Optimising fixed-income returns: How to get around high tax (2024)

Synopsis

In terms of savings, India is still very much a fixed income country.

Optimising fixed-income returns: How to get around high tax (1)

By Dhirendra Kumar
CEO, Value Research

Last week, the Reserve Bank refused to lower interest rates, despite — or so the news informed everyone — there being a widespread expectation that it would do so. As is usual when something like this happens, there followed a noisy discussion about interest rates, inflation and growth. It was more or less a repeat of numerous such discussions over the past decade, and neither overly useful or entertaining.

Disappointingly, just as in the previous rounds of this same identical discussion, there was little attention paid to the function of interest rates as the sole source of investment income for a large proportion of small savers. Let us, for the moment, forget about growth-vs-inflation tradeoff for the moment and look at the first, direct effect of lower interest rates. That effect is lower income for lenders and lower cost for borrowers. So who is the biggest borrower in the country? Obviously, the Government of India. And who is the biggest lender? The people of India, directly or indirectly. In terms of savings, India is still very much a fixed income country, and the tens of crores of people have all their financial savings in bank FDs, PPF, post office deposits and such. Since the flow of money through the banking system amounts to these people lending to the government and to businesses, it’s easy to see what lower rates mean for savers. Savers need a real rate of return at least two or three per cent higher than the consumer inflation. When you lower the retail rates from, say 7 per cent to 6.5 per cent, 8 per cent of their income is gone.

Unfortunately, there is no real, substantive solution to this problem which does not involve equity. That’s something that most retirees, with a lifetime of faith in deposits and distrust of equities, are unable to consider. Ideally, even a reasonably conservative hybrid fund, held for a period of three to five years and above, would solve this problem. However, the variability of the value is a psychological barrier that savers of an older generation cannot cope with. I find that younger investors, for example those who have been investing in ELSS funds get well-used to such variability. They learn the lesson that there may be ups and downs in equity-backed funds but eventually the gains are good. Perhaps this is not a lesson that can be learned later in one’s investing life. However, even if they stick to fixed-income sources, such savers to do well to learn another lesson from mutual funds, which is that tax-efficiency matters a lot. The benefits of using mutual funds funds go beyond just returns. The different taxation structure means there’s a bigger difference in post-tax returns. The tax difference arises from the fact that returns from fixed deposit are classified as interest income while mutual fund returns are classified as capital gains. Under interest income, you have to pay tax every year for the what you earned that year. If your total interest income from a bank (all accounts and deposits together) exceed Rs 10,000 then the bank also deducts TDS at 10 per cent. In fact, if the bank does not know your PAN, it will deduct 20 per cent. This means that a part of your return is not available for compounding because it is taken out and paid as tax every year.

There is a further advantage to the mutual fund option if you stay invested for more than three years. If you redeem after three years, then the gains are classified as long-term capital gains and are taxed after indexation. Essentially, you get taxed only on inflation adjusted returns. Again, this does not happen with FDs. Applying all these factors, a three year investment even in shortest-term debt fund will leave you with almost twice the returns as an FD over the same period.

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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)

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Optimising fixed-income returns: How to get around high tax (2024)

FAQs

How can high income earners reduce taxes? ›

For example, you might:
  1. Max out tax-advantaged savings. Contributing the maximum amount to your tax-deferred retirement plan or health savings account (HSA) can help reduce your taxable income for the year. ...
  2. Make charitable donations. ...
  3. Harvest investment losses.
Mar 13, 2024

How do you avoid tax on Treasury bonds? ›

The Treasury gives you two options:
  1. Report interest each year and pay taxes on it annually.
  2. Defer reporting interest until you redeem the bonds or give up ownership of the bond and it's reissued or the bond is no longer earning interest because it's matured.
Dec 12, 2023

How do I maximize my tax deductions? ›

Many everyday expenses can be itemized as deductions on your income tax return. Categorize your expenses into IRS-approved deduction categories such as medical and dental expenses, deductible taxes, home mortgage points, etc. Bunch your expenses into one tax year to maximize the value of your deductions.

What is the anchor strategy of Fidelity? ›

The anchor portion of your portfolio uses investments that offer a fixed return, such as certificates of deposit (CDs) or single-premium deferred annuities (SPDAs). These assets have a set lifespan, and the amount you invest is designed to grow back with interest to your original principal.

How can I reduce my taxes if I make over 100k? ›

Here are five more strategies that you can use to get even more tax-free income:
  1. Take full advantage of 401(k) or 403(b) plans. ...
  2. Move to a tax-free state. ...
  3. Contribute to a health savings account. ...
  4. Itemize your deductions. ...
  5. Use tax-loss harvesting.
Mar 31, 2023

What type of tax hurts the lower income tax payer the most? ›

Explain to students that sales taxes are considered regressive because they take a larger percentage of income from low-income taxpayers than from high-income taxpayers. To make such taxes less regressive, many states exempt basic necessities such as food from the sales tax.

How do you avoid tax on a mature savings bond? ›

One way you might avoid owing taxes on the bond interest is to cash your EE or I bonds before maturity and use the proceeds to pay for college. If you meet this set of rules, the interest won't be taxable: You must have acquired the bonds after 1989 when you were at least age 24. The bonds must be in your name only.

Which US Treasury bonds are tax free? ›

Municipal Bonds

This means interest on these bonds are excluded from gross income for federal tax purposes. In addition, interest on the bonds is exempt from State of California personal income taxes.

What bonds are not taxed federally? ›

Income from bonds issued by state, city, and local governments (municipal bonds, or munis) is generally free from federal taxes. * You will, however, have to report this income when filing your taxes. Municipal bond income is also usually free from state tax in the state where the bond was issued.

What is the most frequently overlooked tax deduction? ›

The retirement saver's tax credit is one of the most frequently overlooked tax breaks, and it can be worth up to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly.

What is the average tax return for a single person making $60000? ›

If you make $60,000 a year living in the region of California, USA, you will be taxed $13,653. That means that your net pay will be $46,347 per year, or $3,862 per month.

Which filing status gives the biggest refund? ›

Filing as Head of Household can result in a higher Standard Deduction and more favorable tax brackets than filing as Single, if you qualify.

What is the rule of 6% Fidelity? ›

If the interest rate on your debt is 6% or greater, you should generally pay down debt before investing additional dollars toward retirement. This guideline assumes that you've already put away some emergency savings, you've fully captured any employer match, and you've paid off any credit card debt.

Is Fdrxx better than SPAXX? ›

FDRXX – Fidelity Government Cash Reserves

For all intents and purposes, it is basically an older version of SPAXX. Their holdings are nearly identical and they have nearly the same yield and the same historical returns. FDRXX launched in 1979 and has a 7-day SEC yield of 5.02%.

How does Fdrxx compare to SPAXX? ›

SPAXX is available in Non-Retirement Brokerage Accounts (other than Fidelity Cash Management Accounts) and Retirement Accounts, such as IRAs. FDRXX is available in Retirement Accounts. While these funds have some similar characteristics, there are differences in their asset composition and underlying structure.

What allows a higher income person to pay a lower percentage of income in taxes than a lower income ›

A regressive tax is a fixed amount of money paid by each individual or household. In a regressive tax, the percentage rate decreases as the amount being taxed increases.

Why is high income tax bad? ›

High marginal tax rates, the amount of additional tax paid for every additional dollar earned as income, reduce individual incentives to work and business incentives to invest. That means individual income taxes also have a negative effect on the economy.

Why is my income taxed so high? ›

Different income tax brackets apply depending on how much money you make. Generally speaking, a higher percentage is typically taken out of your paycheck if you earn a higher level of income.

Does a Roth IRA reduce taxable income? ›

Contributions to a Roth IRA aren't deductible (and you don't report the contributions on your tax return), but qualified distributions or distributions that are a return of contributions aren't subject to tax. To be a Roth IRA, the account or annuity must be designated as a Roth IRA when it's set up.

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