Impact of Budget 2022-23 on Real Estate

Budget 2022-23 takes the following revenue measure on real estate:

  • Advance tax on sale/purchase of property by filers is increased from 1% to 2% and for purchase by non-filer to 5%.
  • 1% Wealth Tax imposed on immovable property (1 house exempted) of value 2.5 crore or more.
  • Capital Gain holding period increased to 6 years from 4 years. At 15% first year and declining 2.5% every year.

Fellow forumers are invited for an inclusive discussion on impact of this budget on RE sector, specially, in the wake of our domestic economic turmoil and possible global recession.

Construction activity has already flattened after ending of amnesty last year. However, construction cost is still moving exponentially upward. Cement, steel and imported finish materials are the main culprits.

This govt did not recognize RE as a major booster of economic activity, instead they discourage lazy investors to park money in expensive properties. Will this trigger money repatriation to overseas, or will it actually smoke out and shift parked money into productive sectors?

اگلے مالی سال کے بجٹ میں پراپرٹی سیکٹر کیلئے یہ تجاویز ہیں۔

۔ 1. خرید و فروخت پر فائیلرز کیلئے ایڈوانس ٹیکس بڑھا کر دو فیصد کر دیا گیا ہے۔ جبکہ نان فائیلرز کو خریدنے پر پانچ فیصد ٹیکس دینا ہو گا۔

۔ .2. اگر کسی کے پاس ایک ذاتی مکان کے علاوہ دیگر پراپرٹی دو کروڑ پچاس لاکھ ملیت یا زائد ہے تو اس پر ایک فیصد ٹیکس لگے گا۔

۔ 3. کیپیٹل گین ٹیکس پہلے سال پندرہ فیصد ہو گا اور ہر سال اڑھائی فیصد کم ہو کر چھ سال بعد صفر ہو جائے گا۔

تمام ممبرز سے گزارش ہے کہ بجٹ کے ان نکات پر اپنا تبصرہ و تجاویز دیں۔

توٹ: فارم ھاؤسز پر لگژری ٹیکس کی بھی خبر ہے، لیکن میری نظر سے نہیں گذرا۔ جس کو ملے ضرور یہاں شیئر کریں۔

I did not find anything on 5+ kanal farmhouses tax in ICT area. If anyone does, then plz share here.

Property owners

The federal government has proposed a 1% ‘deemed rental income’ tax on property valued at Rs25 million or above.

People who own a property other than the house they live in will be deemed to have received rental income from that property if it is valued at Rs25 million at ‘fair market value’. They will be taxed 1% of the “fair market value” of the property. However, one home owned by everyone will be exempted from this tax.

“All persons who have more than one immovable property exceeding Rs25 million situated in Pakistan shall be deemed to have received rent equal to 5% of the fair market value of the immovable property and shall pay tax at the rate of 1% of the fair market value of the said property,” the finance minister said.

The government has also proposed a 15% tax on capital gain from immovable property in case of a one-year holding period. With every passing year after the holding period the rate will decrease by 2.5% and will drop to zero after six years, the finance minister announced.

This means that if you buy a property and sell it within one year, you will be paying 15% tax, and if you sell in the second year you will be paying 12.5% tax and so on.

The government has also increased the advance tax rate from 1% to 2% for filers and to5% for non-filers.

Clarification: 15% is on the “gain”. Which is the same as before, the only difference is the holding period which is now 6 years instead of 4.

Don’t consider this business as business any more

1% rental income tax will be applicable on plots also or only on constructed property ?
And what is the procedure to calculate fair market value ?

Asif, it says “immovable property”, doesn’t specify which type. So I guess all types are included.

Question:

When will this tax be applicable? I suppose for the financial year 2022-2023. If yes, then there is no immediate incentive for the govt to collect tax.

Secondly, 1 year will be enough for people to transfer plots to their spouse and children and/or replace it with built-up property. Thus, completely avoiding this tax. So it’s not a very smart idea !

The only benefit I see is that this will discourage open plot investment while incentivise construction and transfer of wealth to productive sectors. Well, this could be a smart idea !

But small investor will remain undeterred. So it will not completely discourage open plots. Only plot-holding will become smaller by distributing among family members.

The tax comes into force from 1 July 2022.

But on the other hand The industrial relief package is stoped ,

this just seems a desperate move of creating some money circulation but the impacts could be worse.

Taxes are important to make the country survive but There is no trust and confidence left , unless this is developed there will be no stability at all .

I guess that amnesty scheme is dropped under IMF’s pressure.

Instead of blanket amnesty, govt is now focusing on operationalizing Special Economic Zones (SEZ) proposed under CPEC. This year 3 zones (in KPK, Punjab and Sindh) will be made operational. That will be a big achievement and will surely attract big investors from all over the world.

The countries who passing bills in parliament against accountability rather making it more strengthen don’t see any investors

And where the media and other institutions remain silent on such criminal acts is even worst

Taxation

Its a fact that PAK RE remains under-taxed. But also the problem is with little taxation there is hardly any good will services (regulation, tax incentives) for tax payers. Unless there is a fair system that favours the tax payers, people will always find loop holes to evade tax and they cant be blamed.

Amnesties
Too many amnesties hike up and once it expires the market falls and also issues with FATF so overdoing it may bring short-term benefits but it doesn’t yield longer-term impacts.

Accountability & FDI some quick facts

  • Ehtasab Comission was closed in KP first of all, years ago.
  • Javed Iqbal was a pure disgrace. Getting Horny while on official seat with Quaid Portrait right at top.
  • Killed a Professor while chained and found no guilty later
  • Killed Asad Munir later found no guilty
  • Lost in UK courts paying hefty fines.

Let me introduce the FDI magnet, our esteemed Former Minister of Education.

Capture

Folks going mad at why to reform NAB.

Let me have the priveledge to introduce some glory moments for NAB, all in last 4 years … Just a tip of the Ice Berg.

Dear Imtiaz and Sohail, I have initiated a poll on the thread “This forum seems to be dead now”.
Appreciate if you can give your vote. Thanks.

Done! I would advice you gents, should you prefer to, to join the Forum Members Whatsapp group. Your presence and insights will be very valubale.

The group is smaller, focused, politically neutral (as much as it could be), centered around RE but also welcomes some socio-economic issues of the time. Do consider gents!

Agreed but no political kachra and if it does, it has to be good suggestions to the ruling party not personal attacks on all.

Here is analysis from my side. I have completed 1 year on this forum. LAst year you people came to know me after my budger analysis.

The newest tax is the form of “wealth tax” for property exceeding 2.5 crore. Tax experts are still struggling with the definition of “fair market value” and how it will be calculated. Secondly, plots sold/purchased during the year, how will that be accounted for.

Here’s a section on this item in budget commentary by AF Ferguson.

Most likely, this item will not see the light of the day. It challenges the most powerful ones.