Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal will embark on an official visit to Berlin, Germany, from Thursday, marking a milestone in India-Germany engagement, as 2025 commemorates the 25th anniversary of the India–Germany Strategic Partnership. The visit aims to deepen bilateral economic ties and facilitate high-impact interactions with senior officials, industry leaders, and business associations from both countries.During the trip, Goyal will hold bilateral meetings with Katherina Reiche, German federal minister for economic affairs and energy, and Levin Holle, economic and financial policy advisor at the Federal Chancellery and Germany’s G7 and G20 Sherpa. Discussions will focus on enhancing trade and investment cooperation between India and Germany, exploring new avenues for strategic economic partnership.The minister will also engage with Xavier Bettel, deputy Prime Minister and minister of foreign affairs and trade of Luxembourg, to discuss strengthening bilateral trade relations, Luxembourg’s forthcoming State Visit to India, regional developments, and key international issues, as per the ministry statement.As part of his Berlin visit, Goyal will participate as a speaker at the third Berlin Global Dialogue (BGD), an annual summit bringing together leaders from business, government, and academia. He will be a panellist in the session titled “Leaders’ Dialogue: Growing Together – Trade and Alliances in a Changing World,” which will explore strategies for nations and businesses to navigate the evolving global trade landscape and build a sustainable trading ecosystem.A key highlight of the visit will be one-on-one meetings with CEOs of major German companies, including Schaeffler Group, Renk Vehicle Mobility Solutions, Herrenknecht AG, Infineon Technologies AG, Enertrag SE, and Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Goyal will also chair a Roundtable with CEOs and leaders of German Mittelstand companies and meet representatives of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and the Asia-Pacific Association of German Business.“These interactions will provide a platform to explore synergies, facilitate investments, and promote stronger business-to-business linkages, particularly in sectors aligned with sustainability, innovation, and advanced manufacturing,” the ministry said, underlining that the visit reflects the deepening alignment of strategic priorities between India and its European partners, aiming to translate high-level commitments into sustainable economic partnerships.

Last Updated:October 22, 2025, 16:46 IST

Whether you invest in physical forms such as jewellery, coins, or bars, or through paper and digital modes like ETFs or Sovereign Gold Bonds, your gains are taxable.

Tax on Gold and Silver Gains: Gold prices have surged over 60% in the past year, while silver has doubled during the period, accruing gains for investors. However, gold, like any other asset class, also attracts capital gains tax on sale. Whether you invest in physical forms such as jewellery, coins, or bars, or through paper and digital modes like Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) or Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs), your profits are taxable. Here’s all you need to know:

Here’s a detailed look at how gains on gold and silver are taxed in India, along with the rules for ETFs and TDS applicability.

1. Tax on Physical Gold and Silver

When you sell gold or silver (jewellery, coins, or bars), any profit you make is treated as a capital gain. The tax depends on the holding period.

Short-Term Capital Gains (STCG): Returns from gold held for less than 24 months are termed short-term capital gains, according to cleartax.in.

Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG): If you sell the asset after 24 months, the profit qualifies as long-term capital gains and is taxed at 12.5%. Also, if it was purchased on or after July 23, 2024, the same will be taxed at 12.5% without the indexation benefit. But, if purchased before July 23, 2024, investors can also avail indexation benefit with a 20% tax.

2. Tax on Gold and Silver ETFs

Gold and Silver Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are treated similarly to physical holdings for tax purposes.

Held for less than 24 months: Gains are considered short-term and taxed as per your income tax slab.

Held for more than 24 months: Gains qualify as long-term and are taxed at 12.5%.

3. Tax on Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs)

Sovereign Gold Bonds, issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), have a unique tax structure:

Interest Income: The annual interest (2.5%) paid on SGBs is taxable under ‘Income from Other Sources’ as per your income tax slab.

Capital Gains: If you hold the bonds till maturity (8 years), the capital gains are fully exempt from tax.

However, if you redeem them before maturity, after the 5th year, or sell them in the secondary market, LTCG at 12.5% applies.

4. Digital Gold and Silver

Many investors today buy “digital gold” or “digital silver” through fintech apps. The tax treatment is the same as physical gold —

Less than 24 months: Taxed as per slab (STCG).

More than 24 months: Taxed at 12.5% (LTCG).

5. Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) Rules

TDS applies when you sell physical gold or silver above certain limits or make large purchases:

On Sale: If you sell gold or silver worth more than Rs 50 lakh in a financial year to a buyer required to deduct tax (like a jeweller), TDS of 1% may be deducted on the sale consideration.

On Purchase: From July 1, 2021, if you buy gold worth more than Rs 10 lakh in cash, TDS/TCS (Tax Collected at Source) of 1% applies, and PAN/Aadhaar details are mandatory.

6. Gifts and Inherited Gold or Silver

If you receive gold or silver as a gift, it is taxable if the total value of gifts received during the financial year exceeds Rs 50,000, unless received from a relative or on occasions like marriage.

If you inherit gold or silver, no tax is payable at the time of inheritance. However, when you sell it later, capital gains tax applies based on the original cost of acquisition to the previous owner.

It is important to note that a 3% GST is applicable on gold purchases, apart from making charges and a 5% tax on that.

Mohammad Haris

Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to personal finance, markets, economy and companies. Having over a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris h…Read More

Haris is Deputy News Editor (Business) at news18.com. He writes on various issues related to personal finance, markets, economy and companies. Having over a decade of experience in financial journalism, Haris h… Read More

Read More

Entertainment giant Warner Bros Discovery’s board has reportedly turned down a nearly $60 billion takeover offer from Paramount Skydance, a source told Reuters on Tuesday (local time). The company also announced that it will now look at other options for a possible sale.The board had rejected a mostly cash offer of around $24 per share for the company, whose assets include the Warner Bros film and TV studios, CNN, several cable networks, and the HBO Max streaming service. Shares of Warner Bros Discovery closed 11% higher on Tuesday.According to another source, Comcast may review the media giant’s assets as well. Netflix is also among the interested buyers, CNBC reported, following earlier reports that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison had been in talks to buy the entire company.Warner Bros, known for film franchises like Harry Potter and DC Comics, announced in June that it planned to divide its business into two parts by next year: one focused on studios and another on cable networks. The move aims to separate its fast-growing streaming segment from its weaker cable operations.The company said its board will now weigh several options, including going ahead with the planned split, selling the entire company, or pursuing separate deals for its Warner Bros or Discovery Global businesses. It is also considering another structure that could merge Warner Bros with a spinoff of Discovery Global.

Major shake up

A sale or breakup of Warner Bros Discovery would be one of the biggest shake-ups in the global media landscape. The rise of streaming has already changed how audiences watch content, pulling viewers away from traditional TV and cutting into advertising income.Any buyer of Warner Bros Discovery would gain control of a major Hollywood studio and a leading streaming platform but would also take on its massive $35 billion debt.The company, valued at around $45.36 billion, has seen its shares rise more than 46% since early September, when reports of Paramount’s interest first emerged.“Paramount is the most likely to purchase the company. For Netflix, a purchase would make more sense following the planned split because the studio would be very valuable to Netflix but the TV networks not as much,” said eMarketer senior analyst Ross Benes told Reuters.Warner Bros Discovery had already rejected an earlier bid from Paramount, which offered about $20 per share, as it was seen as too low, two sources told Reuters.Bank of America research analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich estimated that the company’s full value was closer to $30 per share, given its rich portfolio of entertainment assets. “Given the company’s wealth of premium IP (Harry Potter, DC, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, etc.) and robust library, we continue to believe Warner Bros is an extremely attractive potential acquisition target,” she said in an investor note.Meanwhile, Comcast is preparing to spin off its NBCUniversal cable channels, such as USA Network and CNBC, into a new company called Versant later this year.“Potential WBD suitors, including Paramount, Comcast, Netflix, Amazon and Apple, could see value in moving sooner rather than later to acquire the entirety of WBD versus waiting to purchase just the streaming and studios assets,” Seth Shafer, principal analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan told the news agency.