The finance ministry is likely to extend the favourable tax treatment currently given to banks, public financial institutions and state finance corporations on their income from non-performing assets (NPAs) to non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) as well, making them taxable only in the year of receipt.

At present, NBFCs are taxed on such income in the year of accrual, while banks, PFIs, state finance corporations, housing finance companies and state industrial investment corporations are taxed only when it is received or credited to the profit and loss account, whichever is earlier. Sources said the department of financial services and the banking regulator have favoured the extension of the accounting benefit under Section 43D of the Income Tax Act to NBFCs too at pre-budget consultations within the finance ministry. NBFCs are bank-like institutions with the exception that these do not offer savings accounts.

Like other lenders, NBFCs too follow the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) prudential norms and defer income regarding their NPAs and make provisions for the same. However, income tax authorities do not recognise these norms and tax NBFCs on such deferment of income on accrual basis resulting in tax on unrealised income.

Sources in the department of financial services said the government is "positively inclined" to offer tax parity to NBFCs and the other lenders describing it a "reasonable demand" and hinted that the Budget could announce this change. The issue came up for discussion during a meeting in Mumbai on February 9 between industry representatives and officials including finance minister P Chidambaram, and senior officials from the department of financial services and the RBI.