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Retired couple seeks advice on capital gains tax on commercial real estate sale

Samkit

Samkit Maniar  | Answer  |Ask -

Tax Expert - Answered on Jul 25, 2024

CA Samkit Maniar has eight years of experience in income tax, mergers and acquisitions and estate planning.
He has graduated from Mumbai’s N M College of Commerce and Economics and has completed his CA from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India."... more
Avion Question by Avion on Jul 16, 2024Hindi
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Hi Samkit, I'm a retired person, 66 years old. Before retirement, I had invested Rs.93.5 lakhs in a commercial real estate in Navi Mumbi in Feb.2017 and registered the property jointly with my wife on 50/50 basis. The value of the property as determined by stamp duty registrar at that time was Rs.73.41 lakhs. The expenses on stamp duty, registration and brokerage was Rs.7.53 lakhs and improvement expenditure of Rs.4 lakhs. So total cost of purchase worked out to Rs.1.09 crores. I sold this property in Feb.2024, exactly after 7 years, for Rs.1.1 crore. Market value (for stamp duty purpose) on this date was Rs.89.89 lakhs. While filing my ITR2 in AY 2024-25, I had split all the above values by 2 and 50% was shown in my ITR2 and the remaining 50% was shown in my wife's ITR2 under CG for showing the capital gain. The system has calculated and shown the capital gain as minus Rs.31.24, i.e. Rs.-15.62 in each of our ITR2. The system has also automatically adjusted my LTCG arising out of other share transactions during the FY. The system allows the remaining loss to be carried forward to next year under CFL. My questions are: (1) Can we both go ahead and finalise & submit the ITR2 as shown above? (2) Can we use the losses carried forward during the next AY to set off our incomes arising out of share market transactions? Thank you so much in advance for your valuable time and advice.

Ans: Yes, seems correct treatment done. You can go ahead with submitting your returns respectively.

Please note that Long term losses can only be set off against long term gains, if that's the case then you can.

Please consult your CA before moving ahead.
DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information to be as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision.
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T S Khurana

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Asked by Anonymous - May 11, 2024Hindi
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Can you please suggest on capital gains as per Indian taxation laws arising in the below two queries : 1) property purchased with joint ownership, me and my wife’s name in 2015 at a cost of 64,80,000, housing improvements done for the cost of 1000000 and brokerages of 200000 paid and sold the same property at 10000000 in Dec 2023? 2) 87% of the proceeds got from the deal i.e 8700000, have been reinvested to pay 25% amount in purchasing another joint ownership property in Dec 2023, 3) I have invested in another under construction property in Nov 2023 by taking housing loan, which is on me and my wife’s name worth 1.4 cr, here the primary applicant is me only while wife is just made a Co applicant in the builder buyer agreement and also on the housing loan . So what are the LTCG tax liabilities arising from the above 3 scenarios for FY 2023-2024 and FY 2024-2025. I intend to sale off the property acquired in (2) by Dec 2024 and use that proceeds to close the housing loan for the property acquired in (3), will this sale of property be inviting any tax liabilities if the complete proceeds received from the sale of the property in (2) would be utilised to close the housing loan taken in Nov 2023 for the property in (3) ? Since in FY 23-24, I would be claiming the LTCG from the sale proceeds of 1) invested in the purchase of property in 2), and I intend to sale off this property in Dec 2024, will the LTCG claim be forfeited on the property sale in (1), should I hold this property at least for further 1 year so that sale of this property in 2) will not invite STCG?
Ans: (A). Let's first talk about F/Y 2023-24 :
You jointly sold a Property during the year for Rs.76.80 lakhs (64.80+10.00+2.00), & sold the same for Rs.100.00 lakhs.
You have jointly also purchased Property No.3 (I suppose it is Residential only), for Rs.140.00 lakhs.
You should avail exemption u/s-54 & file your ITR accordingly. Please disclose all details about sale & purchase in your ITR.
02. Now coming to the F/Y 2024-25 :
You intend to Sell Property No.2, which was acquired in 2023-24. Any Gain on Sale of it would be Short Term capital Gains & taxed accordingly.
Alternatively, you may hold this sale of property no.2 (for 2 years from its purchase) & avoid STCG
You are free to utilize the sale proceeds in a way you like, including paying off your housing Loan.
Please note to avail exemption u/s 54 only from investment in property no.3 & not 2.
Most welcome for any further clarifications. Thanks.

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Hi Mihir, I'm a retired person, 66 years old. Before retirement, I had invested Rs.93.5 lakhs in a commercial real estate in Navi Mumbi in Feb.2017 and registered the property jointly with my wife on 50/50 basis. The value of the property as determined by stamp duty registrar at that time was Rs.73.41 lakhs. The expenses on stamp duty, registration and brokerage was Rs.7.53 lakhs and improvement expenditure of Rs.4 lakhs. So total cost of purchase worked out to Rs.1.09 crores. I sold this property in Feb.2024, exactly after 7 years, for Rs.1.1 crore. Market value (for stamp duty purpose) on this date was Rs.89.89 lakhs. While filing my ITR2 in AY 2024-25, I had split all the above values by 2 and 50% was shown in my ITR2 and the remaining 50% was shown in my wife's ITR2 under CG for showing the capital gain. The system has calculated and shown the capital gain as minus Rs.31.24, i.e. Rs.-15.62 in each of our ITR2. The system has also automatically adjusted my LTCG arising out of other share transactions during the FY. The system allows the remaining loss to be carried forward to next year under CFL. My questions are: (1) Can we both go ahead and finalise & submit the ITR2 as shown above? (2) Can we use the losses carried forward during the next AY to set off our incomes arising out of share market transactions? Thank you so much in advance for your valuable time and advice.
Ans: In the absence of exact dates, i will not be able to check calculation. Please cross check your indexed cost from income tax calculator available at https://incometaxindia.gov.in/Pages/tools/indexed-cost-of-acquisition-or-improvement.aspx.

Also your wife is required to show said transaction if at the time of acquisition of property she contributed.

Further, long term loss under the head capital gain from sale of house property can be set off against long term gain under the head income from capital gain subject to conditions

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Ramalingam

Ramalingam Kalirajan  |10881 Answers  |Ask -

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on Jul 18, 2024

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Hello Sir, I'm a retired person, 66 years old. Before retirement, I had invested Rs.93.5 lakhs in a commercial real estate in Navi Mumbi in Feb.2017 and registered the property jointly with my wife on 50/50 basis. The value of the property as determined by stamp duty registrar at that time was Rs.73.41 lakhs. The expenses on stamp duty, registration and brokerage was Rs.7.53 lakhs and improvement expenditure was Rs.4 lakhs. So total cost of purchase worked out to Rs.1.09 crores. I sold this property in Feb.2024, exactly after 7 years, for Rs.1.1 crore. Market value (for stamp duty purpose) on the date of sale was Rs.89.89 lakhs. While filing my ITR2 in AY 2024-25, I had split all the above values by 2 and 50% was shown in my ITR2 and the remaining 50% was shown in my wife's ITR2 under CG for showing the capital gain. The incometax system has calculated and shown the capital gain as minus Rs.31.24 lakh, i.e. Rs.-15.62 lakh in each of our ITR2. The system has also automatically set-off my LTCG arising out of other share transactions during the FY against this loss. The system allows the remaining loss to be carried forward to next year under CFL. My questions are: (1) Can we both go ahead and finalise & submit the ITR2 as shown above? (2) Can we use the losses carried forward during the next AY to set off our incomes arising out of share market transactions? Thank you so much in advance for your valuable time and advice.
Ans: Understanding Your Capital Gains Scenario
You invested Rs. 93.5 lakhs in a commercial property in 2017. This property was jointly owned with your wife. The total cost, including expenses, was Rs. 1.09 crores. You sold the property in 2024 for Rs. 1.1 crore. This transaction resulted in a loss of Rs. 31.24 lakh, split equally between you and your wife.

Filing ITR2 with Capital Losses
The income tax system calculated a capital loss of Rs. 15.62 lakh for each of you. This loss has been set off against your long-term capital gains from other share transactions. The remaining loss can be carried forward.

Submit ITR2: Yes, you can finalize and submit ITR2 as shown. The system's calculation is correct.
Carry Forward and Set-Off of Capital Losses
The Income Tax Act allows you to carry forward capital losses for eight years. These losses can be set off against future capital gains.

Using Carried Forward Losses: Yes, you can use the carried forward losses to set off against future capital gains from share market transactions. This helps in reducing your taxable income in future years.
Analytical Insights
Loss Set-Off: By setting off the loss against your other gains, you reduce your tax liability for the current year. This is a strategic move.

Carry Forward Benefit: Carrying forward losses provides a cushion for future gains. It helps in managing tax liabilities efficiently.

Key Considerations
Record Keeping: Ensure you maintain all documents related to the sale and purchase of the property. This includes agreements, receipts, and tax filings. These documents are crucial for future reference and any tax scrutiny.

Tax Planning: Consider consulting a Certified Financial Planner for comprehensive tax planning. They can help optimize your investments and tax liabilities.

Future Investment Strategy
Diversification: Diversify your investments to balance risk and return. Consider mutual funds, bonds, and fixed deposits.

Risk Management: Assess the risk of each investment. Balance high-risk investments with safer options to protect your capital.

Final Insights
Managing capital gains and losses is crucial for effective tax planning. You have used the tax provisions wisely by setting off the losses against other gains. Carrying forward the remaining losses will help reduce your future tax liabilities.

By diversifying your investments and consulting with a Certified Financial Planner, you can optimize your financial portfolio for better returns and risk management.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in

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