Income tax rules for X users: How income from Elon Musk's X (Twitter) will be taxed in India




Elon Musk's Twitter which was rebranded as X, has started sharing ad revenues with content creators. A lot of people are earning money via X (formerly Twitter). Those who are receiving monetary benefits have been sharing screenshots of money credited to their bank accounts. The people receiving such income have been wondering about its taxation. The taxation of earnings via activities that involve getting paid by tweets may be challenging and varies according to the jurisdiction's tax regulations. Tax experts said that whether you are a salaried individual, or a professional, your social media earnings will be taxed but it will not be the same for all users.




Elon Musk's Twitter which was rebranded as X, has started sharing ad revenues with content creators. A lot of people are earning money via X (formerly Twitter). Those who are receiving monetary benefits have been sharing screenshots of money credited to their bank accounts. The people receiving such income have been wondering about its taxation. The taxation of earnings via activities that involve getting paid by tweets may be challenging and varies according to the jurisdiction's tax regulations. Tax experts said that whether you are a salaried individual, or a professional, your social media earnings will be taxed but it will not be the same for all users.



Income under ‘Profits and Gains of Business or Profession’

Mumbai-based tax and investment expert Balwant Jain said that if this is your sole activity for earning your main income or it earns you substantial income, the same would be treated as business income and would be taxed under the “Profits and Gains of Business or Profession" head.


Income under ‘Profits and Gains of Business or Profession’

Mumbai-based tax and investment expert Balwant Jain said that if this is your sole activity for earning your main income or it earns you substantial income, the same would be treated as business income and would be taxed under the “Profits and Gains of Business or Profession" head.



Income from other sources

In case this is just your spare time activity and results in not substantial income relatively the same can be taxed under the head “income from other sources", Jain added.



Income from other sources

In case this is just your spare time activity and results in not substantial income relatively the same can be taxed under the head “income from other sources", Jain added.



"So in case the same falls under the head “Profits and Gains of Business or Profession", we need to examine whether this would be treated as business or profession and which would depend on what type of content you are sharing If the contents of the tweet which you are sharing require you to have technical expertise for which special training is required, the same would be treated as a profession otherwise the same can be treated as your business income, and provisions of section 44AD would apply," said Balwant Jain.


"So in case the same falls under the head “Profits and Gains of Business or Profession", we need to examine whether this would be treated as business or profession and which would depend on what type of content you are sharing If the contents of the tweet which you are sharing require you to have technical expertise for which special training is required, the same would be treated as a profession otherwise the same can be treated as your business income, and provisions of section 44AD would apply," said Balwant Jain.



If you choose to participate in Twitter's monetizing programme and receive advertising revenue via the tweets you post, this revenue additionally counts as a form of self-employment. You were obliged to disclose your earnings as well as pay the applicable tax, said Sundeep Rana, Co-Founder NetSetGo Media.


If you choose to participate in Twitter's monetizing programme and receive advertising revenue via the tweets you post, this revenue additionally counts as a form of self-employment. You were obliged to disclose your earnings as well as pay the applicable tax, said Sundeep Rana, Co-Founder NetSetGo Media.



The way you're taxed may also be affected by how frequently you earn revenue via posting tweets. If the activity is one-off, the implications for taxes may be distinct than if it is a recurring source of income, added Rana.



The way you're taxed may also be affected by how frequently you earn revenue via posting tweets. If the activity is one-off, the implications for taxes may be distinct than if it is a recurring source of income, added Rana.



"Taxes on individual income apply to business income at the identical rates as personal income taxes. Furthermore, if your actions correspond to a taxable supply of goods or services within GST legislation, you may be liable to the GST," said Amit Gupta, MD, SAG Infotech.


"Taxes on individual income apply to business income at the identical rates as personal income taxes. Furthermore, if your actions correspond to a taxable supply of goods or services within GST legislation, you may be liable to the GST," said Amit Gupta, MD, SAG Infotech.



Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.



Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.











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