home loans

Tax benefits of Home Loan- Overall there are two types of tax benefits that are available on the repayment of a housing loan. Interest paid on the loan is eligible for a deduction up to Rs. 1.5 lakh per annum from the taxable income of the individual under Sec 24 when the property is self-occupied or it is one ownership property lying vacant. The return of the capital of the loan along with the interest up to Rs. 1 lakh is included in the benefit under Sec 80C. Full Article

Concerned over excessive flow of banking funds to the real estate sector, the Reserve Bank today said lenders will provide loans only up to 80 per cent of the cost of property. Following the RBI directive, a home buyer will necessarily have to arrang Full Article

Realty firms and property consultants today said both consumers and developers are likely to be affected by the hike in key policy rates by RBI as loans would become dearer, though the impact would be marginal. Full Article

The government may modify the draft direct tax code to retain tax shelters on interest and principal repayments for home loans to make the proposed new code more attractive for the average Indian, a finance ministry official told .The proposed direct taxes code, which has been unveiled for public debate and is due to become operational from April 2011, does not provide tax incentives to loan-funded house purchases that are for personal use. Full Article

Banks are making a strong pitch to the government for permission to issue tax-free bonds to fund infrastructure projects. Bankers, who are expected to again take up the issue with the finance ministry next week, are arguing that the bonds will help them raise long-term resources and reduce dependence on retail fixed deposits, whose maturity is getting shorter. In recent months, banks have been saddled with deposits in the one-year maturity bucket, while infrastructure lo.. Full Article

THE INSTITUTE of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has raised questions about ICICI Bank’s home loans business and has sought a fresh central bank audit of a two-year-old sale deal of dud loans, after a Mumbai-based chartered accountant spotted irregularities in some loans.“The regulator should re-audit assets sold to ARCIL,” ICAI president Uttam Prakash Agarwal [...] Full Article

The Direct Tax Code is a bit of a mixed bag for individuals, particularly the salaried class. Prima facie, the tax liability will reduce significantly as the draft code proposes to tax incomes up to Rs 10 lakh at 10%, that between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 25 lakh at 20% and sum in excess [...] Full Article

Competition is again hotting up in the home loan segment. With home sales falling, banks and housing finance companies are on an overdrive to expand their credit portfolio, leading to claims and counter-claims. Even as other PSU banks have quietly started following the SBI way to freeze home loan rates at 8 per cent for [...] Full Article