Won a game show? Pay your tax first

Game shows are currently the rage on television.

The format may vary with film-based quizzes that delight those who live on a staple diet of all things Bollywood, or contests where merely answering correctly (or guessing well) could be enough to transform you into a millionaire in minutes.

The winner gets cheered and applauded and walks away with the pot of gold.

If winning marks the end of an episode for viewers, for the winners it is just the beginning of another story. One that they, in all likelihood, are not prepared for.

This is the story of the tax that these winnings attract. The tax that can't be postponed but has to be paid before the winner can collect his or her winnings.

And, in the process, more likely than not, transform the winner into a whiner.

Tax Deduction at Source

Your gross earnings in any form, including salary, interest on investments, house rent, attracts TDS (Tax Deducted at Source); you only receive the amount that is left after TDS is deducted.

TDS also applies to winnings from game shows. Sadly, this age-old legal provision is never highlighted by the promoters of television game shows.

Thus a crorepati will never leave the studio with a crore; the actual amount left in the hands of the winner would be much less (refer to the table below).

Luckily for the channel and the organisers of the game show, the twist in the winner's tale is not for the audience to see.

TDS on winnings from game shows is the responsibility of the organisers of these events; they are statutorily obligated to deposit TDS on winnings with the government.

• Got a gift? Now pay the tax

Winning not equal to receiving

Let's say Fate smiles benignly at you and you are successful at a game show; successful enough to be presented with a winning cheque of Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million).

You bet your colleagues and friends will envy you walking away with that amount in your pocket. Wipe the smile off your face. You will walk home with just Rs 33.17 lakh (Rs 3.3 million). Sure, it is sufficient for a lot of us to drool over, but is a far cry from what was promised.

What you actually received is not what you (and everyone else) believed you had.

You win...

Rs 50 lakh.

What happens then...

The organiser deducts TDS* -- this is a flat tax rate @ 30%.

Then, there will be a surcharge @ 10% on the above amount; this equals 3%

Finally, an education cess @ 2% is levied on the above tax of 33% = 0.66% 

As a result, the total tax you have to pay is 33.66% of your winnings.

What you are left with...

Just Rs 33,17,000 since you have paid a tax of Rs 16,83,000.

Note: *The tax rate does not include the surcharge of 10% in case the value of winnings does not exceed Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million). The effective rate would then be 30.6%.

• Do I have to file a return?

Winning in kind

Post-TDS, the winner of a game show receiving a cash prize can still afford to smile; though the smile may not remain as broad and cheerful as it was at the moment of his or her triumph.

However, it is tough to imagine the predicament of the winner of a game show that doles out prizes in kind (white goods, jewellery, vehicles and the like).

Let's say, at the end of the show, you have won prizes worth Rs 5,00,000. Technically, the organisers would have to retain Rs 1,53,000 as TDS.

What are the options you have? Either forfeit prizes worth that amount or cough up Rs 1,53,000 in cash. Talk about paying to receive what you have rightfully earned!

You win...

White goods, jewellery and a vehicle worth Rs 5,00,000.

What happens...

The organiser will ask you to arrange for the tax amount before allowing you to take your winnings.

Flat tax rate @ 30%

+ Education Cess @ 2% on the above = 0.6%

Total tax = 30.6%

Surcharge* = Nil

What you are left with...

Gifts worth Rs 3,47,000 because you have had to pay a tax of Rs 1,53,000.

Note: *The tax rate would include surcharge of 10% only if the value of winnings exceed Rs 10 lakh. In that case, the effective rate would then be 33.66%.

So here we are!

Game show organisers may plead not guilty to allegations of misleading viewers/ participants in the manner in which they highlight the value of their prizes; TDS is after all a statutory obligation, a fact that everyone ought to know.

So, next time when you envy a winner on any game show, know that he is walking away with much less than he probably realises.