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Samkit

Samkit Maniar  | Answer  |Ask -

Tax Expert - Answered on May 26, 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
Asked by Anonymous - Apr 21, 2024Hindi
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I am a widow. My husband booked a flat in 2014. It was to be completed in 2017 but was stuck . Now with new investors they are completing in 2025. Paid up amount was 73 lacs out of total 83 lacs. Now, escalation cost of 1200/- per sft + tax is demanded by new investor in order to obtain the flat. If ready ,it still seems a good deal since market rate is now more than double.Otherwise , they say they will refund paid up amount minus tax and with no interest at all. I need to decide. Please tell me about Long-term capital gain tax . Is it better to take possession and sell or sell before registration ? Which is more beneficial in terms of tax

Ans: There is a grey area in tax law even today considering the period of holding of an under-construction property.

You can register the property but wait for 2 years before selling it, so that you are absolutely safe and make your asset long term.

If you require the money then you may sell otherwise not.

Please take your CAs advice before moving ahead.
Asked on - May 27, 2024 | Answered on May 27, 2024
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Thankyou so much. I wish you tell more about the grey area. I actually do need money. It's just that the loss is too much if we just get paid up amount minus tax after all these years
Ans: The grey area is from where do you calculate the long term capital gains ie from date of agreement or from date of possession. There are many differing judicial precedents on this and as a conservative view date of possession is considered as date of ownership and 2 years thereafter the proceeds will qualify as long term.
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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Ramalingam

Ramalingam Kalirajan  |10881 Answers  |Ask -

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on Aug 27, 2024

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Money
Hello sir, I booked flat in 2010, but got the possession in june 2023 and got registered , the initial value is 27lacs on registered paper. I sold the same for rs 85 lacs on june 2023. how the long term capital agin will be claculated . and whta should i do to sav ethe long term capital gain tax. if applicable.
Ans: 1. Calculation of Long-Term Capital Gains
Step 1: Determine the Sale Price
Sale Price: Rs 85 lakhs (amount for which the property was sold)
Step 2: Determine the Cost of Acquisition
Initial Purchase Price: Rs 27 lakhs (as per registered document)
Step 3: Adjust for Inflation
To calculate LTCG, the cost of acquisition is adjusted for inflation. This adjustment is done using the Cost Inflation Index (CII) provided by the Income Tax Department.

CII for the Year of Purchase (2010): Refer to the index published by the government for the year 2010.
CII for the Year of Sale (2023): Refer to the index for 2023.
Step 4: Calculate Indexed Cost of Acquisition
Use the formula:


Step 5: Calculate the Long-Term Capital Gains
LTCG
=
Sale Price

Indexed Cost of Acquisition
LTCG=Sale Price−Indexed Cost of Acquisition

2. Tax Implications
As it is sold before July 2024, the long-term capital gains are taxed at 20% with indexation benefits. Additional tax benefits may apply depending on the investment options you choose.

3. Saving on Long-Term Capital Gains Tax
Investment in Residential Property
If you reinvest the gains into another residential property, you can claim an exemption under Section 54 of the Income Tax Act.

Conditions: The new property must be purchased within two years of selling the old property or constructed within three years. The exemption is applicable on the amount of capital gains reinvested.
Investment in Capital Gains Bonds
You can invest up to Rs 50 lakhs of capital gains in specified bonds under Section 54EC to claim an exemption. These bonds must be held for a minimum period of five years.

Eligible Bonds: The bonds are issued by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) or Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).
Investment in Rural Development Bonds
Under Section 54EC, you can also invest in rural development bonds. These bonds also have a lock-in period of five years.

Reinvestment in Residential Property
To fully utilize the exemption, reinvest the entire long-term capital gains amount into a new residential property. Ensure compliance with the time limits mentioned.

4. Final Insights
Here’s a summary of actions you can take:

Calculate Indexed Cost: Use the CII to adjust the cost of acquisition for inflation.
Calculate LTCG: Determine the gain by subtracting the indexed cost from the sale price.
Explore Exemptions: Consider reinvesting the gains in a new residential property or capital gains bonds to reduce or eliminate tax liability.
Implement these strategies to manage your tax liability effectively. Always ensure you comply with the conditions specified under the Income Tax Act for exemptions.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in

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Mihir

Mihir Tanna  |1090 Answers  |Ask -

Tax Expert - Answered on Oct 11, 2025

Money
Respected Sir, I am a working person in a private office.In September,2022 I (primary applicant) along/joint with my mother(senior citizen,housewife,no income as such) took a 50L Home loan for purchasing a resale/old flat for Rs 69L.In addition to this ,in reality total cost/expense against the property is 96L approx which included standard repair,Mutation,Brokerage charge,flat registration/stamp charges, along with the total interest that I have been paying to bank till date. Now I would like to sale this flat.Do I need to pay long term capital gain tax for this property if I sell this property @103L and out of this amount ,I have to pay 49L to Bank(for Loan closure). Can you please help in elaborately explaining how much tax if any will I need to pay? Or my mother being a senior citizen(house wife,no major income) can showcase that. If the purchaser directly pays the loan amount of Rs 49L to my bank loan account for settling,will that way also save tax and the remaining sale amount is credited to my mother's account? Will be really helpful,if you help in providing in detail your valuable suggestion in order to save some tax here or any alternate way/option.
Ans: Repayment of housing loan will not reduce capital gain tax directly. However, if you want to save tax, you can invest gain amount in another residential property.

Capital gain calculation will depend on contribution given by each of the owner at the time of acquisition of property. If mother doesn't have source of income or old savings, she will not be considered as owner of property. Also brokerage is not allowed as deduction.

Assuming you are 100% owner for income tax purpose and allowable cost is 90L, appx capital gain would be 430000 (assumed 31st March 2025 as date of transfer) on which tax would be 85k plus applicable surcharge cess.

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Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Dec 14, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025Hindi
Career
Hello, I am currently in Class 12 and preparing for JEE. I have not yet completed even 50% of the syllabus properly, but I aim to score around '110' marks. Could you suggest an effective strategy to achieve this? I know the target is relatively low, but I have category reservation, so it should be sufficient.
Ans: With category reservation (SC/ST/OBC), a score of 110 marks is absolutely achievable and realistic. Based on 2025 data, SC candidates qualified with approximately 60-65 percentile, and ST candidates with 45-55 percentile. Your target requires scoring just 37-40% marks, which is significantly lower than general category standards. This gives you a genuine advantage. Immediate Action Plan (December 2025 - January 2026): 4-5 Weeks. Week 1-2: High-Weightage Chapter Focus. Stop trying to complete the entire syllabus. Instead, focus exclusively on high-scoring chapters that carry maximum weightage: Physics (Modern Physics, Current Electricity, Work-Power-Energy, Rotation, Magnetism), Chemistry (Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, Coordination Compounds, Electrochemistry), and Maths (Integration, Differentiation, Vectors, 3D Geometry, Probability). These chapters alone can yield 80-100+ marks if practiced properly. Ignore topics you haven't studied yet. Week 2-3: Previous Year Questions (PYQs). Solve JEE Main PYQs from the last 10 years (2015-2025) for chapters you're studying. PYQs reveal question patterns and difficulty levels. Focus on understanding why answers are correct, not memorizing solutions. Week 3-4: Mock Tests & Error Analysis. Take 2-3 full-length mock tests weekly under timed conditions. This is crucial because mock tests build exam confidence, reveal time management weaknesses, and error analysis prevents repeated mistakes. Maintain an error notebook documenting every mistake—this becomes your revision guide. Week 4-5: Revision & Formula Consolidation. Create concise formula sheets for each subject. Spend 30 minutes daily reviewing formulas and key concepts. Avoid learning new topics entirely at this stage. Study Schedule (Daily): 7-8 Hours. Morning (5:00-7:30 AM): Physics concepts + 30 PYQs. Break (7:30-8:30 AM): Breakfast & rest. Mid-morning (8:30-11:00): Chemistry concepts + 20 PYQs. Lunch (11:00-1:00 PM): Full break. Afternoon (1:00-3:30 PM): Maths concepts + 30 PYQs. Evening (3:30-5:00 PM): Mock test or error review. Night (7:00-9:00 PM): Formula revision & weak area focus. Strategic Approach for 110 Marks: Attempt only confident questions and avoid negative marking by skipping difficult questions. Do easy questions first—in the exam, attempt all basic-level questions before attempting medium or hard ones. Focus on quality over quantity as 30 well-practiced questions beat 100 random questions. Master NCERT concepts as most JEE questions test NCERT concepts applied smartly. April 2026 Session Advantage. If January doesn't deliver desired results, April gives you a second chance with 3+ months to prepare. Use January as a practice attempt to identify weak areas, then focus intensively on those in February-March. Realistic Timeline: January 2026 target is 95-110 marks (achievable with focused 50% syllabus), while April 2026 target is 120-130 marks (with complete syllabus + experience). Your reservation benefit means you need only approximately 90-105 marks to qualify and secure admission to quality engineering colleges. Stop comparing yourself to general category cutoffs. Most Importantly: Consistency beats perfection. Study 6 focused hours daily rather than 12 distracted hours. Your 110-mark target is realistic—execute this plan with discipline. All the BEST for Your JEE 2026!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

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Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1840 Answers  |Ask -

Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Dec 13, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025
Career
Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently a 1st year UG student studying engineering in Sairam Engineering College, But there the lack of exposure and strict academics feels so rigid and I don't like it that. It's like they don't gaf about skills but just wants us to memorize things and score a good CGPA, the only skill they want is you to memorize things and pass, there's even special class for students who don't perform well in academics and it is compulsory for them to attend or else the student and his/her parents needs to face authorities who lashes out. My question is when did engineering became something that requires good academics instead of actual learning and skill set. In sairam they provides us a coding platform in which we need to gain the required points for each semester which is ridiculous cuz most of the students here just look at the solution to code instead of actual debugging. I am passionate about engineering so I want to learn and experiment things instead of just memorizing, so I actually consider dropping out and I want to give jee a try and maybe viteee , srmjeee But i heard some people say SRM may provide exposure but not that good in placements. I may not be excellent at studies but my marks are decent. So gimme some insights about SRM and recommend me other colleges/universities which are good at exposure
Ans: First — your frustration is valid

What you are experiencing at Sairam is not engineering, it is rote-based credential production.

“When did engineering become memorizing instead of learning?”

Sadly, this shift happened decades ago in most Tier-3 private colleges in India.

About “coding platforms & points” – your observation is sharp

You are absolutely right:

Mandatory coding points → students copy solutions

Copying ≠ learning

Debugging & thinking are missing

This is pseudo-skill education — it looks modern but produces shallow engineers.

The fact that you noticed this in 1st year already puts you ahead of 80% students.

Should you DROP OUT and prepare for JEE / VITEEE / SRMJEEE?

Although VIT/SRM is better than Sairam Engineering College, but you may face the same problem. You will not face this type of problem only in some top IITs, but getting seat in those IITs will be difficult.
Instead of dropping immediately, consider:

???? Strategy:

Stay enrolled (degree security)

Reduce emotional investment in college rules

Use:

GitHub

Open-source projects

Hackathons

Internships (remote)

Hardware / software self-projects

This way:

College = formality

Learning = self-driven

Risk = minimal

...Read more

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

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