The government has relaxed the norms under the definition of Start-Ups. The changes brought in are:
- The investment limit of angel investors to seek exemption under the Income Tax Act, 1961 has been increased to Rs 25 crore from 10 Crore.
- An entity shall be considered a start-up up to 10 years from its date of incorporation/registration instead of the previous period of 7 years.
- An entity would be considered as a startup up to a turnover of Rs 100 crore as against the earlier limit of Rs 25 crore.
Exemptions Proposed
- A start-up cannot invest in a building or land unless it is for its business or used by it for purposes of renting or held by it as stock-in-trade.
- A start-up cannot offer loans or advances, other than those where lending money is part of its business.
- A start-up cannot make any capital contribution to any other entity or invest in shares, car, any vehicle or mode of transport that costs more than Rs 10 lakh.
These exemptions were brought in to allay the fears of CBDT that start-ups could be used for money laundering or receive investment from shell companies for tax evasion.
The relaxations are in line with the government’s vision to promote the culture of entrepreneurship and ease of doing business in India.