A chunk of FM’s new measures was addressed at foreign investors, whose interest in India, data shows, has cooled. So, the Budget courts global and diaspora capital.Aside from the generous tax holiday on data centres right up till 2047, the proposed year of the nation’s tryst with Viksit Bharat, the Budget offered a 5-year tax holiday to foreign companies supplying capital goods and equipment, a clear incentive for manufacturing supply chains thinking of relocating to India.
FM has allowed persons resident outside India, NRIs and others, to invest more in Indian equities. She raised individual investment limit as well as the ceiling on how much equity foreigners can hold in an Indian firm.NRIs are also potential beneficiaries of an asset disclosure scheme that offers immunity from prosecution. For undeclared ‘small’ assets and incomes, a one-time admission will suffice. The Budget bets that this will make more NRIs, especially overseas professionals, return to India and reengage with it financially.Tax exemption on global income for foreign experts working in India removes a major irritant for senior global talent thinking of moving to the country.Minimum Alternate Tax exemption for all non-residents is good news for foreign businesses, especially contractors and service providers. Making expenditure on critical minerals exploration tax deductible is a carrot for global mining firms. Other reach-outs include lower tax incidence for fund management and treasury ops shifting to GIFT City.
