aided by an anomaly in the US tax system, which allowed for deduction of the discount on bonds relative to their par value. The rule ignored the compounding of interest and led to significant tax-savings when the interest is high or the security has long maturity. Although the tax loopholes were closed quickly, the bonds themselves have remained desirable because of their simplicity. In India, the tax on income from deep discount bonds can arise in two ways: interest or capital gains. It is also a law that interest has to be shown on an accrual basis for deep discount bonds issued after February 2002, as per CBDT circular No 2 of 2002, dated 15 February 2002. References External links Bonds (finance)