Interest on Government securities or rupee-denominated bonds of an Indian company payable to a Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) or a Qualified Foreign Investor (QFI) [Section 194LD] under Deduction of tax at source from non-resident’s income :

(1) Section 194LD provides that any income by way of interest payable during the period between 1.6.2013 and 30.6.2017 in respect of investment made by an FII or QFI in a rupee denominated bond of an Indian company or a Government security, shall be subject to tax deduction at source at a concessional rate of 5 (as against the rate of 20% of interest applicable in respect of other interest received by a QFI or FII).

(2) The interest to the extent the same does not exceed the interest calculated at the rate notified by the Central Government in this behalf will be subject to tax deduction at a concessional rate of 5%.

(3) Any person who is responsible for paying to a person being a FII or a QFI, any such interest shall, at the time of credit of such income to the account of the payee or at the time of payment of such income in cash or by the issue of a cheque or draft or by any other mode, whichever is earlier, deduct income-tax thereon@5%.

(4) FII refers to Foreign Institutional Investors specified by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette.

(5) QFI refers to Qualified Foreign Investors i.e. Foreign Investors, being non-residents, who meet certain KYC requirements under SEBI laws and are hence permitted to invest in equity and debt schemes of Mutual Funds, thereby enabling Indian Mutual Funds to have direct access to foreign investors and widen the class of foreign investors in Indian equity and debt market. QFI does not include FIIs.