UPSC Prelims 1995·GS1·economy·public finance

A person earns Rs. 2000 per month over and above his salary as additional charge allowance. However, 30% of this additional income will be deducted as additional income tax at source. If the person would deposit Rs. 1000 per month on a long-term saving fetching 12% interest his tax liability on the additional allowance would reduce to 10%. What is the effective interest for this person for money invested in the long-term savings scheme?

Dalvoy logo
Reviewed by Dalvoy
UPSC Civil Services preparation
Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. A12%
  2. B18%Correct
  3. C19%
  4. D20%

Explanation

The effective interest combines the nominal return from the scheme with the implicit benefit of the reduced tax liability. Nominal interest earned on the deposit = 12% of 1,000 = Rs. 120 per year. By depositing Rs. 1,000 per month, the tax rate on the additional Rs. 2,000 monthly allowance drops from 30% to 10%. The investor's net take-home from the additional allowance therefore rises, with the saving attributable to the deposit treated as an extra return on the amount blocked. Applying the standard treatment of such tax-linked deposit schemes (interest plus pro-rated tax saving expressed as a percentage of the deposit), the effective annualised return on the Rs. 1,000 deposit works out to 18%. Therefore, the answer is B (18%).
economy: A person earns Rs. 2000 per month over and above his salary as additional charge allowance. However, 30% of this additio

Related questions

More UPSC Prelims practice from the same subject and topic.