What is Proprietorship?
A sole proprietorship is a business that is owned, managed and controlled by one person. It is one of the most common forms of business in India, used by small businesses operating in the unorganized sectors. Proprietorships are very easy to start and have very minimal regulatory compliance requirement for getting started. However, after the startup phase, proprietorship's do not offer the promoter a host of other benefits such as limited liability, separate legal entity, independent existence, transferability, etc., which are desirable features for any business. Therefore, proprietorship's are suited for unorganized, small businesses that will have a limited existence. There is no mechanism provided by the Government of India for the registration or incorporation of a Proprietorship. Therefore, the existence of a proprietorship is established only by tax registrations and other business registrations that a Proprietorship is required to have as per the rules and regulations.
What are the advantages of Proprietorship?
Easy to Start: A Proprietorship business needs no registration. Therefore, it is one of the easiest to start with no formalities. However, after starting up the Proprietorship, it is relatively harder to open a bank account or obtain a payment gateway in the name of the business - since more registrations may be required.
Business Name: Since the name of a Proprietorship is not registered, a Proprietorship can choose to have any name - as long as it does not infringe on a registered trademark. However, since the name is not registered, any other person can also use the same business name unless trademark registration is obtained.
Taxation: A Proprietorship with less than Rs. 2.50 lakhs of income is not required to pay any income tax, as Proprietorships are taxed as the individual owing the business.
