Hello all,
I am writing to seek clarification on the correct method for computing capital gains taxes in the context of trading shares under the “Delivery” and “MTF” (Margin Trading Facility) categories on Indian stock exchanges.
As I understand it, the Income Tax Act, 1961 provides guidelines for the computation of capital gains and clearly distinguishes between delivery and non-delivery (such as MTF) trades. My interpretation is that capital gains should be computed separately for each type of trade, with the FIFO (First-In, First-Out) method being applied strictly within each category of shares, rather than universally across all transactions i.e., not be mixed between the two segments - delivery and MTF.
Example Scenario:
(a) Delivery Category:
100 shares of Company ABC were purchased 5 years ago at INR 2,000 per share.
(b) MTF Category:
100 shares of the same Company ABC were purchased recently at INR 3,000 per share and sold after a few days at INR 3,500 per share.
Specific Query:
- Category Distinction: Should the capital gains from the sale of shares under the MTF category be computed based solely on the purchase and sale prices within that category? In this case, the gain would be INR 500 per share (INR 3,500 - INR 3,000), resulting in a short-term capital gain of INR 50,000.
- FIFO Application: Does the FIFO (First-In, First-Out) method apply separately within each category (Delivery and MTF), or should it be applied globally across all transactions, regardless of the category? If applied globally, the sale of shares under the MTF category could potentially be matched against the earliest purchase in the Delivery category, leading to a long-term capital gain of INR 150,000 (INR 3,500 - INR 2,000).
I believe FIFO should apply within the segment, leading to a short-term gain in MTF, since the trading took place in the MTF category and not in the delivery category. Your guidance on the correct method is appreciated.
Best regards,
K. Rajesh