What is Capital Gains Tax: Definition & Meaning Explained

Definition of Capital Gains Tax

Capital gains are profits, which means they can be taxed. The rate of taxation is based on the type of asset (debt/equity) and holding period. Here is the list of ways capital gains are taxed in India:

Asset Type	Gains Type	Holding Period	Tax Rate
Equity	Short Term Capital Gains	< 1 year	15%
Equity	Long Term Capital Gains	> 1 year	10%
Debt	Short Term Capital Gains	< 3 years	As per I-T slab
Debt	Long Term Capital Gains	> 3 years	20%

High Volatility Stocks

High volatility stocks are shares that fluctuate based on market conditions, typically more than others. The volatility could be a result of inherent fundamentals or other factors like the industry or domain. Identifying high volatility stocks is possible through indicators like Average True Range and Bollinger Bands.

Government Bonds

Government bonds are debt instruments that allow the central banks to raise capital to finance operations. The types of government bonds are:

Treasury Bills
Fixed Rate Bonds
Floating Rate Bonds
State Development Loans
Sovereign Gold Bonds
Zero Coupon Bonds

Every government bond has a credit rating that’s based on the financial health of the country. The government is the apex institution of any country, which is why their credit rating is the high.

In India, you’ll notice government bonds with the credit rating SOV. This is known as a sovereign rating.

Dividend Payout Ratio

The Dividend Payout Ratio refers to dividends paid to shareholders as a percentage of the net income or Earnings Per Share (EPS) of a company. The formula to calculate dividend payout ratio is:

DPR = Dividend / Net income

or

DPR = Dividend / Earnings Per Share

A higher dividend payout ratio means that a company is redistributing a chunk of its profits to shareholders, which generally implies that the company is well-established.

India VIX

India VIX is an index that measures volatility and market sentiment. The term VIX stands for Volatility Index and thus, the full form of India VIX is Indian Volatility Index.

A higher India VIX means higher volatility whereas India VIX would be lower due periods of low volatility. In fact, there are absolute values that help understand volatility via India VIX.

India VIX typically moves between 15 to 30, which represents a range that is considered “normal” as far as volatility is concerned.

However, India VIX has touched 90 during the 2008 financial crisis and trended near the value once again when the pandemic broke out in 2020.

Exit Load

Exit load is a type of premature withdrawal fee that mutual funds charge. The goal of charging an exit load is to ensure that investors think twice before exiting a fund, as premature withdrawals can affect existing investors.

Every mutual fund charges a different exit load based on the discretion of the fund manager. ETFs, liquid funds, and other debt funds typically have little to no exit load whereas equity funds do.

Capital Gains Tax