India’s Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) recently clarified that income from the transfer of unlisted shares will be taxed as a lower rate capital gain rather than as business income.
The tax department’s move is aimed at avoiding tax disputes/litigation and maintaining a uniform approach. However, such treatment isn’t applicable in situations where:
- The genuineness of transactions in unlisted shares itself is questionable,
- The transfer of unlisted shares is related to an issue pertaining to lifting of the corporate veil, or
- The transfer of unlisted shares is made along with the control and management of the underlying business.