A Trust is a relationship in which a person or entity holds a valid legal title to a certain property which is known as the Trust property. The Trust is bound by a fiduciary duty to exercise that legal title for the benefit of any one or more individuals or group of individuals or organisations, who are known as the Beneficiaries. The Trust shall be governed by the terms of the Written Trust agreement.

Trust is defined in section 3 of the Indian Trust Act, 1882 as “an obligation annexed to the ownership of property and arising out of a confidence reposed in and accepted by the owner, or declared and accepted by him, for the benefit of another or of another and the owner. In other words, it is simply a transfer of property by one person (the settlor) to another (the “trustee”) who manages that property for the benefit of someone else (the “beneficiary”). The settlor must legally transfer ownership of the assets to the trustee of the trust. The statutory basis governing Trusts, in general, under Indian law is the Indian Trusts Act, 1882.

Generally, there are two types of trusts in India: private trusts and public trusts. Private trusts are regulated by the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, whereas Public trusts are classified as Charitable and religious trusts. The Charitable and Religious Trust Act, 1920, the Religious Endowments Act, 1863, the Charitable Endowments Act, 1890, the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950 are the relevant legislations for the recognition and enforceability of public trusts. Moreover, in recent times, trusts can also be used as a vehicle for investments, such as mutual funds and venture capital funds. These trusts are governed by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

In India, there are thousands of trusts created by the owner of industrial houses and rich individuals and their families. Under Indian laws, Public Charitable Trusts are treated as organisations with charitable purpose entitling all the tax benefits applicable.

Examples of Public Charitable Trusts promoted by business families are Paragon Charitable Trust, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, etc.

Private trust or family trust is not a Public Charitable Trusts and hence does not enjoy the privileges entitled to a trust with charitable purpose.

Difference between Public Trust and Private Trust

(a) Identification of the beneficiaries of the Trust is a simple way to differentiate between a public and a private trust . If the beneficiaries make up a large or substantial body of public, then the trust in question is public. A public trust exists “for the purpose of its objects, the members of an uncertain and fluctuating body,” and is managed by a board of trustee. If, however, the beneficiaries are a narrow and specific group such as the employees of a company, then the trust is private.

(b) in a Public Trust, the interest is vested in an uncertain and fluctuating body . They are the general public or class thereof. In a Private Trust, beneficiaries are definite and ascertained individuals. ( Supreme Court in Deoki Nandan v. Murlidhar 1957 AIR 133 1956 SCR 756)

(c) Their domains are different; public trusts have larger and wider domain whereas private trusts have limited and narrow domain. A trust for the benefit of employees of a company however numerous would not be considered as public charitable. For example, an industrialist who creates a trust for the benefit of his 5,000 people, their spouses and children is considered private because who the beneficiaries are known. While a public trust is set up for what is called ‘uncertain and fluctuating body of persons’ , it is possible to create a sectarian or communal trust as a public charitable trust. There are trusts which are only for specific religious communities. However, such trusts may not be tax-exempt.

Exemptions available to Trusts

Exemptions available to Trusts are primarily governed by the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The exemption has to be read keeping in mind whether the Trust is a Public Charitable Trust, Private Trust, Religious Trust, etc.

Certain key exemptions are listed below:

Exemptions under Section 10 of the Income Tax Act, 1961

Total tax exemption is available for certain types of trusts which include those which are formed for any of the activities related to sports, education, scientific research, professions, or promotion of khadi and village based industries, hospitals etc. and are notified as charitable or religious institutions.

Tax exemptions under Section 11 of Income Tax Act, 1961

As per Section 11, any income, profits or gains obtained by a trust from a property held by the trust established wholly for the purposes of religious or charitable nature shall not be included in the total income of the trust. Since such income shall not constitute to be a part of the trust’s income, therefore, it is not taxable. However, as per section 13, there are certain situations where the tax exemptions under section 11 are not applicable. Such instances include where (a) income earned from the property held under the trust of private religious nature and does not endure benefit for the public, or (b) the entire income of a charitable trust which is established for a particular religion, community or caste, income of those charitable trust whose funds do not get invested in the modes specified under section 11(5).

Tax Exemption under Section 12 of the Income Tax Act, 1961

The incomes that are excluded from the computation of taxable income of trust or society are as follows:

1. Income which is derived from the property that is held under the authority of trust with the purposes which are wholly charitable or religious in nature.

2. Income which is kept aside to the extent that does not exceed 25% of the total income received in lieu of the property.

3. In cases of charitable trusts, specifically those formed before 1st of April, 1961, income which is acquired from the property which is held partially for religious or charitable purposes within India

4. In furtherance of the above case, the income which is set apart to a certain extent and which does not exceed twenty five percent of the total income.

5. In cases of income that is obtained from a trust created before 1st April, 1952 for charitable purposes and spent outside India.

6. Income made by way of voluntary contributions towards the corpus of the trust.

7. Charitable trusts created for the benefit of any of the socially and economically backward castes such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or women or children.

Trusts are allowed to set apart or accumulate some of the funds received from voluntary contributions for certain specific purposes. The resultant benefit obtained by the trust is that amount so deducted is not considered as forming part of income of the previous year and therefore not taxed.

Tax exemptions for a Private Trust

The taxability of the Trust depends upon the type of the trust. In the case of a non-discretionary trust, all income is taxable in the hands of the beneficiaries. But if the beneficiaries are minors, the income is to be clubbed with that of the parent with the higher income. On the other hand, in the case of a discretionary trust, in which the shares of the beneficiaries are unknown and indeterminate, it is taxed in the hands of trust at the maximum marginal rate.

Section 161(1A) of the IT Act provides that if any part of the income of such a trust includes profits and gains from business, then the aforesaid principle of Section 161(1) would be ignored and the entire income of the trust including any profits and gains from business would be liable to income tax at the maximum marginal rate. Thus, tax planning requires that the trustee should not have any income in the nature of profits and gains from business in the trust otherwise the entire income of the trust would become liable to maximum marginal rate of tax