CA NeWs Beta*: Legal Update: Period of holding for computing capital gains to include both-dates of acquisition and transfer

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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Legal Update: Period of holding for computing capital gains to include both-dates of acquisition and transfer

To qualify as a short term capital asset, the capital asset should be held by the assessee for 12 or 36 months, but the moment the said time limit is crossed or is exceeded and the assessee continues to be the holder/owner of the said asset, the same is to be treated as a long term capital asset [BHARTI GUPTA RAMOLA v. CIT [2012] 20 taxmann.com 762 (Delhi)]
• The term 'month' has not been defined in the Act and, therefore, 'month' would have to be understood in the sense of 'calendar month' as defined in section 3(35) of the General Clauses Act, 1897.
• Period of 12 calendar months would begin on the day when the assessee became the holder of the asset and end one day before in the relevant calendar month, next year. Thus, if an assessee acquires an asset on 2nd January in a preceding year, the period of 12 months would be complete on 1st January, next year and not on 2nd January. This position will apply to all cases, except when an asset is transferred/purchased on 1st January. In such cases, the period of one year or 12 months would expire and would be complete on 31st December in the same year.
• The clause refers to the holding period. It will not be appropriate to exclude or include any day of the holding for computing the said period. The date on which the asset is acquired is not to be excluded because the holding starts from the said date. Neither is the date of sale/transfer to be excluded. The period of 12/36 months accordingly will have to be computed. Thus, if an asset is held for 12 months/36 months and is sold the very next day after the period of 12/36 months is over, the asset would be treated as a long term capital asset.
• There is nothing in the said section to show and hold that the time period would not include fraction of a day

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