Having spent the first two decades of my life in a village, I consider myself a village boy. Since 1991, I have been living in Bangalore, so I call myself an Old Bangalorean too. This way I am blessed to have the experience of both rural and urban worlds. Today …

It all began with linking the Aadhar number to the bank account. Then came linking Aadhar to PAN and many such things have been done in the recent past!  I thought this kind of homework for the citizens and businesses would stop by now! But then I realized that the …

Those reading this note may consider it as the final opportunity to rectify the errors or disclose the missing income or information in the Income Tax Return (ITR) for the Financial Year 2022-23 (i.e., financial year ending 31st March 2023). Try to put your house in order if messed up …

This topic gained the attention of mainstream media recently. So, I casually asked my kids about it. To my surprise, my second daughter was quick to respond! I was shocked to see her knowledge of the trending topic! Looking at this, my first daughter added – ‘Appa, don’t be overly …

The issue of linking Aadhar to PAN is still a matter of concern, particularly among NRI/OCIs. Some of you have approached me, stating that you are facing challenges in receiving tax refunds due to the non-linking of Aadhar. This brief note aims to give the background of this issue and …

Effective from 1st October, 2023 the Guidance Value of properties in Karnataka is increased by 10% to 30%.   But what is Guidance Value (GV) and how does it affect property transactions? It is the minimum price at which a property is to be registered at the sub-registrar’s office in …

There are two things, digital assets and physical assets managed digitally. I am referring to the second one here. Not too long ago, updating passbooks at banks meant visiting the branch, waiting in queues, and getting entries made manually. If the bank or service provider required any documents, they would …

Mr Ramakrishna is someone I have known since my birth. Last seen in 1987, he is now a healthy 92-year-old chain smoker, consuming a pack of cigarettes daily. (I often wonder had he invested in ITC shares instead of cigarettes, he would have been owning a luxurious car and a …

In Hindu mythology, there is a deity named Chitragupta, who is tasked with maintaining records of human actions. Upon arrival at Yamaloka after death, Chitragupta reviews these deeds. If good deeds outweigh the bad, the door to Swarga (heaven) is opened; otherwise, one may end up in hell.  As human …

Do you remember the days when fresh banknotes used to be stapled together? Often, the notes would get damaged while removing the staples. We have all experienced receiving torn, bad condition, or soiled notes with writings on them when we received change from shops. Some people even resorted to using …