Tax exemption

Jal R. Patel, president of the Shree Parsi Panchayat, Vadodara has written to inform Parsiana that the Government of India has issued a notification which was printed in The Gazette of India dated March 16, 2009 granting the Panchayat exemption from income tax under Section 80G 2(b) of the Income Tax Act 1961 for donations toward repairs and renovation of its properties.

The entry states: "The Central Government hereby declares the ‘Umrigar Agiary’ complex situated at Fateh­ganj, Vadodara and ‘Do­kh­ma Complex’ situated at Vishwa­mitri, Vadodara own­ed by Parsi Pan­chayat Cha­ritable Fund, Vado­dara to be a place of public worship of renown throughout the state of Gujarat… This notification will be valid only for the repair or renovation work to the extent of rupees five lakhs only per year on the donation for the purpose of the said section.”

Patel may be contacted at Shree Parsi Panchayat, Hira Baug, Shree Behramji N. Servai Parsi Dharamshalla, Fatehganj PO Road, Vadodara 390002, Gujarat, India; tel: 0265-2793979; e-mail: info@ ppvadodara.com