Interest on Employees Provident Fund (EPF) increased to 9.5 % vide decision
taken in the meeting of Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees
Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) held here on Wednesday15 September 2010
but it is going to be implemented very shortly.
Public and private sectors employees over 4.4 crore in India will receive an
interest rate of 9.5 per cent instead of 8.5 per cent for 2010-11 for their
savings in the Provident Fund account.
The move to increase the interest rate by one percentage point was taken at
a meeting of the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) of the Employees Provident
Fund Organisation (EPFO) held here on 15.09.2010 but not implemented due to
certain technical reasons.
The move to increase the interest rate by one percentage point, after five
years, would cost the EPFO an additional Rs.1,700 crore and that would be
met from the surplus of Rs.1,731 crore available in the interest suspense
account, said Labour and Employment Minister after the CBT meeting.
As per PTI reports, the Finance Minister will soon give green signal to
payment of 9.5 per cent interest rate on Provident Fund deposits during
2010-11, said a senior government official.
"We can get ratification on 9.5 per cent for the fiscal from Finance Ministry any moment before March 31, 2011", said Labour Secretary P C Chaturvedi.
He was speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting of the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the highest policy making body of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
Although CBT, which is headed by labour minister, had decided to give a higher return of 9.5 per cent on provident fund deposits for 2010-11, the Finance Ministry had expressed its reservation on the move.
Downplaying the ongoing tussle between the two ministries over hiking the interest rates on PF deposits, Chaturvedi said, "these are just consultations between the two ministries".
The views of the Finance Ministry over the payment of interest rates will be placed before the CBT, he said, pointing out that decision of the trustees had always been accepted by the government in the past.
In case the row remains unresolved, EPFO sources said, the issue would be taken up by the two Ministries informally with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Following discovery of Rs. 1,731.57 crore in suspense account, the CBT raised rate of interest on provident fund deposits to 9.5 per cent for its 4.71 crore subscribers from 8.5 per cent which is being paid by EPFO since 2005-06.
The decision, however, did not find favour with the Finance Ministry which argued that there was no real surplus. It said the surplus shown by the EPFO arose because all subscribers' accounts were not updated.
In a recent letter of January 29, the Labour Ministry argued the EPFO is not asking for any government support for the extra returns to the salaried workers. It is their money which has earned returns.
The Finance Ministry's objections were based on a report by Comptroller and Auditor General which suggested that there was no surplus with the EFFO's interest suspense account.
The Finance Ministry has to give concurrence to the rate of return decided by CBT and notify allowing tax exemption on entire such earnings on PF deposits.
"We can get ratification on 9.5 per cent for the fiscal from Finance Ministry any moment before March 31, 2011", said Labour Secretary P C Chaturvedi.
He was speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting of the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), the highest policy making body of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
Although CBT, which is headed by labour minister, had decided to give a higher return of 9.5 per cent on provident fund deposits for 2010-11, the Finance Ministry had expressed its reservation on the move.
Downplaying the ongoing tussle between the two ministries over hiking the interest rates on PF deposits, Chaturvedi said, "these are just consultations between the two ministries".
The views of the Finance Ministry over the payment of interest rates will be placed before the CBT, he said, pointing out that decision of the trustees had always been accepted by the government in the past.
In case the row remains unresolved, EPFO sources said, the issue would be taken up by the two Ministries informally with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Following discovery of Rs. 1,731.57 crore in suspense account, the CBT raised rate of interest on provident fund deposits to 9.5 per cent for its 4.71 crore subscribers from 8.5 per cent which is being paid by EPFO since 2005-06.
The decision, however, did not find favour with the Finance Ministry which argued that there was no real surplus. It said the surplus shown by the EPFO arose because all subscribers' accounts were not updated.
In a recent letter of January 29, the Labour Ministry argued the EPFO is not asking for any government support for the extra returns to the salaried workers. It is their money which has earned returns.
The Finance Ministry's objections were based on a report by Comptroller and Auditor General which suggested that there was no surplus with the EFFO's interest suspense account.
The Finance Ministry has to give concurrence to the rate of return decided by CBT and notify allowing tax exemption on entire such earnings on PF deposits.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to drop your comments and suggestions