The tax incentives on investments are provided in the form of exemption for the amount invested, income earned and maturity amount. These incentives may be provided at any, none or all three stages of investment.

2) The EEE (exempt, exempt, exempt) taxation implies that the amount invested is exempt from tax in the year in which the investment is made. The returns and the amount redeemed are also exempt from tax. The PPF, ELSS and life insurance fall under this category.

3) Under the EET (exempt, exempt, tax) regime, the investment is only taxed at the withdrawal stage. NSC and pension policies are examples of EET investment as the amount put in is deductible from the total income and the income earned is exempt from tax.

4) If income in the form of interest or dividend is taxed, while the investment and maturity are exempt, the investment falls under the ETE (exempt, tax, exempt) regime. Tax-saving bank deposits and senior citizens savings schemes are such investments.

5) No exemption from tax is available for the amount invested under the TEE (tax, exempt, exempt) regime. The income earned from the investment and redemption, if the investment is held for a specified period, is tax-free. This is the case for equity shares and equity MFs.