There has been a lot of talk about whether the ELSS tax benefit in India is worth it or not. Many investors and financial market experts have extensively covered ELSS tax saving in India and other long term equity fund in India and their advantages. ELSS is the equity linked saving scheme in India or equity market investment based option which is eligible for getting deductions on taxes under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act of 1961. These are open-ended mutual funds and apart from the ELSS tax saving in India attributes, you will also benefit from the possibilities of earning superlative future returns in the equity market. These funds deploy investments predominantly in shares of companies while seeking to spur higher growth through capital appreciation for all investors likewise. Returns from these funds are mostly tied to the performance of the stock market. For benefiting through the ELSS tax benefit in India, you will have to stay invested for a minimum period of 3 years.
ELSS tax saving in India- Some other things worth knowing
For such long term equity fund in India investments and for getting the tax benefits or savings on equity linked saving scheme in India, you will have to adhere to the minimum lock-in period of 3 years. Remember that if you are investing via SIPs or systematic investment plans, each installment will have its own 3-year lock-in period. Hence, if you have invested a sum of money on 1st January, 2020 and another installment on 1st February, 2020, then the lock-in periods will end on 1st January, 2023 and 1st February, 2023 for the two investments respectively. The pattern will be similar for subsequent SIP-based investments. The ELSS tax benefit in India can be availed up to a whopping Rs. 1,50,000 under Section 80C. Even though this section has provisions for deductions made on several basic investments like life insurance, PPF and others, you can still benefit from higher savings on your ELSS outlay.
At the same time, ELSS will help immensely with future wealth accumulation since you will get a handsome redemption amount as a lump sum at the time of maturity. You can also earn dividend income if you choose this option. You may choose receipt of payouts in the form of dividends or reinvest the proceeds likewise. You can invest more than Rs. 1.5 lakh in ELSS although the extra amount will not have eligibility for further tax deductions. Returns from ELSS will incur LTCG (long term capital gains) at 10% in case the total amount exceeds Rs. 1 lakh annually. If you choose dividend options for payouts, then the dividends will be taxed in your hands and TDS at the rate of 10% will be subtracted by the mutual fund (resident investors) and 20% (along with applicable cess and surcharge) will be deducted for NRIs. Tax credits may be claimed on TDS by investors at the time of filling annual returns. Considering both the tax savings and future returns that may be generated from ELSS, the investment is well worth it by all means.

