Your budget at a glance What's cheaper and what's costlier

TT,  2.02.20: 

• New, optional income-tax structure for individuals willing to forgo certain exemptions and deductions: 10% tax on incomes between Rs 5-7.5 lakh (now 20%); 15% on Rs 7.5-10 lakh (now 20%); 20% on Rs 10-12.5 lakh (now 30%); 25% on Rs 12.5-15 lakh (now 30%); 30% above Rs 15 lakh (no change).
• (Sitharaman said a person earning Rs 15 lakh a year would save Rs 78,000 by opting for the new regime)
• Deadline for availing an additional Rs 1.5 lakh tax deduction on home loan interest extended by a year till March 2021
• Insurance coverage of bank deposits up from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh
• Dividend distribution tax shifted to individuals from companies
• e-commerce operators to deduct tax at source on payments at 1 per cent for PAN/Aadhaar transactions and 5 per cent for non-PAN/Aadhaar transactions
• PAN to be allotted instantly against Aadhaar
• Task force to recommend marriageable age for women
• Medical colleges to be attached with district hospitals on PPP model to tackle shortage of doctors
• States and UTs urged to replace conventional energy meters with prepaid smart meters in the next three years to allow consumers to choose the supplier
• Kisan Rail in PPP mode and Krishi Udaan, on international and national routes, to be launched to transport farm products
• 100 more airports by 2025; 150 trains to be run in PPP mode; 4 stations to be redeveloped with help of private sector 

        CHEAPER

• Imported newsprint, lightweight coated paper
• Sports goods
• Microphones
• Electric vehicles
• Imported pure-bred breeding horses
• Purified terephthalic acid, used in producing some plastics

        COSTLIER

• Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, hookahs, tobacco products
• Butter ghee, butter oil, edible oils, peanut butter, dietary soy fibre
• Chewing gum, whey, meslin, maize, sugar beet seeds, preserved potato, walnuts (shelled)
• Shavers, hair clippers, hair-removers
• Tableware, kitchenware, water filters, glassware, household articles of porcelain or china
• Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, rough coloured gemstones
• Combs, hairpins, curling pins, curling grips, hair curlers
• Fans, portable blowers, water heaters, immersion heaters, hair dryers, hand driers, electric irons
• Food grinders, ovens, cookers, cooking plates, boiling rings, grillers, roasters
• Coffee and tea makers, toasters
• Furniture, lamps