I am aware that if Sovereign gold bonds (SGB) are purchaed in the primary market and held till maturity for 8 years, then the capital gains are not taxable. However, I would like to know If SGB is purchased in the secondary market on BSE or NSE and held till maturity, is the capital gain still non-taxable or is it taxable?
Ans: If you purchase Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) in the secondary market on BSE or NSE, and hold them till maturity for 8 years, the capital gains will still be non-taxable, provided the bonds were originally issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The tax treatment of SGBs purchased in the secondary market is the same as that of SGBs purchased in the primary market. The exemption from capital gains tax applies to all SGBs that are held until maturity, regardless of whether they were purchased in the primary or secondary market.
However, if you sell the SGBs before the 8-year maturity period, you will be liable to pay capital gains tax. Short-term capital gains (if held for less than 3 years) will be taxed at your applicable income tax rate, while long-term capital gains (if held for more than 3 years) will be taxed at 20% with indexation benefit.