The budget 2018 had reintroduced the long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax on equity funds at the rate of 10% on gains in excess of Rs. 1 lakh. This was not welcomed by investors who had invested in equity-linked saving schemes (ELSS). People invest in ELSS for tax deduction under Section 80 C of Income Tax Act, 1961. Now, tax benefits have been proposed under Budget 2019 for investment in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) in line with ELSS. This means that the investment in CPSE ETFs shall give investors the same benefits as ELSS and therefore, more options for investors for deductions up to Rs. 1.5 lakh under Section 80C of Income Tax Act, 1961 would be available. Currently, two of such ETFs are regulated in India. They are, CPSE ETF and Bharat ETF (launched by ICICI Prudential in June 2018). This has been done so that there would be more participation by the retail investors in the government introduced disinvestment scheme.
Whether, like the ELSS, the lock-in period of 3 years would also be applicable on CPSE ETFs, is yet to be seen.
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