Budget 2019 What matters most

Too many promises and lots of ideas but how and when will budget ideas be implemented and more importantly how will it be funded is a big ?? because funding is depending on private partnership. Secondly this budget is filled with contradictory goals

The govt wants 90000 crores from RBI , is going to borrow more and substantially enough that it wants to borrow sovereign debt in foreign funds .

Too much populism and mismanagement can make India another Pakistan and Argentina is a big big risk when governments depend on external debt to finance deficits in the distant future.

Budget is very Inflationary ! u will pay more excise and government earns more cess of at least 40000 crores vide oil tax on petrol and diesel. Expect everything to face inflation or mehengai tax even if there is no or little change in normal taxes.

Huge push on reviving a property market with more deduction of 150000 but middle class is over saturated with having empty second and third flats that they are unable to sell .  Model tenancy law will be revolutionary if it can meander through the complex and archaic legal system and free up locked empty houses for use thus increasing supply of rentable property, making postponing a property purchase more lucrative.

There is a big push for govt to recapitalize psu banks 70000 crores is huge but will the npa ko evergreen karo, ji mantri ji, chalta hai and corruption culture of babus in banks change ? will politicians meddling in banks and creating massive NPAs stop ? Essar RCom Kingfisher and Jet Air , N Modi are salient examples of crony capitalism.

INDIRA Gandhi had nationalized banks . The PSU banks have become bankrupt thrice received bailouts to keep them afloat  since then, showing the desperation of Rulers /mantris to control the strings of the economy.

Farmers and psu banks are good candidates for permanent bailouts. How do i become a farmer or a psu staffer ??

The markets are crashing as Modi govt policy reminds it of the Indira Era.

Govt has a disinvestment target of 105000 crores and wants to increase public shareholding to 35% but govt holdings will include PSU and LIC holdings (what hypocrisy).

The govt spells out vide policy to small investors – dont invest in PSU cos as it will keep dis-investing while keeping control .. an unmitigated disastrous way of destroying taxpayer and investor wealth. Wonder who will invest when even UPA era disinvestment is in losses . Atal era disinvestment candidates like  ONGC etc will be in losses very soon the way the govts want to milk them.

Govt wants to lay the red carpet for foreign funds but fails to understand that the local small investor is suffering and bleeding .

Govt it seems, want to incentivize the rich to QUIT India and follow Gandhi bapus advise , as it increases taxes on the rich with added cess .

Gold purchases will fall as u pay 2.5 % more,  Excise / Cess on oil will make more problems for Automakers which are already a all time lows .

Tax of 20% on buyback is ridiculous especially when govt reintroduced LTCG .

This will make a huge impact on investor psyche especially because the policy is shifting towards Indira era policy.

Excise / Cess on oil will make more problems for Automakers which are already a all time lows .

 

 

 

 

 

How to opt out of the HDFC Bank Preferred Banking Programme

HDFC bank uses underhand tactics which are unethical, to boost its revenue and to extract money from its account holders.

  1. Search –  Welcome to HDFC Bank Preferred Banking Programme! in ur email
  2. open that email
  3. Opt out of that program
  4. write an email to Talktous@hdfcbank.com and to ur RM and to ur bank manager.

u can also write a letter in duplicate and get a stamped copy if they dont comply .

hdfc.jpg

 

Infocus M2 vs Moto E2 vs Redmi 2 vs Lenovo A 6000 vs Yu Yureka

Infocus M2 specifications  Rs 4999 (limited offer snapdeal)

Moto E2 specifications               Rs 6999 on flipkart

 Lenovo A6000 specifications   Rs 6999 on flipkart

Redmi 2 8gb specifications        Rs 6999 on flipkart 

Yu specifications                         Rs 8999 on amazon.in

  • All these phones are Chinese Built and use good quality components
  • Specs and purchasability including screen size, Ram, processor etc generally improve as you go down the order. You could choose between yu and redmi2 16gb whenever it comes out
  • Infocus has the best selfi cam as it has a 8mp front cam with led and is built by the pc component maker foxconn.
  • Moto E2 is a Motorolla phone now owned by Chinese Pc maker Lenovo which also makes A6000.
  • Moto is a pure Android phone s0 you could get the fastest updates.
  • Lenovo A6000
  • Redmi2 also called Xiaomi Hongmi 2  is from xiaomi amongst the fastest growing Chinese Phone cos.
  • Yu is a venture by  Micromax owners
  • Yu has the best hardware on paper including camera, on the android platform using cyanogen mod it may have heat issues while gaming.

Public Provident Fund Faqs

PPF is popular form of long term investment which is a deductible U/s 80 C or old Sec 88.

Account opening Rules

  • You can open only one single PPF a/c in your name in a bank or post office. 
  • NRIs and HUFs cannot open accounts, They can continue older accounts till maturity.
  •  You cannot hold it jointly.
  • You can open an account in a minors name as guardian.

Nomination rules 

  • Nomination is a must.
  • Nominate using form E.
  • Change who u Nominate using form F.
  • Banks will demand a Succession certificate if you have substantial funds say above 1 lakh and have no nominee. Claims to be made using Form G.

Interest Rules

  • Interest and Capital invested in PPF is tax free . Fund invested shall not be liable to attachment under any decree or order of any court in respect
  • Interest rates are reviewed  yearly and are calculated on prospective basis.
  • If you break some rules you will only get ur capital back without interest.

Loan rules

  • Loan facility available from 3rd financial year upto 5th financial year. The rate of interest charged on loan taken by the subscriber of a PPF account on or after 01.12.2011 shall be 2% p.a. However, the rate of interest of 1% p.a. shall continue to be charged on the loans already taken or taken up to 30.11.2011.

Tenure , 

  • A PPF Year is a financial yr ie April 1 to March 31… Rule 2.(e) PPF Act 1968.
  • PPF is a 16 yr commitment ie financial yr of investment is year 0. Calculation of period is not based on the date of opening but FY of opening .
  • Say the account was opened in the financial year 1990-1991 (the financial year is from April 1 to March 31). The scheme will mature on April 1, 2006 (1991 + 15 years).

 Continuation or Closure post maturity period of 15 years ? 

  • After the 15 years is over, you can either continue or close the account.
  • If one closes the account using form C, the proceeds are Tax free.

Continuation With Further Subscription post maturity/ extended period.

  • Continue for a block of 5 yrs using Form H, within one year from the end of the maturity period, otherwise option without subscription will be applied automatically.
  • An investor, continuing his account with fresh subscriptions, can withdraw up to 60% of the balance to his credit at the commencement of each extended period in one or more installment, but only one per year.(Notification F.7/2/97-NS IIdt. 9.2.1998)
  • For example, say the term of your PPF account is ending on March 31, 2012. The balance at that time in the account is say Rs 10 lakh. You can only withdraw Rs 6 lakh ( 60% of the balance standing to your credit on March 31, 2012) till March 2017.

Continuation Without Further Subscription

  • If you wish to continue without investing after 1+15 or 1+20 …yrs. and dont submit form C/H  and don’t invest in that account.  The  option is automatic.
  • In case the account is extended without contribution, any amount can be withdrawn without restrictions. However, only one withdrawal is allowed per year. The balance will continue to earn interest till it is completely withdrawn.(Clarification 7 to Clause 9(3A) of the PPF Scheme, 1968)
  • The subscriber cannot change over to with-contributions extension. [Notification F.3(6)-PD/86 dt 20.8.86].

Sec 80 C Options At a Glance – Fixed Income

Fixed Income Tax savings options under Sec 80C for all

For table 1 pf postal investments the rates are for current yr and next yr as there is downward revision

For 5 Yr Tax savings  Fds from banks the first rate is regular and second is senior citizen rate

FIXED INC SENIOR  ALL ALL ALL
  CITIZENS      
INVESTMENT SCSS PPF NSC MIS / FD
INC STATUS TAXABLE TAX FREE TAXABLE TAXABLE
RATE % 9.3 / 9.2 8.8 / 8.7 8.6 / 8.5 8.5
TENURE (Yrs) 5 15+ 5… 5 5
MAX LIMIT Rs 1500000 100000 NO LIMIT 4.5 / 9 L
LOAN N.A RATE +2% N.A N.A
5yr TAX FD IDBI  YES SBI OBC 
TAXABLE AXIS   KVB  IOB
RATE % 9 / 9.75 8.75 / 9.5 8.75/ 9 9 / 9.5
 5yr TAX FD NHB HUDCO
RATE % 9.25 / 9.85 9
 

Quad Core Budget Smartphones Xolo Q800 vs Canvas HD A116 vs Titanium S5 vs Wammy Titan 2 vs Wammy Passion

The new bunch of Budget Quad Core mobiles are finally out and this is how things stack before the post budget tax increases kick in..

The war is between :-

Micromax Canvas HD A116 vs Lava Xolo Q800  vs Karbonn Titanium S5 vs Wammy Titan 2 vs Wammy Passion y

Though the Specs are similar on paper, Wammy passion is the overall leader on the specs front , the Titanium S5  leads with a wallet friendly pricing and would be the most desirable if they get their act together at the software end.

Comparison of the Specifications  here .

Micromax A116 Canvas HD Review

WickedLeak Wammy Passion Review

Micromax Canvas HD A116 second batch delivery s are delayed due to issues and post budget prices will go up to Rs 14,499 …

Lava Xolo Q800 sells on Flipkart at  Rs. 12499

Karbonn Titanium S5 sells on Snapdeal at Rs 11990

WickedLeak Wammys  Titan 2 , Wammy Passion sell at Rs 13990 and 15499

India Budget 2013 What matters most!

P Chidambaram budget speech is  known to induce dreams and elevate people to a euphoric state of mind but the fine print in the draft is known to always have a googly and take back more than what he has given…

This budget is insipid and worse it is subtly populist mainly to avoid a ratings downgrade and there is a big risk that the govt will bring in the populist measures like Food security act on the sly once it makes up its mind on going for elections. The budget does not seriously address concerns regarding pathetic growth and stagflation or the twin deficits that the Indian economy currently suffers from. The numbers are also suspect. Read MB , Read BDRead LM

The govt has already taxed us with High INFLATION which is well above 10.0% and Huge increase in Money Supply, both of which have increased price of gold and housing by 4 to 5 times during the current MMS /Sonia Congress/ UPA 1 &2 govt tenure.

This Budget has given a raw deal to the local Investor class. Equity IPOs , Government IPOs FPOs etc have given a huge negative returns . Equity & Debt  Mutual funds and fixed deposits have given negative returns post inflation in 5 yr period.

TAX FREE INCOME : NO CHANGE ..  😦

INDIVIDUALS: Upto 2,00,000 – Nil

INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTS 60 TO 80 Yrs: Upto 2,50,000 – Nil

INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTS 80 Yrs +: Upto 500,000 – Nil

TAX SLABS

I. Upto 5,00,0000  {10% of the amount exceeding Tax free Income}

II. Upto 10,00,000 –  {I + 20% of the amount over 500000}

III. Above 10,00,000 –  {I + II + 30% of the amount over 1000000}

Tax Credit of Rs 2000 for income upto Rs 500000

Surcharge of 10% on persons with income of over Rs one crore

Dividend Distribution Tax: Surcharge on Dividend Distribution Tax has gone up from 5% to 10%. This has an implication on those is the dividend mode in Debt MF schemes. They will not pay 14.16%, instead of 13.52%. Not much of an implication, though the net dividend would now be lower now.

Securities Transaction Tax The STT on MF/ETF done with the fund houses has been reduced from 0.25% to 0.001%. Similarly the STT on MF/ETF transaction done on the exchange, only the seller will need to pay STT of 0.001%. Again, from an individual investor view point, this may not be very significant as the percentages before and after as both low.

Commodities transaction tax on non-agriculture commodities futures contracts at the same rate as equity futures that is 0.01 per cent of the price of the trade

Investment and Deductions

  • First-time home loans up to Rs.25 lakhs  get extra Rs.1 lakh interest deduction (if not exhausted, the balance limit can be claimed next year)
  • Inflation-indexed Bonds and National Security Certificate to be introduced
  • Investment in RGESS need not be done in 1 year alone but can be done in 3 successive years. Income limit under RGESS raised from Rs.10 lakhs to Rs.12 lakhs
  • Surcharge on Dividend Distribution Tax increased from 5% to 10%. So it may be prudent to consider taking the returns in the form of capital gains if it works out better depending on one’s tax bracket
  • Reduction in STT on equity and MFs
  • Passengers will be allowed to bring in duty free gold jewellery of up to Rs 50,000 in case of men and Rs 1,00,000 in case of women.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What goes up
Cigarettes, Cigars, Cheroots, High-end mobile phones,Imported luxury cars, High-end motor vehicles, Sports Utility Vehicles,Imported yatch and motorboats, Marbles for flooring, Set-top boxes, Dining in air conditioned restaurants, Silk clothes, Homes and flats, Parking fees.

What goes Down
Jewellery, Precious stones, Cotton garments,Branded apparels, Carpets, Textile floor, Agricultural testing procedures, Imported hazel nuts, Dehulled oat grain, Truck chasis, Sabudana, Ships and vessels, Cinema and films, Machinery for manufacturing of leather goods

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

  • Investment Allowance of 15% for investment in plant & machinery exceeding Rs.100 crore will boost capital expenditure
  • Surcharge increased from 5% to 10% for companies with Rs.10 crore or more taxable income
  • Amnesty Scheme for Service Tax defaulters
  • No change in the peak rate of basic customs duty on non-agriculture products and rates of excise duty and service tax of 12 per cent.

 Inputs from Moneycontrol and ET

Fridge Testing Fault finding and Basic Repairs

Tired of inexperienced repairmen , i did some investigating , here is what i can share:-

When you switch the fridge off always give it at least 15 minutes rest before you turn it on again.

Problem : U left the door open for a while: Now it is not cooling properly.

Humidity has turned to ice and has blocked the cooling system.

Solution Let ur fridge thaw …ie switch it Off and keep the doors open for a day or two and then switch it On again . Be prepared to remove excess water from the back of the fridge ie in the tray above or besides the compressor or the black oval thinge.

Check out

Problem : Freezer Frozen Solid , Noisy obstructed fan, Frost free fridge not defrosting

1. Fan : Check if it is working or not. If  blocked check 2 and 3.

2. Bimetallic Thermostat: Good if continuity is YES when cold and NO when room temperature  : Bad otherwise or  if puffy or if not good

3. Heating Coil or heater : Bad if Continuity is broken or if MM reads 1
: Good if Continuity is ok or if MultiMeter reads 0.

Generally a bad  thermal fuse with no Continuity could be a sign of bad heating coil, or bad circuit or defrost timer.

If both are ok Problem is more serious and could be the Circuit, Timer or Temperature sensors.

Disconnect 2 and 3 from circuit for 6 to 8 hrs and chk out cooling and frost buildup to isolate whether problem is in 4 or 5.

4. Temperature sensor / Thermistor: 

Generally there are thermistors in both sections freezer and fridge.

  • Fridge /Freezer section too warm or too cold
  • Refrigerator runs too long or short.

Faultfinding : Resistance in a thermistor  increases as temp drops and vice versa. At room temperature 68°F.,the sensor should read approximately 6.1K Ohms. With the thermistor submerged is a glass full of ice water, the sensor should be very close to 32°F which should read approximately 16.3K Ohms

5. Circuit or Mechanical Defrost timer

The circuit board is damaged or the mechanical timer is  stuck .

For mech defrost timers  watch :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaRyNiPn26o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=PFT1mmaeFXw&NR=1

How the Fridge cooling System works 

Liquid refrigerant (Freon/ R134a) entering the evaporator begins to boil into a gas because of the sudden drop in pressure created by the compressor. This change of state absorbs heat. The temperature inside the evaporator coil may be -20 degrees F. This will condense and freeze moisture in the air in contact with the coil (which is why we have to defrost). If there is freon boiling inside the evaporator this frosting will occur within minutes. So if we run the unit with the cover off the evaporator and no frost forms we can know that there really is no freon or the the system is clogged. If the unit runs for several minutes with the door closed and the freon charge is correct, the frosting should form all along the length of the evaporator.

If the cooling system is good in a top freezer fridge , when the compressor has run for some time and is still running :-

  1. The compressor and the  line connecting to it should be very hot.
  2. Touch the radiation coil,  should be cooler on one side and hotter on the other or hotter at the top getting cooler as it goes down.
  3. You can feel the filter dryer and the thin capillary tube connected to it  and you will feel liquid is passing through it …
  4. The fridge should sound like a blizzard if you put your ear to it.
  5. Switch it off and you should get gurgling sound as the fridge balances itself out.

Major Problem : Fridge doesn’t cool properly

1. Could be a choke or a leak  in the cooling system,

2. Could be a  clogged filter dryer or  capillary tube, or worse in the radiator or co

http://www.ehow.com/info_12192818_clogged-filter-dryer-liquid-line.html

http://fridgeman.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/filter-dryers-and-capillary-tubes/

3. Could be a gas leak  or low on gas because of age or leakage ..

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_know_if_your_refrigerator_needs_freon

The fridge has to be regfilled with R134a

Major Problem : Fridge does not start !

Check the relay

Check  the  compressor

Check the Cooling system, for problem with the defrost Circuit board or mechanical defrost timer.

Service and parts guy in Mumbai,

Lamington Road

Devi Sales at Dadar  in Mumbai keep parts and service all fridges and A/Cs.

Supra Service Helpline No: 9821516165, 9167761722, 28670125

Check out

http://www.appliance411.ca/faq/howdefrostworks.shtml

http://www.repairclinic.com/Refrigerator-Troubleshooting

If ur a techie try reading The Fridgeman Blog .

Buying a Gas Geyser

Gas Geysers are environmentally and pocket friendly, and as electricity costs soar most people are switching to them.

Pic: Venus Gas Geysers

My Recos :

Buy a gas geyser from a reliable manufacturer with

  1. A 6 or 6.5 litre minimum one if you plan to connect a shower to it,
  2. Something suitable for low and high pressure,
  3. two burner setting to save energy,
  4. oxygen depletion monitor,
  5. 20 minute timer and flame failure protection,
  6. Good quality Heavy Copper Heat Exchanger for Long Life.

Check for Thermal Efficiency and of the heat exchanger  …85 % is optimum.

INSTALLATION and Service:

As one is dealing with gas , get it installed correctly and get the copper piping checked regularly. Keep the cylinder outside the bathroom and give it a proper exaust vide flue vent/pipe so that waste gas including carbon dioxide and monoxide does not kill you over the short or long term.

Market Products you should check out

1. Racold Products

2. Surya 

3. Nipco Delux 

4. Suraksha

5. Indo Plus 6.5

6. Venus 

7. AOSmith