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Tejas Chokshi | Answer |Ask -Follow

Tax Expert - Answered on May 29, 2023

CA Tejas Chokshi has over 20 years of experience in financial planning, income tax planning, strategic and risk advisory, banking and financial products and accounting and auditing.
He is an information system auditor, a forensic auditor and concurrent bank auditor.
Chokshi, who has a master’s degree in management, audit and accounting from Gujarat University, has completed his CA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.... more

Question by SUSHIL on May 29, 2023Hindi

I have purchased a land of Rs. 2.5 Lacs in 2001 and start constructions on that in 2005 with 2 floors and also completed the constructions with in 5 months. Taken a loan from DHFL of Rs. 5 Lac and also repaid in next 2-3 years. Just two years back also extended one floor. Now there is 3 complete floor and one half floor is there. If today I sell this property (which is approx 80 sqyds plot size) in 70 lacs then how much capital gain tax (if applicable) I need to pay. Pl. also note that we don't so much documents for constructions related and total exp. is around 25-30 Lacs on that.

Ans: To calculate the capital gains tax on the sale of your property, we need to consider the acquisition cost, the cost of improvement, and the sale proceeds. Let's break down the calculations:

Acquisition Cost:
The acquisition cost is the amount you paid for the land in 2001, which is Rs. 2.5 lakhs.

Cost of Improvement:
The cost of improvement includes the expenses incurred for construction and any subsequent additions or extensions made to the property. In this case, it includes the construction of the initial two floors, the extension of one floor, and any other related expenses. You mentioned that the total expenses were around 25-30 lakhs. Let's assume the cost of improvement is Rs. 28 lakhs.

Indexed Cost of Acquisition and Improvement:
To adjust the acquisition cost and cost of improvement for inflation, we need to calculate the indexed cost. The indexed cost is calculated using the Cost Inflation Index (CII) provided by the Income Tax Department. The CII for the relevant years can be found on the Income Tax Department's website.

Let's assume the CII for the year 2001-2002 was 100 and for the current financial year, it is 317.

Indexed Cost of Acquisition = Acquisition Cost × (CII for the year of sale/CII for the year of acquisition)
Indexed Cost of Acquisition = Rs. 2.5 lakhs × (317/100) = Rs. 7,92,500

Indexed Cost of Improvement = Cost of Improvement × (CII for the year of sale/CII for the year of improvement)
Indexed Cost of Improvement = Rs. 28 lakhs × (317/100) = Rs. 88,76,000

Capital Gain:
To calculate the capital gain, deduct the indexed cost of acquisition and the indexed cost of improvement from the sale proceeds.
Capital Gain = Sale Proceeds - (Indexed Cost of Acquisition + Indexed Cost of Improvement)
Capital Gain = Rs. 70 lakhs - (Rs. 7,92,500 + Rs. 88,76,000)
Capital Gain = Rs. -26,68,500 (Assuming the indexed cost is higher than the sale proceeds)

Since the calculated capital gain is negative, it means there is no capital gain tax applicable in this case. This is because the sale proceeds are less than the indexed cost of acquisition and improvement.

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