The Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS)which is a Tax Saving Scheme comes now loaded with Mutual Fundsfor your investments. After considering the various views of the marketmen and general sentiment in the Mutual Fund Industry, the Finance Ministry is now proposing to add Mutual Funds as one of the products to avail the tax rebates under the amended rules for Salaried employees. Managing to do a delicate act of pleasing both the investors as well as marketmen.

Mutual Fund Market Sentiments.

The popular ELSS survives the government wrath to be reborn in a new avatar as RGESS. ELSS which was eligible for Tax rebates under the Section 80 C was proposed to be removed. The new Direct Tax Code which was intended to be rolled out, excluded the rebates provided for the ELSS. Thus effectively putting an end to a succesful product which was gaining popularity among the retail investors. It takes huge and consistent efforts to educate the investors of benefits of any products. It is certainly a product which was gaining lot of momentum and acceptance since its launch more than 5 years ago.

(RGESS)Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme

The proposed Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme scheme would allow income tax deduction of 50 per cent to new retail investors, who invest up to Rs 50,000 directly in equities, and whose annual income is below Rs 10 lakh. To make the scheme more attractive for retail investors, the Finance Ministry is considering reduction in the lock-in period under the scheme to one year from the proposed three years. Now this will make this a truly retail market product for tax saving instrument. Though as an investor benefits of Mutual Fund investments are better realised over a period of at least 3-4 years. If this product gets launched in the market in the proposed form, it would be the only tax saving instrument with least number of years in terms of the lock-in period. However, this is something no one in currently seems to be worried about.

For first time retail investors investing directly in the equity markets, this would be an option which is definitely worth considering.