ADDITIONAL DEDUCTION OF RS. 1 LAKH IN INCOME TAX FOR FIRST TIME HOME BUYER

[Siddharath Gupta]

First-time home buyers can avail an additional income-tax deduction, till March 31 this year, of up to Rs 1 lakh paid as interest on a loan amount of less than Rs 25 lakh for a property value of not more than Rs 40 lakh. For the deduction to be availed, the loan has to be sanctioned between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014. 

This special exemption under Section 80EE of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, will lapse after March 31 and will only be applicable if the salaried income-tax assessee does not own any residential property on the date of sanction of the loan. 

This deduction will be in addition to the tax rebate on interest payment of home loan under Section 24 the Income-Tax Act up to Rs 1.5 lakh and up to Rs 1 lakh paid as principal repayment under Section 80C every year. Moreover, if the interest payable by the assessee during the year is less than Rs 1 lakh, the unclaimed amount will be allowed to be claimed in the next financial year. For example, if the interest payable in financial year 2013-14 (assessment year 2014-15) is R60,000, then the tax rebate on the remaining Rs 40,000 can be claimed in financial 2014-15 (assessment year 2015-16). 

The newly inserted Section 80EE will be applicable only for assessment year 2014-15. 

The finance minister, in his interim budget for 2014-15, did not extend the this provision. 

To avail the deduction under Section 80EE, the assessee will have to produce a certificate from the financial institution from where the loan has been sanctioned and get the deduction on salary. 

Alternatively, the assessee can even deduct the amount from the total income while filing his income-tax returns. This one-time additional tax deduction gave the much-needed relief to first-time home buyers, especially in low-cost housing, because of higher interest rates. 

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WITH WARM REGARDS

CA SIDDHARATH GUPTA
VIJAY MUKESH & CO.
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
+91-9027147578
+91-8191889977