The Interim Union Budget for 2024-25 continued to tread the path of fiscal consolidation, in the backdrop of a healthy domestic economic environment. It pegged the Government of India’s (GoI) fiscal deficit at 5.1 percent of GDP for the next fiscal, midway through the revised estimate of 5.8 percent for FY2024 and the medium-term fiscal deficit target of 4.5 percent for FY2026.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the government's last Budget before the upcoming general elections in May. This vote-on-account budget did not include any major announcements, but some sector-specific schemes were announced. Auto stocks, power and private bank shares were among the gainers, while L&T, UltraTech Cement, JSW Steel, Hindalco, FMCG firms saw a decline.

Railway stocks showed little change on Feb 1, despite a budget announcement to convert 40k coaches to Vande Bharat standards. Experts say the market had already factored in the positives and Titagarh Rail, Texmaco Rail, and Jupiter Wagons were down by 1-2%. Quant MF CEO believes that although some railway stocks may seem promising, they have already seen significant uptrends in the past 18 months.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 announced Rs 1. 20 lakh crore as expenditure on education in the Interim Budget 2024-25. This is Rs 9,091 crore less than the revised estimate for 2023-24 and translates to a nearly 7.26 percent decline compared with the previous revised estimates of Rs 1,29,718 crore. Allocation for school education has increased by a meagre 0.7 percent.

IRFC, which serves as the market borrowing arm for Indian Railways, will abstain from borrowing any funds in the form of debt during the financial year 2024-25, according to Budget documents. The government's decision to list IRFC Internal and Extra-Budgetary Resources (IEBR) as negligible in the 2024-25 budget suggests that it does not intend to borrow money to fund its capital expenditure.

The Interim Budget announcement for 2024 has not only been lauded for its fiscal prudence but has also opened up promising opportunities in various sectors.Among the companies poised to benefit from the budget's focus on mid-income housing and tourism, Mahindra Holidays stands out as a potential multi-year tourism bet.The interim Budget had a special mention about the tourism sector.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman's announcements on affordable housing and extension of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the rural sector failed to cheer realty stocks which fell up to 3% on Thursday. The specifics of the scheme are yet to be announced.Among the top losers were Brigade Enterprises, Sobha, Prestige Estates which fell between 3% and 2.40% at 1:15 pm.

If there is any error in the income tax return filed by you, a notice under section 143(2) will be issued to call you for scrutiny if the case is picked up. In case an individual has failed to file the tax return in a particular financial year, then the tax department will issue a notice under Section 148. Additional tax notices may also be sent for other reasons.

MUMBAI - Stocks in the infrastructure space were mixed, with most of them largely unmoved as the announcements in the interim Budget for FY25 were largely on expected lines. For 2024-25 (April-March), the government has increased the total capital outlay by 11% to Rs 11.1 lakh crore, which was largely expected. This is likely to be 3.4% of GDP. Analysts had expected government capex to further.

The salaried class, who have been consistently lauded for their contribution towards the nation's tax pool, were keenly awaiting the announcements to be made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as part of the Interim Budget she presented on February 1. Here's a look at the big takeaways from Sitharaman's budget presentation for the salaried class: No changes in income-tax rates and slabs

Diagnostics player Dr Lal PathLabs on February 1 reported a 54 percent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 81.3 crore for the third quarter of this financial year. The company had reported a profit of Rs 52.8 crore in the same period last year. Revenue for the October-December quarter came in at Rs 538.9 crore, up 10.1 percent from the year-ago quarter numbers of Rs 489.4 crore..

Several manufacturing companies will face uncertainty following the interim Union Budget 2024 as the government has not specified any provision to extend the special tax rate of 15 percent applicable to new manufacturing units that begin production before March 31, 2024. This could potentially increase the tax outgo of some manufacturing by 7 percent, say tax experts.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has not made any announcement regarding a cut in cess on crude oil in the interim Budget 2024 presented on February 1. Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Budget 2024 as a vote-on-account ahead of the general elections scheduled for April-May 2024. A full Budget for FY25 will be presented after the new government comes to power.

The interim Budget 2024 has set the ball rolling for formally introducing the hike in the tax collected at source (TCS) rate on foreign remittances, announced in 2023 into the Income Tax Act by way of an amendment. This will happen once the bill is passed by the Parliament. It was in the last Budget that the government had announced a hike in the TCS rate on foreign remittances.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech announced key infrastructure investments in expansion of airports and railway corridors, expected to drive real estate activity in Tier II and III cities. The government allotted Rs 11.11 trillion for capital expenditure and set aside funds for PMAY and tourism development, which could lead to better livability and attract residents.