Cabinet clears new Income Tax bill; to be introduced in Parliament next week

The new bill seeks to make direct tax law simple to understand and does not impose any new tax burden. It will not have provisos, explanations, or long sentences.

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the new income tax bill, which will replace the six-decade-old I-T Act, sources said.

The new bill seeks to make direct tax law simple to understand and does not impose any new tax burden. It will not have provisos, explanations, or long sentences.

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the New Income Tax Bill, sources said. The new income tax bill will now be introduced in Parliament next week and sent to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance.

The first leg of the ongoing budget session ends on February 13. The session will reconvene on March 10 and continue through April 4.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in Budget 2025-26 that the new tax bill would be introduced in the ongoing session of Parliament. Sitharaman had first announced a comprehensive review of the Income-tax Act, 1961, in the July 2024 Budget.

The CBDT had set up an internal committee to oversee the review and make the Act concise, clear, and easy to understand, aiming to reduce disputes and litigations while providing greater tax certainty to taxpayers. Additionally, 22 specialised sub-committees were established to review various aspects of the Income Tax Act.

Public inputs and suggestions were invited in four categories — simplification of language, litigation reduction, compliance reduction, and removal of redundant/obsolete provisions. The income tax department has received 6,500 suggestions from stakeholders regarding the review of the Income Tax Act.