiased

A three-month post-plan support offered

No minimum portfolio size or annual income required

Hitches:

Concerns about customisation and detailing of plan

No continual engagement opportunity

The unique selling proposition of the plan for many may be the 'no sale obligation' clause. That is, the customer isn’t obliged to purchase products from ICICI group companies and is free to route his investments via other intermediaries. Also, unlike the international financial planning major, Ameriprise, that started its India operations in January, ICICI is not targeting a specific income group. Ameriprise Financial is targeting those with a gross household income between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 1 crore.

ICICI Securities' introductory fee is Rs 5,000 (online) and Rs 7,500 (offline), with a three-month post-plan servicing period, where the client may approach the company for clarifications or tweaking his/her plan. "This is a one-time fee. It may be slashed at the time of plan renewal," says Mathur. He adds that currently these fees will be charged for individual services. Collective pricing, i.e. one for all services being opted together, is still being worked out.

Comparatively, Ameriprise's Envision (a comprehensive financial plan) costs Rs 12,500 a year. It entails a minimum of four sittings or quarterly updates. "The planner will prepare the plan after the first interaction and take stock of the investments and whether the client is reaching the goal(s) in subsequent sittings," says Kapil Narang, COO, Ameriprise Financial India.

Independent financial planners may be the costliest, charging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000 or more. There is no standard pricing mechanism, according to Suresh Sadagopan, a certified financial planner.

The difference in the fees charged is attributed to the engagement level and the detailing of the plan. For instance, a financial planner points out that on account of the low fees charged, some portion of the recommendations may be software- or system-driven. Especially, reservations are voiced in case of the 'online' planning mechanism, where there is no interface between the planner and client. "Financial planning is all about customisation and studying the client's cash flows minutely. Like, the individual may be receiving an additional income as bonus or incentives during the festive season. This spike in the income inflow can be diverted towards investments or loan pre-payments. Such suggestions can be made only through an in-depth dialogue with the client. He would rarely do so voluntarily; he must be prodded for such details," says Sadagopan. Something that is not possible in an online model.

Another grouse one may harbour is the absence of managing and monitoring of the portfolio service in ICICI's bouquet, chiefly because a financial plan cannot be looked at in isolation. One must check regularly if the investments are faring in line with expectations. So, if you enlist an independent advisor's help, he may charge a percentage (0.5-1 per cent) of the portfolio under management and take stock each quarter, if it needs to be tweaked. In ICICI's case, you would have to be proactive. You can approach them for a portfolio evaluation service, a one-time health check for your investments.

Despite the limitations, financial planners welcome ICICI's foray. They say, given the low number of practising certified financial planners, ICICI's large presence may help take the service to a large number of retail investors.

13 silly tax provisions

Source - Moneycontrol

In spite of the fact that year after year the Government is trying to simplify and rationalize the Income-tax Law but still there are innumerable provisions in the Income-tax Act which make them appear silly by a large number of tax paying public of India. In this small article an attempt is being made to list down some of these common tax provisions which may be amended in the forthcoming Finance Bill  so that a large number of tax paying public of India can get some relief. It is expected that the Hon'ble Finance Minister will surely take care to address these provisions with an open mind  specially when the Direct Taxes Code is not expected to be implemented from 1-4-2012. Here are these silly tax provisions as commonly complained by the tax payers.

1. A husband cannot give a gift to his wife otherwise as per the provisions contained in section 64 of the Income-tax Act clubbing provisions would apply and the income of the wife will be clubbed  or added with the income of the husband.  Is it not unrealistic tax provision?  The law should be amended  at least  now through the Finance Bill  to permit some reasonable amount which can be given to the spouse without attracting provisions of section 64.

2. Presently as per rule-3 of the Income-tax Rules, 1962 there exists a complete different set of tax treatment specially with reference to rent free accommodation provided by the employer.   While the Government employees pay licence fee and are out from the tax net but the non- Government sector employees they receive rent free accommodation on which they are taxed exorbitantly namely   7.5 % or 15% of the salary depending on the population of the town.  It is high time that just like race discrimination the concept of employee discrimination should cease to exist in the Income-tax Law. Uniform system of taxing  Salary & Perquisites should be introduced and the provisions to this effect should find place  right now in the Finance Bill.

3. For all types of tax payers who do not have a house of their own or for the employees if they do not get a accommodation from the employer  and they also do not get house rent allowance then they can all enjoy a special tax deduction in respect of the rent paid by them for the house.  The deduction is permissible in terms of section 80GG of the Income-tax Act whereby one can enjoy deduction for rent paid upto 25% of the income. This really sounds very good and interesting and brings cheers to the tax payers but the limit is restricted to deduction of maximum Rs.2,000/- per month.  The limit remains so for the last so many years  hence requires to be changed at least now.

4. Standard deduction  as in the past should  be permissible to all salaried employees.

5. To save capital gain as per the provisions existing in the Income-tax Law a person can invest in capital gain bonds.  As per the provisions of the law contained in section 54EC of the Income-tax law, there is a upper cap of investment under  the Income-tax Law which  presently is Rs. 50 lakhs.  In the past there never was any cap in investment which resulted into property transactions taking place mainly with white money.   But couple of years ago  the Government by amending the provisions of the law has put cap of just  Rs. 50 lakhs for investment in these capital gain bonds.  Putting this cap legally is not valid in the eyes of the law.   Hence, the cap should be deleted.

6. The exemption limit for senior citizens is Rs.2,50,000 per annum.  This is pretty very good in comparison with a normal individual tax payer.  However, the poor senior citizen as soon as the income exceeds Rs.2,50,000 per annum is required to make payment of income-tax @ 10% on income upto Rs.5 lakhs. Hence, the slabs of income-tax should be realigned in all fairness for providing benefit to the senior citizens in comparison with other tax payers.

7. The Finance Minister generally increases the exemption limit once in a while.   The question that remains to be answered in a realistic manner is why should not the Income-tax initial exemption limit be realigned in tune with the day to day minimum expenditure of a person earning the income.  If this aspect is taken into account then surely the minimum exemption limit in all fairness for individual tax payers should be Rs.2 lakhs per annum. It is these unrealistic exemption limits which are responsible for tax evasion in the country.   If the Finance Minister were to consider the realistic situation and also realign the tax rates then obviously the tax evasion in the country could be a thing of the past.  The fact remains on record that whenever the tax rates in the past have been reduced the tax collection has always been higher.  The maximum Tax rate should be 25% only so that tax evasion will reduce.  

8. Leave Travel Assistance granted to employees by the employer enjoy tax exemption twice in a block of 4 years.   However, the present rules provide for travel in any part of India to the employee so also the members of the family.   This deduction is granted as per section 10(5) of the Income-tax Act, 1961.   Unfortunately, the exemption is not available for travel concession granted to employees for travel outside India.  The Income-tax Law should be amended so as to provide the exemption of travel concession even outside India.   Moreover, as per the present law what is exempted is only the value of travel concession and not boarding and lodging.   To make the travel as a real recreational activity for the employee, the deduction of section 10 (5) should not only cover the value of travel concession but also should cover the expenses on boarding and lodging.  Likewise, this deduction should be tax exempted  for the employees each year, specially keeping in view the great stress under which the employees work these days, hence let the  Finance Bill make necessary amendment to this effect.

9. Presently the salaried employees enjoy tax exemption in respect of medical expenses upto Rs.15,000 per annum.  This limit should be enhanced to at least 30,000 rupees per annum in view of increase in the medical expenditure in last 3 years.   Besides, the income-tax exemption is also granted in respect of medical expenses incurred on the employee for treatment abroad but this deduction is available only when the gross income of the employee is maximum upto Rs.2 lakhs per annum.   Well, this restriction on income for availing tax concession on medical expenses abroad should be done away with.   It is a fact that in majority of the cases the expenses on travel for medical purposes of the employees are sanctioned only in respect of senior employees.  Hardly one could find any company in India where the expenditure on foreign treatment is incurred for employees having salary below Rs.2 lakhs per annum.  Hence, this provision must go. 

10. In terms of section 80C of the Income-tax Law presently within the overall limit of Rs.1 lakh deduction is granted to the tax payers in respect of tuition fee paid by them.   However, this deduction is only for the tuition fee.   It does not cover expenses which are directly related to the education of the child like the expenses for purchase of books, payment of school bus, payment of hostel facility and other connected expenses for the education of the children.   The Hon'ble Finance Minister should permit  all legitimate expenses  to be deducted  u/s 80C towards education of the children which will produce  a bright India in years to come.

11. The loss of business is not allowed as a deduction to be set off from sa;ary income  in the case of a salaried employee.  There seems to be no logic in it.  Hence, the provisions should be amended so that even the employees as well as the Directors of the companies can enjoy the tax adjustment of business loss with salary income.

12. To make the life more simple and to ensure that the tax provisions are easy to remember and finally even on the principles of equity, uniformity and justice, it is recommended that the period of holding a capital asset to make it long-term capital gain should be 365 days for all categories of assets whether shares or real estate or mutual funds and also for the non-listed company shares.

13. Presently an individual tax payer to save his capital gain can invest in a residential property by taking advantage of section 54 or section 54F of the Income-tax Act, 1961.   However, this benefit is available only for investment in one residential house why should not the law be amended to grant permission to the tax payer to invest the capital gain amount in any number of residential houses.This amendment alone can help in a big way for removing the housing shortage in the country.

The Finance Bill, 2012 is to be presented in the Parliament and as this time the FM can surely incorporate the above mentioned points in the Finance Bill.

The author is tax & investment consultant at New Delhi for last over 40 years. He is also Director of M/s R.N. Lakhotia & Associates & The Strategy Group.