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Business Plan Verification

Live Business Plan

Objective : Was to demonstrate the business strength of a business plan.
Business Plan : Healthy, natural, Organic, home cooked, hygienic and packaged in bio-degradable packing and at very affordable cost. Aim of the team was to propagate a message to parents about healthy natural Indian snacks and do a dip check on acceptability of such products among children and parents. If proven could be a potential launch pad for a series of such products and outlets.

Venue  : Chinarra Mela, BEML Layout Bangalore  560066
When / Occasion : 14 Nov 2009 / Children's Day
What : Nature Food Stall.
Team : Naren / Poorni / Divya / Sudhir
Investment : Rs 4500 approx
Target Audience : Children and parents
What was offered : A rich menu of natural, home cooked food like Tapioca, Sweet corn boiled, Peanuts boiled / roasted, fruit salad,
                                 veg salad, lemon juice, Musk Melon Juice, Mint juice, Sprout Chat and Aloo Phoha.

How has it prepared : Home made, completely hygienic food, had used more of organic food items. Only pure ghee was used, no plastic,   bio-degradable packaging was adopted.

Now comes the most important, what was learn t!

1. It takes a lot of effort and team work to try such a activity.
2. Was a great success at achieving the goal.
3. What we perceive as a concept may / may not be accepted by the audience.
4. Field trial are a must to prove a business concept.
5. What people fill up / say may not be true with the buying habits. That is even though they may say / write, when asked that, "they would prefer natural food to packaged food / oily food". But in practical mode may, still do the reverse of it.
6. Control emotions in a business game and persist till the last.
7. Honour even your last customer.
8. Don't play with price factor with customer variation, stick to a price and sell there.
10. Customers will buy your products anyway, if they don't have other choice, whether they like it or not.



Conclusion :
Even though most of the customers where well aware about the benefits of natural foods, they still insisted on oily preparation. Most of the customer take excuses while they eat out. Children are not the decision makers most of the time, food liked by elders are enforced on to them. There is time gap of around 6-8 yrs (can be sooner also) before which, Indian customers  might resort to natural food as substitute to conventional food(oil fried ). No much of attention is given to food packaging and nutritional values or the hygienic conditions. Tree most important feature of food liked by people are  taste! , taste! and taste!.


Thanks
Naren

Want to know your PAN Card No?

 

In case you forget the Pan number, please find it here ...


http://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/knowpan/knowpan.jsp

electronic payment of taxes for income-tax payers made mandatory

No.402/92/2006-MC (05 of 2008)

Government of India / Ministry of Finance

Department of Revenue

Central Board of Direct Taxes

New Delhi dated the 23rd January 2008

PRESS RELEASE

The optional scheme of electronic payment of taxes for income-tax payers was introduced in 2004. With a view to expand the scope of electronic payment of taxes, it is proposed to make the scheme mandatory for the following categories of tax-payers:-

(i) All corporate assesses;

(ii) All assesses (other than company) to whom provisions of section 44AB of the Income Tax Act are applicable.

2. The scheme of mandatory electronic payment of taxes for income-tax payers is proposed to be made applicable from 1st April, 2008.

3. Tax-payers can make electronic payment of taxes through the internet banking facility offered by the authorized banks. They will also be provided with an option to make electronic payment of taxes through internet by way of credit or debit cards.

Income Tax Refund : undelivered salary refund management system

The Income Tax Department has put on its website the list of income tax

refunds of all salary tax payers which could not be sent to the concerned

persons for want of correct address.

Salaried taxpayers who have not received refunds for assessment years 2003\04

to 2006\07 can click on the link below and query using the PAN number and

assessment year whether any refund due to them has been returned

undelivered from the menu `undelivered salary refund management system'. If

any refund has been returned undelivered due to change in address, then the

taxpayer can enter the present address and the refund will be sent to the

taxpayer at the new address.

The link to the website is as under:

http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/CCIT/refundsearch.asp

Take care of your health : Ten Reasons to Throw out your Microwave Oven

(Note - The following link is from Ms. Nenah Sylver and found it of such importance that we are posting it hoping that the author will contact us so we can give full attribution.
"Below is a science fair project that my granddaughter did for 2006. In it she took filtered water and divided it into two parts. The first part she heated to boiling in a pan on the stove, and the second part she heated to boiling in a microwave. Then after cooling she used the water to water two identical plants to see if there would be any difference in the growth between the normal boiled water and the water boiled in a microwave. She was thinking that the structure or energy of the water may be compromised by microwave. As it turned out, even she was amazed at the difference.")

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I have known for years that the problem with microwaved anything is not the radiation people used to worry about, It's how it corrupts the DNA in the food so the body can not recognize it. So the body wraps it in fat cells to protect itself from the dead food or it eliminates it fast. Think of all the Mothers heating up milk in these "Safe" appliances. What about the nurse in Canada who warmed up blood for a transfusion patient and accidentally killed them when the blood went in dead. But the makers say it's safe. But proof is in the pictures of living plants dying.
FORENSIC RESEARCH DOCUMENT
Prepared By: William P. Kopp
A. R. E. C. Research Operations
TO61-7R10/10-77F05
RELEASE PRIORITY: CLASS I ROO1a

Ten Reasons to Throw out your Microwave Oven
From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens. Based on this research, we will conclude this article with the following:
1). Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term - permanent - brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].
2). The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.
3). Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.
4). The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.
5). Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.
6). The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.
7). Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in America .
8). The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.
9). Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.
10). Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.
Have you tossed out your microwave oven yet? After you throw out your microwave, you can use a toaster oven as a replacement. It works well for most and is nearly as quick. The use of artificial microwave transmissions for subliminal psychological control, a.k.a. "brainwashing", has also been proven. We're attempting to obtain copies of the 1970's Russian research documents and results written by Drs. Luria and Perov specifying their clinical experiments in this area.

Authenticity of this article – only an info sharing - is not guaranteed by the Blogger

Railway Budget : Highlights

RAIL BUDGET: TO CUT SLEEPER FARE BY 5%
FARE CUT: A/CI BY 7%, A/CII BY 4%, A/CIII BY 3%
TO CUT FREIGHT ON PETROL, DIESEL BY 5%
FREIGHT RATES ON FLY ASH CUT BY 14%
PLANNED PROJECTS
* 350 KM new rail lines targeted FY09.
* 155 km new lines seen completed in FY08.
* 2300KM broad gauge line to be completed this year.
* To set up real-time online freight tracking mechanism.
* 3 rolling stock units for dedicated freight corridor.
* To modernise railway workshops at 2 bln rupees.
* Plan 820-mln-rupee spend to upgrade Jamalpur rail unit.
* To set up Kerala coach factory in over 1,000 acres.
* To have one more rail captive power plant in Bihar.
* To start rail captive power plant in Aurangabad.
* To set up new coach factory in Kerala.
* To promote rail tourism using steam locos.
* 7-bogie mother-child health express train planned.
* Plan to man busy unmanned railway level crossings.
* Anti-fire gear to cost 7 bln rupee if pilot successful.
* Plan fire prevention device in coaches on pilot basis.
* Plan anti-collision tech in south, south-central route.
* OK for Delhi-JNPT North-West freight corridor.
* CONCOR to set up 8 depots.
* 50 big terminals planned in Mumbai, Pune, Gaziabad.
* Expansion of over 50 terminals underway.
* To consider BoT based projects.
* Mulling rail link for Ennore port.
* SPV for links to Mundra, Kandla, Krishnapatnam ports.
* Mulling raising rail network for West Bengal port.
* Completed approach road for Pipavav port.
* Auto signalling in Nagpur-Gondia stretch in progress.
* To double some lines to transport coal to power units.
* Electrification of more routes in north India underway.
* Plan automatic signalling at Gaziabad-Kanpur segment.
* To upgrade infrastructure in 7 years at 750 bln rupees.
* Expanding use of automated signalling system.
* Plan 20,000 km high density network.
* B-type stations to have professional designed shelters.
* To link trains via IT, communications by 2009.
* To start making steel coaches from 2009-10.
* New Delhi, Mumbai, Patna stations to be revamped FY09.
* 2.5 trln rupee investment for network, IT upgrade 5 yr.
* TV, internet services on trains in future.
* IT vision to be implemented over next 5 years.
* To set up multi department business promotion group.
* To set up automated signalling on more routes.
* Rail Vision 2025 to set targets for next 17 years.
.
.
NEW TRAINS & SCHEMES
* Saharsa-Amritsar garib rath 3 days per wk vs 2 days now.
* Special Pune-Delhi trains for Commonwealth Games.
* Kurla to Howrah train frequency 2 per week vs 1 per week now
* Bagalkota-Jaswantpur train frequency upped to daily.
* Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani 3 days per week vs 2 days now.
* New Delhi-Jammu Tawi train frequency upped to daily.
* To start 2 days per week Bhubaneshwar-Mumbai express train.
* Mathura-Lucknow train extended to Patna.
* Varanasi-Ranchi via Rourkela train up to Sambhalpur.
* Bangalore-Coimbatore train extended to Ernakalum.
* To start 2 days per week Amravati-Mumbai express.
* New Itarsi-Katni passenger train daily.
* Vasai Road-Panvel new train daily.
* To extend 16 passenger trains to new destinations.
* New daily Ahmedabad-Patan express.
* Chennai-Salem new train daily.
* To start weekly Ahmedabad-Mumbai AC train.
* Ranchi-Bhagalpur new train thrice a week.
* New weekly Chennai-Tiruchirapally express.
* To start 3 days per week Gwalior-Indore express.
* To start 3 days per week Mathura-Chhapra express.
* Indore-Udaipur via Ratlam new train thrice a week.
* New weekly Bilaspur-Pune express.
* New weekly Puri-Darbhanga express.
* Khajuraho-Delhi new train thrice a week.
* New weekly Varanasi-Rameswaram express.
* Machhlipatnam-Bangalore new train thrice a week.
* Amravati-Mumbai express new train twice a week.
* To start 53 new passenger trains.
* To start 10 new Garib Raths.
* To make only steel coaches from FY10.
* Have 15 licensed operators for container trains.
* Warehousing, logistics services to be given to railways.
* Private cos will be allowed to make terminals on rail land.
* To allocate land for bulk handling terminals.
* Sops for special purpose, high capacity wagons.
* Purchased 42 rakes for 5 bln rupees.
* To have new policy for bulk handling terminals.
* 25-30 tn axle load trains to be started.
* Work on 416 stations out of 560 to be completed by Sep.
* To have lifts, escalators at 50 stations.
* 30 major stations to have multi-level parking.
* 50 big stations to have lifts, escalators.
* To build foot-over-bridge on all high level platforms.
* To up auto ticket sale machines to 6000 in 2 years.
* To upgrade 203 medium level platforms to high level.
* To upgrade 281 low level platforms to medium level.
* 195 stations to get foot overbridge.
* 448 stations to be provided shelters, sheds.
* To outsource housekeeping in Shatabdi to outside cos.
* To outsource housekeeping in Rajdhanis to outside cos.
* Express trains to have public address system.
* Mail, express trains to have stainless steel coaches.
* Only stainless steel coaches to be produced after 2009-10.
* New coaches in Shatabdi trains by 2011.
* New coaches in all Rajdhani trains by 2010.
* Online arrival, departure display facility by Mar 2009.
* Rail Vision 2025 to be formulated in 6 mos.
* Wagons leasing cos to pay 50 mln rupees.
* To have new wagon leasing policy.
* Companies for wagon lease must have 2.5 bln rupee net worth.
* In talks with foreign cos for new wagon designs.
* To make 22.9 tn stainless steel axle load wagons FY09.
* 5,000 open wagons to be changed to stainless steel.
* To up container train operators to 50-55 trains.
* 2008-09 target 20,000 wagons to be made, highest ever.
* 2007-08 wagon production seen 15,000.
* 2.5 bln rupees for acoustic bearing rail detectors.
* Acoustic, load detectors at key locations.
* Anti-collision tech to be implemented in phases.
* Anti-collision pilot has given encouraging results.
* 16,548 old rail tracks to be renewed by year-end.
* To have metal detectors, baggage scan at key stations.
* 150 bln rupee invest for stations via public-pvt route.
* To have CCTVs at all important stations.
.
.
BALANCE SHEET
* 2007-08 net revenue 184 bln rupees.
* 2007-08 cash surplus seen 250 bln rupees.
* Operating ratio in 2007-08 at 76%.
* Indian Railways employees at 1.4 mln in 2007-08.
* Railways posted 200 bln rupees cash surplus 2006-07.
* Cash surplus dividend estimate 250.65 bln rupees 2007-08.
* 233 mln tn incremental loading earned 140 bln revenue.
* Additional 20 bln rupees earnings on freight services.
* Plan size raised to 300 bln rupees in 4 years.
* Railways posted 688 bln rupees cash surplus over 4 years.
* 150 bln rupees dividend in 5 years.
* Railways fund balance up at 204.8 bln rupees.
* 2007-08 utilisation ratio 63.3%
* Passenger earning up 14% on year till December
* 2007-08 rail operating ratio estimated at 76.3%
* 790 mln tn loading likely in 2007-08.
* FY08 DRF provision 54.5 bln rupees, 70 bln FY09.
* FY08 RITE's income 5.6 bln rupees, profit 1.18 bln.
* IRCON FY07 revenue 15.43 bln rupees.
.
.
FREIGHT & FARES
* Senior women citizens concession up 50% vs 30% now.
* Free tickets for male students till 12th class.
* Girls to get free season tickets till graduation.
* Ports account for 25% of total tariff earnings
* Gauge conversion for Mangalore port completed.
* Annual steel traffic aim 200 mln tn 2011 vs 120 mln.
* 200 mln tn tariff seen from cement in 2011-12.
* Bulk terminal lessee will guarantee 0.5 mln tn tariff.
* 2007-08 freight target raised by 5 mln tn to 790 mln tn
* Freight loading up 8.2% on year till December.
* Freight loading aim 790 mln tn versus 785 mln tn 2007-08.
* Freight loading earned 347 bln rupees Apr-Dec.
* Freight loading up 8-10% in Apr-Dec.
* Hiked peak season rates on freight.
* Gave lean season discounts.
* Adopted tariff cut strategy to up market share, revenue.
* 310 mln tn excess freight loading target in next 4 yrs
.
.
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT
* Staff benefit fund to be 350 rupees/employee FY09.
* Staff benefit fund to be upped 10 times in FY09.
* FY07 day bonus up to 70 days vs 65 days.
* SC, STs got more jobs than quota FY08.
* Gangmen to be promoted to man level crossings.
* Coolies to be promoted to gangmen.
* To provide CFC bulbs in 600,000 staff quarters.
.
.
TICKETING
* Smart tickets to be extended from W Railways to others.
* Planning "smart card" based ticket system.
* Mulling ticket confirmation via mobile phone
* Plan to provide ticket booking via mobile phone.
* Rail tickets to have expected arrival time.
* E-ticket booking seen up at 300,000 vs 100,000 in 1 year.
* 15,000 computer ticket counters in 2 years vs 3,000 now.
* Aim to have no queues for tickets in 2 years
* Automated ticket vending machines at 250 now.
* Exploring options of ticketing via mobiles.
.
.
MISCELLENEOUS
* Orders from six countries for Indian rail coaches.
* Ashok Chakra winner can travel Rajdhani, Shatabdi free.
* 200 mln tn tariff seen from steel FY12 vs 120 mln tn.
* 16,600 manned level crossings now; 18,200 unmanned.
* To fill up vacant posts in rail security forces.
* Container, rail depot development to get 20 bln rupees.
* 1 trln rupee invest eyed via public-pvt projects 5 yrs.
* Gave 5 bln rupees for pension for 6th pay commission.
* Investing surplus to boost capacity.
* Followed strategy of playing on volumes.
* India rail most profitable public transport entity.
* Have strategy to raise market share, profit.
* 139 phone enquiry services available on railways.
* 200,000-500,000 phone enquiries in 1 year.
* Other income seen at 47 bln rupee in 4 years vs 19 bln.
* To have Green toilets in 36,000 coaches by 11th plan.
* To spend 40 bln rupees on discharge-free train toilets.
* Targeting 2,150 KM gauge conversion FY09.
* To provide 15.20 bln rupees for signalling system.
* Asked 17.12 bln rupee for gauge conversion from govt.
* FY08 broad gauge conversion 2,300 km.
* Outlay for track doubling up at 25 bln rupees.
* 6.5 bln rupees for metro transport projects FY09.
* Proposes 17.3 bln rupees spend for new lines.

Compare Quotes from Different Banks & Choose the best deal

Get the best deal for your cash requirements! You might need cash for constructing home, wedding of your daughter, new car, medical bills, renovating home, deposits for new rentals, business loan, paying credit card dues, other debts etc.

At deal4loans.com we ensure you get the best deal in terms of rate of interest, services etc.  To get that deal we empower you with loan related information (in way of content) and provide a platform where with a single form you are able to get multiple offers from leading Banks/DSAs. This will help you to bargain more and hence get a “Loans by choice not by chance”.

Visit deal4loans.com  now to get that best deal. 

How does it work? - A hassle free process to get bids from various banks.

Compare Quotes from
Different Banks & Choose the best deal.

Also get answers to your queries:-
How much loan can I get?
What is the best rate for me?
How much time would it take?
How to approach banks?

 

Holistic cure of Siddha Therapy

Recently my friend had a cause to consult this person practicing the Holistic cure of Siddha Therapy and it made a world of difference to her and her family. He cured her father who was in the initial stage of cancer and also cured her from terrible back and neck pain. She had undergone physiotherapy 15 times and other than providing temporary relief it was of no use. Using this therapy she is completely cured and back at work with no problems. He cured her problem through phone itself. This therapy is done only with our own hands. This can be done anywhere. Even in our work place we can sit and do this therapy with our own hands. Some patients with kidney failure and cancer patients who dropped from Apollo hospital have been cured through this medicine which is a mixture of Siddha and Homeopathy. This therapy is very useful for terminal diseases like cancer, brain tumor, AIDS and bone problems for old people. For youngsters, it is useful to relieve stress and get Peace of mind. It also relieves pain for spinal cord problems like neck ache, back ache, etc. You can find more information about this type of therapy at http://www.ihhp.net/ (website under construction). He has had lots of patients from US, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore who has found relief from their disease. This is a very powerful cure and he performs this service free of charge. He can be contacted at 080-23532184 (Residence) or 09880046200 (Mobile). Please forward this to your friends, relatives and colleagues so they can use this alternate method to find a cure for their illness.

 

In case you need more information you can call Ms Bhuvana at 9840375891

 

Hope it helps someone.

Implementing and Managing Enterprise Architecture Seminar

Orlando Florida March 26 - 28, 2008

 Our 2008 Seminar schedule and 2008 Seminar brochure are available for review and download at www.zifa.com.

 We look forward to seeing you in 2008!

 Sincerely,

John Zachman
Sam Holcman

Income Tax Department lists refund details on website

 

Income Tax Department has put on its website the list of income tax refunds
of all salary tax payers which could not be sent to the concerned persons for
want of correct address.

Salary taxpayers who have not received refunds for assessment years 2003\04 to
2006\07 can click on the link below and query using the PAN number and
assessment year whether any refund due to them has been returned undelivered
from the menu `undelivered salary refund management system'.

If any refund has been returned undelivered due to change in address, then the
taxpayer can enter the present address and the refund will be sent to the
taxpayer at the new address.


The link to the website is as under:

http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/CCIT/refundsearch.asp

 

e-ticket through IRCTC : ID proof in original

If you reserve e-ticket through IRCTC website, hereafter take the ID proof in original.  Railway Ticket checkers have started asking the original ID proof.


This problem happened to one of my friends on 15.02.2008 Friday and 18.02.2008.

 

He reserved e-ticket through IRCTC. While going to his native place, he traveled through train belonging to Southern Railways of Madurai division.  At the station some flying squad asked him to produce the ticket and the original ID proof.  He showed the e-ticket and the photo copy of the driving license (colour and laminated). But they didn’t accept and said the ticket is invalid without original ID proof.  Moreover, in the print out of the e-ticket below the name itself, it is mentioned that the person has to carry the original ID proof.  According to the rule he had to pay the ticket amount and a fine of Rs.150.  It is just because he didn’t have original ID, although his ticket was valid.

 

During his return journey also TTR collected the amount for not having original ID proof (ticket amount + Rs.150).  Fortunately, he reserved ticket only for him.  If he reserved for group of people he would have lost the amount in thousands. Same thing happened to somebody else traveling without original ID proof in that train.

 

Many people bring the photocopy of the ID proof.  This is a way for TTRs to get money from people.  So hereafter carry the original ID proof. 

Plan your Investments whle you Earn

 

Those who have the time, do not have the money and those who have the money, do not have the time.

 

Therefore, those who have the money must find time to learn how to save and invest wisely, so that by the time they retire, they will have both time and money. Otherwise, they will go into retirement with a lot of time on hand and no money to enjoy it. The problem is not just confined to the lower strata of the working population; it is prevalent at the higher levels as well.

 

 It pains me to see that so many people are being misled by half baked articles written by novices or are being taken for a ride by some un-scrupulous Relationship Managers whose primary aim it to meet their own targets without bothering about the plight of the investors.

 

When I was wondering with all the above situations, that’s when I got to attend the presentation by Mr. Anand. It’s free and very crisp and to the point and above all is not a sales pitch for any particular product. It is definitely a must for all those of my young friends who are earning handsomely without having a investment plan in place.

 

If you want any more clarification or want to arrange for a free 90 minutes session followed by Q&A, please visit http://fitnessfundas.googlepages.com/home . Alternatively you can contact Mr Anand on:

+91 924 650 9367

 040 6456 2364.

Partial list of presentations already made are:

Sasken (42), Wipro (24), Motorola (18), iGATE (17), Infosys (17), IBM (17), TCS (16), Polaris (13), Satyam (11), Symphony (11), Applabs (10), Aricent (7), Texas Instruments (6), Broadcom (5), Quintiles (5), HAL (5), Infineon (4), Sonata Software (4), Intelligroup (4),  Tata Teleservices (4), Sapient (3), Virtusa (3) Intergraph (3), Cognizant (3), ASCI (3), Conexant (3), Genesis (2), Verisign (2), CISCO (2), SiRF (2), Alliance Consulting (2), Ivy Comptech (2), Ion Idea (2), Bosch (2), BITSAA-Bangalore (2), LSI Logic (2), Ascendas (2), Nipuna (2), SPAN (2), HCL (2), HP, Onmobile, Ignify, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, BIMTECH, Aptara Corp, Telelogic, GE, Intuit, Lucent, nVidia, Ascendum, Sungard, Bodhtree, Pennywise Solutions, Aurobindo Pharma, Gati, Visaka Industries, Nokia, CCMB, NRSA, VST, ITC, Yash Technologies, ABB, Interwoven, Spartan Labs, Xora, Green Park Hotel, IBS, Byraju Foundation, Kyocera Wireless, Value Labs, Soa-Matrix, Dearborn Electronics, Mantri Residency, Apex Decisions, Synopsys, National HRD Network, HYSEA HR Forum, Dr Reddy’s, Cyber Towers CHIP Auditorium, Embedded Infotech, Round Table, ... (total more than 331 covering over 16,000 people)

 

Hope this might help somebody.

Naren

Should You Change Careers in a Shaky Economy?

 

Like a tropical storm churning up the East Coast or the Santa Ana winds whipping up in parched Southern California, the teetering economy of early 2008 has legions of American workers wondering whether it’s time to hunker down or to consider evacuating to a job in a more secure career field.

To be sure, the growth of the American economy and the jobs it generates have shriveled in recent months. Gross domestic product grew at a negligible annual rate of 0.6 percent in the last quarter of 2007, an abrupt slowdown from 4.9 percent in the previous quarter, according to advance estimates from the Commerce Department. The United States may be on the verge of a recession, defined as two or more consecutive quarters of shrinking gross domestic product.

Meanwhile, US employment declined by 17,000 jobs in January 2008, after growing for each of the previous 52 months, according preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Recessions typically come several years apart.

Time for a Change -- or Not?


Does all of this make 2008 a bad time for you to consider changing careers, whether to lessen the impact of the economic storm, to change your line of work or for some other reason? Not necessarily, in part because recessions -- though integral to the inevitable free-market cycle of boom and bust -- are highly unpredictable in terms of when they commence, how long they last and how much damage they do to companies and their employees.

“Timing decisions is the wrong way to go, whether it’s financial markets or career changes,” says Jared Bernstein, senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute.

Indeed, there may be no reason to hold back on making a big change if you encounter a good prospect for a new career. “If you’re thinking about changing careers and you’ve got people who know you and are willing to take a chance on hiring you, layoffs are less likely to be an issue,” says John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Of course, if you want to change careers without starting over at entry level, you may need to go back to school. A year dominated by a recession or deep economic uncertainty can be an excellent opportunity to do so. “This might be a good time to get an advanced degree or substantial training,” says Challenger.

Someone Is Always Hiring

Even when there is no net creation of new jobs, turnover spawns millions of open positions, most of which must be filled to keep corporate America’s trains running.

US hires declined only moderately in the most recent period measured, to 4.65 million in November 2007 from 4.99 million a year earlier, according to BLS’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover report. Put another way, even as the economy slowed significantly in the fourth quarter of 2007, American employers made well more than 4.5 million hires.

Wait for Economic Stimulation?


What about the notion of putting off a career change to see what sort of economic stimulus package is enacted, or who’s elected president? Many economists say you’re giving Congress and the president too much credit if you believe that in the short run they can do much to steer the $14 trillion US economy.

“Most stimulus packages are singularly unimpressive in their effect, in part because they do not get under way until the economy already is recovering on its own,” writes resident scholar Norman Ornstein on the American Enterprise Institute Web site.

And even if you thought you knew when a recession would end, that wouldn’t tell you when you’d see a favorable job market. Although economic growth typically stimulates job creation, the end of a recession usually doesn’t coincide exactly with an upturn in a weak labor market.

Keep in mind Bernstein’s perspective on trying to synchronize your career search with the ups and downs of the macroeconomy: “The professional economists get the timing wrong all the time.”

by John Rossheim
Monster Senior Contributing Writer

 

Thought for the moment

 

If we cannot love the

person whom we see,

how can we love god,

whom we cannot see?

 

Mother Teresa

Tax Rebate : Registration and stamp duty paid

 

Stamp Duty and Registration Cost can be claimed as principal repayment.

Home Loan : Tax Rebate

Interest paid can be deducted from your tax

 

Section 24 of the Income Tax Act allows you to deduct the total interest paid on your loan from your taxable income of the same financial year.

Let's see how this works with some figures.
Taxable income = Rs 350,000
Interest paid towards home loan = Rs 165,000

i. If you are residing in the house

If you actually stay in the house for which you took a loan, then the tax man refers to this as self occupied property.

In such a case, there is a maximum limit of Rs 150,000 on this deduction.

But if you have taken the loan before March 1, 1999, it will reduce to Rs 30,000.

So now your taxable income will only be Rs 200,000 (Rs 350,000 - Rs 150,000).

ii. If you have rented out the house

If you are not staying in that house but are renting it out, you can deduct the full interest amount against rental income from that house.

Let's say you earn a monthly rent of Rs 6,000.

That means an annual rent income of Rs 72,000 (6,000 per month x 12 months).  

You will be able to knock off the Rs 72,000 rent against the Rs 165,000 that you paid as interest.

The balance interest outgo of Rs 93,000 (165,000 - 72,000) will be written off as a loss against your salary income.

This will subsequently reduce your taxable income.

 

Take advantage of the rebate

A home loan entitles you to a rebate under Section 88 of the Income Tax Act. There is a ceiling of Rs 20,000 on this amount.

The actual amount of the rebate varies:

  • If your gross total income does not exceed Rs 150,000, you will get a 20% rebate.
  • If your gross total income exceeds Rs 150,000, you will get a 15% rebate.
  • If your gross total income exceeds Rs 500,000 lakh, Section 88 will not be applicable.

You can include your spouse as the borrower

 Tax benefits are available to both, the main applicant and the co-applicant.

Joint applicants, who are also joint owners, are eligible for tax benefits in the proportion of their share in the loan. The interesting part is that the maximum limits of tax benefits are per assessee. So both spouses can claim benefits up to the maximum limit.

Let's say a couple buys a home jointly (each owning 50%) and take a loan for it. If the interest and principal paid for a loan is Rs 1,50,000 and Rs 60,000 respectively, each of them can claim Rs 75,000 as interest deduction Rs 20,000 as principal rebate.

For the purpose of tax planning, the spouse earning the higher income should claim the higher share to maximise his/her tax relief.

You can take more than one loan

The maximum limits for rebate and deduction still hold. They will be calculated taking into account both the loans.

 

What's not great about the loan

iAll benefits don't apply if the property is in another state

If the property is located in another city, not the one where you are currently residing, the rebate on the loan will not hold.

The only deduction is the interest you are paying on the home loan, which is restricted to a maximum of Rs 1,50,000.

ii. All the benefits don't apply for a plot of land

The total taxable gross income of an individual is calculated under five heads:

  • Salary
  • Capital gains
  • House property
  • Business or Professional Income
  • Other sources.

A loan taken for a residential house is assessed under the head 'Income from house property'. This will be eligible for deduction under Section 24.  

But if you have taken a loan to buy a plot of land, it will be assessed under the head 'Income from business or profession'. The interest paid towards the home loan can be claimed as expenses against income.

If you don't have a salary income, the interest paid can be put as a loss under the head 'Income from house property'. This is set off against income from other heads.

 

Use the loan as a basis for tax planning

Plan your tax savings only after you take all the loan benefits into account, which is the rebate and the deduction.

All home finance companies and banks usually issue a provisional certificate at the start of the year. This is based on the Equated Monthly Installments payable in the financial year, with the break-up of the interest and principal paid. 

This will give you a very fair indication of how much prinicpal has to be repaid and how much interest has to be paid in that year. Accordingly, see how this translates to a rebate or interest deduction. 

Based on such projections, you can assess your income and plan for other investments -- like tax-saving bonds and life insurance -- to save tax.

At the end of the year, you will get an original certificate based on the actual EMIs paid for that year. This certificate has to be submitted along with the income tax returns to claim the deduction.

Lead India : New Face of India

 

A beging and not the end. Its a good begining to great work. Lets be part of it.

 

Naren

Road Accidents : Bangalore.

 
We are at constant rick daily!
 
 
 
This was the shocking behavior us(everyone), a person along with her 7 yrs old daughter met with a road traffic accident and the poor child was killed on the spot. Both father and daughter lay in a pool of blood expecting a helping hand from anybody. But our astonisment, no body helped them. Mother of the child had to reach the spot to transport both to a near by hospital.
 
 
In an accident immediate medical care is the most significant factor in deciding betweeen life and death. Any one of us can get affected by this, hence I request all of you : Please do not ignore a accident victim. Please help them.
 
 
I am in the outlook to develop a community that would contain volunteers from various sectors who will exend their support in helping a 'ACCIDENT VICTIM".
 
 
Thanks
Naren

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Narenwrote:
 
good work !  Keep it up.
 
Ravi
Mar. 6
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