{"id":28288,"date":"2026-09-24T16:53:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T16:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=28288"},"modified":"2026-09-24T16:53:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T16:53:30","slug":"wife-sold-shares-for-rs-8-31-crore-ltcg-bought-husbands-mumbai-property-for-rs-7-5-crore-and-claimed-section-54f-exemption-taxman-calls-it-tax-avoidance-but-itat-mumbai-gives-relief-to-her","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=28288","title":{"rendered":"Wife sold shares for Rs 8.31 crore LTCG, bought husband\u2019s Mumbai property for Rs 7.5 crore and claimed Section 54F exemption; taxman calls it tax avoidance, but ITAT Mumbai gives relief to her"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134466689,imgsize-599434,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/tax-notice.jpg\" alt=\"Wife sold shares for Rs 8.31 crore LTCG, bought husband\u2019s Mumbai property for Rs 7.5 crore and claimed Section 54F exemption; taxman calls it tax avoidance, but ITAT Mumbai gives relief to her\" title=\"The woman told the tax authorities that the property was bought as an investment for future security. (Image for representative purpose only)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"The woman told the tax authorities that the property was bought as an investment for future security. (Image for representative purpose only)\">The woman told the tax authorities that the property was bought as an investment for future security. (Image for representative purpose only)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>What if you use your proceeds from long-term capital gains to buy a property owned by your spouse? Is that tax avoidance? In one such case a woman bought her husband\u2019s property from her long-term capital gains and the <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/income-tax-department\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Income Tax Department<\/a> served her a notice.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The department did not accept the transaction at face value. The Assessing Officer treated the arrangement as a colourable device intended to reduce the family&#8217;s tax liability.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>What the case is about<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>When a woman sold her unlisted shares, she reported long-term capital gains of Rs 8.31 crore. In June 2021, she put Rs 6.91 crore into a residential property on Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai, and claimed exemption under Section 54F.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>There was, however, one detail that caught the attention of the Income Tax Department. <!-- -->The property belonged to her husband, and the purchase was made through his sole proprietorship, HP Trading.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>The woman told the tax authorities that the property was bought as an investment for future security and could also be rented out. It was not meant to be her residence. She continues to live on her husband&#8217;s parental property.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>The department\u2019s assessment was completed on December 30, 2022, under Section 143(3) read with Section 144B. The Section 54F exemption on around Rs 6.92 crore was denied and the amount was added to the woman\u2019s total income.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>The AO&#8217;s reasoning was also linked to the tax treatment in her husband&#8217;s hands. He had earned short-term capital gains of about Rs 4.85 crore from the transaction and subsequently set off around Rs 3.56 crore against business losses. According to the AO, the two transactions were connected and had effectively helped the family avoid tax.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>When the dispute reached the Mumbai bench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, it ruled in the woman\u2019s favour on July 17, 2026.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>What is Section 54F?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>First let\u2019s understand the section under which the woman claimed the exemption.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>Section 86 of the Income Tax Act, 2025 corresponds to Section 54F of the Income Tax Act, 1961. It provides an exemption from long-term capital gains for an individual or HUF when the gains arise from the transfer of a capital asset other than a residential house and the prescribed amount is invested in a new residential property, subject to the conditions in the law.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>For the exemption to apply, the asset sold has to be a long-term capital asset other than a residential house. The new house has to be in India.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>The purchase can be made within one year before the transfer of the original asset or within two years after it. Where the taxpayer constructs the property, the construction has to be completed within three years.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>Section 54F does not provide the benefit where the reinvestment is made in two residential properties.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Why the woman won the case<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>The central issue was not simply that the property had been bought from her husband. The department had to establish that the transaction itself was not genuine or had been arranged in advance as a device for avoiding tax.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>The tribunal did not find any such evidence.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>The documents supporting the purchase were in place, the consideration had been paid and the property transaction itself was not disputed. The subsequent business loss in the husband&#8217;s hands arose months after the purchase, which weakened the argument that the two events had been planned together from the outset.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/>The tribunal also found no statutory bar on purchasing a residential property from a spouse and claiming the Section 54F exemption, provided the other conditions of the provision were met.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/>On these facts, the ITAT deleted the disallowance of approximately Rs 6.92 crore and allowed Motwani&#8217;s Section 54F claim.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/>Chartered accountant Suresh Surana told ET that the woman had sold unlisted or unquoted equity shares in AY 2021-22 and earned LTCG of around Rs 8.31 crore.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"53\"\/>She subsequently invested Rs 7.50 crore in a residential property purchased from HP Trading, the sole proprietorship of her husband. The Section 54F exemption claimed on the investment was approximately Rs 6.92 crore.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"55\"\/>The purchase was not an undocumented arrangement. There was a registered transfer deed, stamp duty had been paid and the consideration for the property was paid. The woman also explained the source of the money used for the purchase.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"58\"\/>The property itself was separate from the house where she lived. Her explanation was that it was being acquired as an investment and for future security, with the possibility of renting it out.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"60\"\/>Her husband had reported short-term capital gains of about Rs 4.85 crore from the sale. He subsequently adjusted approximately Rs 3.56 crore against business losses.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"62\"\/>For the tax department, this was significant. The AO viewed the transactions between the husband and wife as a family arrangement involving rotation of funds. <!-- -->The woman could claim the Section 54F exemption on the property purchase, while her husband could reduce the taxable capital gain by using business losses.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"66\"\/>The tribunal found a problem with the department&#8217;s chronology.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"68\"\/>The property had been transferred in June 2021. The business loss relied upon by the department arose only on March 31, 2022. In other words, the loss had not arisen when the property transaction took place and, on the facts before the tribunal, could not reasonably have been anticipated at that point.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"72\"\/>That left the question of whether buying a property from a spouse, by itself, could prevent a taxpayer from claiming Section 54F.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"74\"\/>The ITAT held that the Income-tax Act does not impose such a restriction.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"76\"\/>Surana explained the point this way: &#8220;A genuine transaction cannot be disregarded merely because it takes place between related parties or results in a tax benefit. Legitimate tax planning carried out within the framework of law cannot, by itself, be treated as tax evasion or a colourable device.&#8221;<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/business\/india-business\/wife-sold-shares-for-rs-8-31-crore-ltcg-bought-husbands-mumbai-property-for-rs-7-5-crore-and-claimed-section-54f-exemption-taxman-calls-it-tax-avoidance-but-itat-mumbai-gives-relief-to-her\/articleshow\/134465968.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The woman told the tax authorities that the property was bought as an investment for future security. (Image for representative purpose only) What if you use your proceeds from long-term capital gains to buy a property owned by your spouse? Is that tax avoidance? In one such case a woman bought her husband\u2019s property from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The woman told the tax authorities that the property was bought as an investment for future security. (Image for representative purpose only) What if you use your proceeds from long-term capital gains to buy a property owned by your spouse? Is that tax avoidance? In one such case a woman bought her husband\u2019s property from [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790268820_tax-notice.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}