Sunday, 22 January 2023

Five Mistakes To Avoid When Applying For A Home Loan




Take extra care and ensure your safety prior to applying for a home loan advise experts.

Do I need to take out an equity loan for my home? Is this the best moment to purchase a house? Could it be an expensive financial burden? These are questions which occupy homeowners who decide to purchase an apartment. The process of getting a mortgage for a home is not always easy which can further discourage home buyers.

If you're certain that you want to buy a house and deciding to take out a mortgage there are a few common mistakes to steer clear of.

Don't apply to multiple lenders in a short period of time.Each time you make an application for credit and lenders check their credit history from the credit bureaus to determine the creditworthiness of your application. "Such credit report inquiries made by lenders are regarded as hard inquiries and will cause the credit bureaus to lower your score on credit by just a couple of points. Therefore that making direct loan requests to multiple lenders within an extremely short timeframe can decrease your credit score and which could affect your loan eligibility. Instead, go to online financial marketplaces to submit requests for loans from a vast variety of lenders. These marketplaces will also obtain your credit report in order and provide you with loans, credit report inquiries made by them are regarded as"soft enquiries" and won't affect your credit score," states Ruchika Bhagat, the managing director at a chartered accountant firm.

Make sure you assess the institution's financial performance.
There are a lot of options for buyers of homes you must make the most of them and pick the loan that best suits your needs, not the opposite. Rajas Jain, the managing director at a property agency states, "Before finalising the bank you'd like to proceed with, make sure you examine the interest rate, policies, foreclosure terms and any other conditions and terms." Mohit Ramsinghani, the chief sales officer at the real estate company advises, "One should compare various mortgage options available on the market, and then pick the one that is the most suitable for your needs. The rates of interest also differ between banks in a matter of just a few basis points in the interest rate can make a huge distinction."

Do not accept any type of loan
It is not necessary for everyone to get a mortgage for a home that lasts between 25 and 30 years. Neither should you make the term of the loan for your home too short. Consider the best tenure for you and make your decision accordingly. In explaining the necessity to tailor your loan, Ramsinghani explains, "One must choose the duration of the home loan based on the EMI budget. If you are able to manage a higher EMI then go for it (as the higher EMI implies that the loan term is shorter). This will mean that the large portion of your EMIs will be used to pay back the capital (principal loan) instead of the interest charged on the loan." Beware of the trap of basing your EMI on the basis of future earnings, warns Jain. "While considering the duration that the loan will last, you should do the calculation based on your current earnings instead of your anticipated income. Many of us make the error of thinking about an improved future, only to try to cash it in the moment," he adds.

Don't forget to set up your own emergency funds
Following the outbreak of Covid-19 Many were unable to pay their EMIs on time because they did not have the emergency funds. In addition, many chose to take advantage of the three-month moratorium, only to be informed that they'd have pay the entire amount in one payment. "The best method to plan for future uncertainty is to build an appropriate backup plan in such a fund as an emergency. This fund should amount to at minimum six times your monthly essential expenses, which includes those for loan EMIs. Therefore, when you begin planning for a home loan, you should try to double the emergency fund's amount by at minimum six times the anticipated EMI for the new credit," advises Bhagat.

Keep these 5 things in Your Mind While submitting an application for a Home Loan

  • Do not take out an individual loan to pay the down payment
  • Do not take out the home loan if you have a disposable income from your household is less than three months ' EMI such as it is recommended to take home loans with 20000 EMI per month only if your in-hand income per month is not less than the amount of Rs 60,000.
  • Do not take the loan on your home for projects that are non RERA registered;
  • Don't get a mortgage when your employment is in doubt or if your industry is in trouble;
  • Don't get a loan for your home in the event of a divorce, family conflict or any other litigation that has unclear obligations.

-- Amit Goenka the MD and CEO of Nisus Finance

Company Insolvency: How do you know if any company is insolvent?



 


Insolvency is the situation of financial hardship that occurs when a person company is not able to pay its dues. Insolvency for a business can be caused by a variety of situations that can result in low cash flow. In the event of insolvency either a person or business can approach creditors directly and arrange debts to settle them.
|| Ruchika Bhagat Chartered Accountant

What can you do to determine when your company is insolvent?

A business is considered insolvent if it's unable to pay its creditors. This could mean that it is unable to pay its bills on time or when they are due.

It could also be described in a position where there are more liabilities than assets in its balance account.

There are three tests you could run to determine if the company is insolvent.

The test of cash flow

In general, poor cash flow is one of the primary indicators of a failing business. It could be caused by an economic downturn, inadequate processes for controlling credit, as well as the demise of a customer or two. A lack of cash flow will impact the day-today operation of your business , making it hard to expand.

Test: Can you afford to pay off debts that are due to be paid now or will be due in the relatively not too distant in the near future?

If you're constantly paying your bills long after they're due and there's no indication of any changes coming anytime in the near future, your business could be insolvent.

The test of the balance sheet

A balance sheet is an overview of the company's capital, assets, and liabilities at the time of. It is essential that the value of your assets is correct and that all your contingent liabilities (a possibility of loss that might happen in the future) are considered.

A test to determine: Do your company's liabilities outweigh their assets i.e. is it owing more than its assets?

If the company's debts exceed the assets it has, you will not be able to pay your creditors, even if you had to sell the entire assets of the company. This implies that the company is insolvent. If the worth of its assets as well as liabilities are similar, then the company is on edge of bankruptcy.

The test of legal action

If you owe creditors more than PS750 in total, they may seek legal recourse to recover the amount owed. At first, it will be in the form either an statutory demand or county court judgment (CCJ) which is issued against the company. If the debt is not paid and the creditor is unable to pay, they can issue a winding-up request to shut down your business.

Test: Has any legal actions been taken against the business that is still unfinished?
If you have an unpaid legal demand or County court judgement filed against your company that hasn't been paid, the company is considered insolvent. This applies regardless of whether the debt is disputable.

What can happen when a business is insolvent?

An insolvent company is at risk of being taken over by the government.
However, directors of the company might be able make a decision that permits the company to trade or an organization may be able to, after having wiped out all of its liabilities, with an extraordinary resolution or by the approval of seventy five percent members in relation to the capital stock that is paid up, file an application according to the procedure to the Registrar to remove the name of the business from the company's register and the Registrar after receiving the application be able to remove the company's names out of its Register of Companies.

Pre-requisites/conditions for applying for Striking off name of Company:

  • Elimination of all assets and obligations that belong to the Company.
  • Approval of shareholders to apply to strike off the Company via a Special Resolution adopted at a properly convoked General Meeting or by obtaining the approval from 75% of shareholders on the basis of payed-up share capital.
  • Accounting Statements (Form AOC-4/Form. AOC-4 XBRL) and the Annual Tax Return (Form MGT-7) are required to be filed prior until the close of the fiscal year which the business ceases to conduct its business
  • There should not be any litigations pending against the Company
  • The Company cannot receive a notice from the Registrar in accordance with section 1 of Section 248.

Procedure to apply for Strike Off from the Company under Section 248 of the Companies Act.

Call a Board meeting to approve closing of Bank Account, pay off all outstanding obligations, and to make the most recent financial statements of the Company following closure of Bank account, and to hold an Extra General Meeting Ordinary of the members.

Notice of EGM at least 21 days prior to the EGM or seek the consent of at least 90% of shareholders with notice periods that is less than 21 calendar days.

Hold an EGM and adopt Special Resolution for approval of the strike-off of Company. Instead of passing a Special Resolution, consent of at least 75% of the capital holders who have paid their share is possible to obtain.

Friday, 20 January 2023

Nominee Cannot Spend Out Of Deceased’s Estate Unless It Is For Welfare Of Legal Heirs












Be aware of what rights, obligations and rights of the nominee as well as the legal heir in relation to their rights regarding the estate of the deceased if the deceased passes away interstate

In the past, someone wrote an inquiry on social media inquiring about the status of the benefits that were paid for her husband who died by his employer. These benefits were then given to her father-in-law since the nominee. The amount due was the not paid salary, gratuity and other benefits for employees like insurance and provident funds.

"I reside within my family with the inlaws. My father-in law wants to transfer the entire amount of these death benefits into my account at the bank. However, he got these benefits only a couple of weeks ago and used a portion of the funds mostly on food items as well as other household items. According to my understanding, as we are Hindus and even though my husband listed my father-in law's name as his nominee my son and I are the legal inheritors. Do you think this is a valid assumption?" the reader asked.

What is their legal Status?

Ruchika Bhagat chartered accountant and managing director of Neeraj Bhagat & Co, an New Delhi based CA firm According to the Hindu Succession Act, 2005 in the event of an intestate (no will) succession, property rights will be transferred to heirs of class 1, that includes daughters, sons mother, widow or son of a deceased son, and others.

"The estate of the deceased should be divided between all class I heirs in a proportional manner in the event that some members will be willing to part with their shares, a non-objection certificate or settlement deed will be necessary in that regard,"Bhagat says.

In this specific instance any transfer that is unilaterally made from an individual the deceased's father-in-law to the daughter-in law without consulting with the son of the deceased or any other legal heirs would be null and void, according to Bhagat.

According to Bhagat the issue of marriage must be taken into account when deciding on these issues. If the spouse divorced prior to death, the fundamental nature of marriage is changed, and "therefore the spouse will not be considered to be an legal heir therefore, she will not have the right to part in this property."

What Do the Legal Heirs of The Deceased Do Now?

Abhinay Sharma managing partner of ASL Partners, a New Delhi-based law firm. He advises that should the deceased person not have a Will in place, the legal heir should seek an heirship certificate from the legal system or an estate certification from the Civil Court/Tehsildar office or the court designated for civil cases or the designated civil court.

Both of these documents legally prove that the people are in fact the legal descendants of the dead.

A succession certificate is needed to purchase any property that is immovable or movable by the legal heirs in their own name. The certificate also transfers the debts to descendants of deceased. Only the successors (children or grandchildren) of the deceased are able to apply to the court designated to request this.

Legal heir certificates have little significance under the Succession Act, 1925 and is necessary to be able to claim benefits such as provident funds pension, retirement, etc. It is only available through legal heirs such as parents, spouses or children from the decedent.

Says Mihir Tanna, associate director of SK Patodia and Associates, an Mumbai-based CA firm, "Any income earned after the date of death of the deceased is tax-deductible to the legal heir , but it takes time to transfer assets to the name of the legal hair. So, any income earned following death is also taxable against the PAN of the deceased and tax deducted (if appropriate) is deducted from the PAN of the deceased up to the point at which assets transfer."

What are the obligations of the nominee of the Person Who Passed Away?

Technically, there's no any time frame within which the nominee is required to pay the proceeds to the legal descendants. The main purpose for a nomination to make sure that the estate of the deceased doesn't remain ownerless in the time when succession disputes are being settled.

"Thus when there is a possibility of settlement of succession dispute, the nominee will be legally bound to transfer all property to the legal heirs." Bhagat adds.

Bhagat claims"the person who is the nominee is the trustee for the estate, and therefore is responsible for the estate until it is passed to legal inheritors. Additionally the nominee is an authorized representative under the Income Tax Act of 1961, consequently, "he is also liable to prepare the tax return for income of the deceased, and pay the taxes due from the deceased, based on the proceeds of the estate."

In no way can the nominee be removed from the estate, unless it is to benefit the legal inheritors. If he makes use of them for any other reason the legal heirs will be legally entitled to claim the funds.

"Further It is possible that upon mutual understanding the legal heirs following the time that the person who is nominated has spent this amount, can accept the transfer by writing," Bhagat adds.

GST For Import And Export

 


What exactly is GST?
 What is its purpose?

GST is a tax that is single on the supply of products and services, from the producer to the end user. Tax credits for input taxes that are paid at each step will be available at the next stage of value-addition that is what makes GST basically a tax on value-added at every stage. 

The Benefits of GST for Imports as well as Exports

Export of products export of goods section 2 (5) "export of products" and its grammatical variations and equivalent expressions, is transporting goods from India to a location that is not India The export of items will be considered as zero-rated supply

Services exported"export of services" Advertisements in 2(6) "export of services" 2(6) "export of service" refers to the provision of any service , when

(i) the provider of services is located in India;

(ii) the person who is receiving service is not located in India;

(iii) the location for supply of services is not in India;

Zero-Rated Supply With zero ratings, it's intended to mean that

  • all the value chain of supply is tax-free.
  • Not only is output exempt from tax not only is it tax-free, but there's no limit to taking credit of taxes paid on input used to make or provide output supply.

In the sense of making the products or services zero-rated.

The supply of all goods and services is not zero-rated.As as per the GST Law exports are meant to be zero-rated. The zero-rated principle is used in spirit and letter to exports and the supply to SEZ.

Import of goods and Services - ''Import of goods" along with its grammatical variants and related expressions, is that goods are brought into India from in the outside of India"Import of Services" is the provision of any service.-the service is provided by

Export Methods

Phase 1 Stage 1: In this step, items are shipped from the warehouses of the exporter or from the place of the company to the CONTAINER FREIGHT STATION, or the INLAND CONTAINER DEPOT.For transport purposes the exporter must create an electronic way invoice at this stage.Here I would like to emphasize that If the invoice is lower than Rs.50,000or less, then the creation of an e-way bill isn't necessary.

2. 2: The products transferred from the warehouse of the exporter into CFS or ICD is then delivered at the terminal or airport.This transfer of goods to an airport or port is exempt from the requirement of of an electronic bill.

Import Procedures

Phase 1 Once the goods arrive at the port or at the airport here, the items are believed to have been actually imported.

2. Following the arrival of the merchandise in the ports, these goods are in the custody of customs.

3. After the goods are removed from the customs custody the goods are then shipped to be cleared at either CFS (Container Freight Station) or ICD (Inland Courier Depot).These types of transactions are not subject to creating an electronic bill for this type of transaction.

Stage 4. Then, these products are then transported to CFS or ICD in either the Warehouse that is bonded; or to the factories or to businesses consumes.

What's E-Way Bill and how it functions?

A digital Way Bill (E-Way Bill) is a yielding device which, via a computer device or program, the individual who is moving products uploads pertinent information and data prior to the goods are moved and generates an e-way invoice through the GST website.

  • Import Amount and duration of an electronic bill will be calculated when the items are shipped to the place of the factory or business from CFS/ICD or warehouses.
  • Export Distance and validity of an electronic way bill must be determined prior to the transport of products from the place of the company to ICD/CFS or warehouses as the situation could be.

Where to Supply of Goods

The place of supply for products shipped into or exported out of India --

The location of supply for products imported in or exported out of India is determined in line with the requirements in Section 11 of the IGST Act 2017.

According to the regulations of Section 11.11, the location for the supply of goods must be as follows:

Levability and Integrated Taxes for High Seas Sales Transactions

The High Sea sales is one popular selling practice that is carried out by the buyer in actuality and a third party buyer when the merchandise is in the high seas or prior to the time that the merchandise has passed through the customs border of the particular country.

Let's look at the procedure of high sea sales through an simple example.If an Indian buyer India buys an item from a vendor within the USA and sells it to a different buyer in India even though the product or item is in transit, it's known as the high sea sale.There is no limit to selling the same item to multiple buyers when they are on high seas.

The required documents to be considered for high-sea sales under the GST Law. GST Law

  • Commercial Invoice
  • High Sale Agreement
  • Bill of Lading
  • Certificate of Origin
  • Import Invoice
  • Insurance Certificate

Import of Services

The IGST act of 2017 defines the importation of service as the provision of any kind of service that:

  • The service provider has its headquarters outside India
  • The person who is the recipient of this program is in India and
  • The place of supply for the service is India

Furthermore, the nature of the service being imported along with the motive behind it and the reason for its import determine whether a specific service import can be classified as supply.

Situation I Import of Service to Consider If or not in the furtherance of businessSay it is an importation of service.Further this import is considered to be a consideration, but could be to benefit business.Thus the importation of services in this situation is regarded as an offer.

This means that any exchange of service without consideration cannot be regarded to be a supply.It is not required that an import of a service as a result of consideration is carried out to benefit an enterprise.

Second Case Importation of Services by a Taxable Individual from a Distinct or Related Person

If there is an import of a service from a distinct or related person, as per article 25 of the CGT Act, 2017.Further, such an import of a service is for the interest of business and could or might not be done in exchange for consideration.Such an import of a service is considered to be a supply.

A Letter Intent in the context of GST

The letter of undertaking is the form of document the user submits to declare that they have met all the conditions under GST.It is provided in the event that an export is undertaken without paying IGST.Also as per Notification No.37/2017 Central Tax, it is mandatory to supply LUT to export either services or goods or both, and without paying IGST.If the exporter is not able to supply the LUT and is not able to provide it, he will have the obligation to either pay IGST or pay the export bond.Earlier LUT could only be submitted offline at the relevant GST office.But to make it easier the process, the Government has now made LUT submission online.

The importance of the location of Supply

  • The incorrect classification of supply states that are interstate or intrastate, and vice versa can result in hardship for the taxpayer, as per section 19 of the IGST Act and section 70 of the CGST Act
  • In the event that tax was incorrectly paid on account of the incorrect classification the refund has to be requested by the taxpayer. The taxpayer must make the appropriate tax payment, as well as interest for the delay , on the basis of a revised or correct classification
  • Additionally, a correct estimation of the place of supply can help us determine the amount of tax.As If the location of supply is identified as being outside of India Tax does not need to be paid on the transaction.

OIDAR - sec 13(12)

Online Information Database Access and Retrieval services (hereinafter called OIDAR) refers to a class of services that are offered via the the internet, and delivered to the user online, without physical contact with the seller of these services.For E.g.downloading or purchasing an electronic book online to pay for it would constitute a receipt of OIDAR services through the user who downloads the e-book and makes an online payment.

There is no GST levyable in the following cases

  • Transfer of goods from a area that is tax-free to a different place within the territory that is not tax-free, without goods entering India
  • Warehoused goods are available to anyone who is cleared for consumption at home
  • The supply of goods is made by the consignee to other person, based on the endorsement of a document that confirms title to the items, after the items were shipped from the point of origin outside India but prior to clearance for domestic consumption.

Merchant Exports covered under GST

Merchant exporters are one who is involved in trade activities and is exporting or planning to export.They don't have manufacturing units.They purchase goods from a supplier and deliver them to customers in foreign countries.

Merchant exporters are legally required to be registered as per GST.Under GST, the GST regime, the process for exporting is now simplified, merchant exporters can also choose to

Create an export under bond/LUT Then, the unutilized input tax credit may get claimed for a tax refund.

OR to export through the payment of IGST and then request a refund of the same.However it is not available if the person who is exporting does not have an option under the Special Relief Scheme of buying products at 0.1 percent GST.

Merchant exports are comparable to regular exports.They help the economy by the addition of foreign currency.Therefore the government has offered discount rates to merchant exporters. This helps themto lower their capital requirements.Thus the government has granted specific relief for merchant exporters through reduction of their GST amount to 0.1 percent for purchases of products from local suppliers

Deemed Exports

  • Delivery of goods to a registered person in exchange for Advance Authorization
  • Capital goods supply by a registered individual against an Export Promotion Authorization for Capital Goods
  • A person who supplies goods to an individual who is registered to an Export Oriented Unit
  • Gold supply by a financial institution or Public Sector Undertaking against Advance Authorization.

What happens when refunds are able to be refused or refused?

  • The company has not provided any returns
  • You are required to pay any tax to pay interest, tax or penalty
  • Deduct any unpaid taxes, interests penalties, late fees, and taxes from the refund amount. order to refund is in appeal. The award of the refund could be detrimental to the revenue from the appeal in the event of fraud or malfeasance committed

There are reasons why the refund may be delayed?

  • Insufficient Information
  • The lack of diligence when making GST returns
  • Error when matching the information electronically

Interest in a delayed refund

  • Request for refunds made
  • If the refund cannot be given after 60 days from request
  • 6 percent p.a.Interest for the duration of delay
  • Refunds are given after 60 days of Order of Appellate Authority / Tribunalor Court
  • 9percent p.a for the time of delay.

Summary the government of India is constantly taking measures to promote its domestic products overseas through a variety of measures.One of these directions in the area of Taxation is the return of ITC earned on exports to allow these products to compete on the International market and to encourage the production of indigenous goods and thus increasing India's foreign exchange reserves.Further important is that to be able to claim the benefits of export, one needs to create the proper documentation in accordance with GST Act. GST Act.

The Author's Bio

Author: Ruchika Bhagat FCA providing assistance to foreign firms in establishing and closing businesses in India and ensuring compliance with the various tax laws that apply to foreign businesses when establishing an operation in India.Neeraj Bhagat and Company. Chartered Accountants is a established Chartered Accountancy firm founded in 1997 and has its headquarters in New Delhi.


Tuesday, 17 March 2020

Registration of Foreign Companies in India


Registration of Foreign Companies in India
Companies (Registration of Foreign Companies) Rules, 2014 prescribes guidelines to be followed for the Registration of foreign companies in India.

Particulars relating to directors and Secretary to be furnished to the Registrar by foreign Companies:

1. Every foreign company shall, within thirty days of establishment of its place of business in India, in addition to the particulars specified in subsection (1) of section 380 of the Act (i.e, Companies Act, 2013), Chartered accountant firm also deliver to the Registrar for registration, a list of directors and Secretary of such company.
2. The list of directors and secretary or equivalent (by whatever name called) of the foreign company shall contain the prescribed particulars, for each of the persons included in such list.
3. (3) A foreign company shall, within a period of thirty days of the establishment of its place of business in India, file with the registrar Form FC-1 with such fee as provided in Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014 and with the documents required to be delivered for registration by a foreign company in accordance with the provisions Expatriates taxation of sub-section (1) of section 380 and the application shall also be supported with an attested copy of approval from the Reserve Bank of India under Foreign Exchange Management Act or Regulations, and also from other regulators, if any, approval is required by such foreign company to establish a place of business in India or a declaration from the authorized representative of such foreign company that no such approval is required.
4. (4) Where any alteration is made or occurs in the document delivered to the Registrar for registration under sub-section (1) of section 380, the foreign company shall file with the GST consultants in Mumbai Registrar, a return in Form FC2 along with the fee as provided in the Companies (Registration Offices and Fees) Rules, 2014 containing the particulars of the alteration, within a period of thirty days from the date on which the alteration was made or occurred.

Financial Statement of foreign company:

Every foreign company shall prepare financial statement of its Indian business operations in accordance with Schedule III or as near thereto as may be possible for each financial year including-
2. Every foreign company shall, along with the financial statement required to be filed with the Registrar, attach thereto the following documents; namely:-
a. Statement of related party transaction, which shall include-
b. Statement of Expats taxation of profits which shall include-
c. Statement of transfer of funds (including dividends if any) which shall, in relation of any fund transfer between place of business of foreign company in India and any other related party of the foreign company outside India including its holding, subsidiary and associate company, include-
3. The documents referred to in this rule shall be delivered to the Registrar within a period of six months of the close of the financial year of the foreign company to which the documents relate.
Provided that the Registrar may, for any special reason, and on application made in writing by the foreign company concerned, extend the said period by a period not exceeding three months.

Monday, 30 December 2019

Related Party Transaction | Section 188 | Companies Act, 2013


Analysis on Related Party Transaction Under Section 188 of the Companies Act, 2013 – Section 188 of Companies Act, 2013 is been made effective from 01.04.2014 and since than the same been amended nine times till date. In this article Analyses Provision of Section 188-

Meaning of Related Party


Transactions Covered


Some Important Definitions:
1. Goods means every kind of movable property other than actionable claim and money and includes stock and shares, growing crops, grass attached to or forming part of the land which are agreed to be severed before sale or under contract of sale.
2. “office or place of profit” means any office or place—
(i) if the director receives from the company anything by way of remuneration over and above the remuneration to which he is entitled as director, by way of salary, fee, commission, perquisites, any rent-free accommodation, or otherwise;
(ii) if any individual other than a director or any firm, private company or other body corporate, if the individual, firm, private company or body corporate holding receives from the company anything by way of remuneration, salary, fee, commission, perquisites, any rent-free accommodation, or otherwise;
(iii). “arm’s length transaction” means a transaction between two related parties that is conducted as if they were unrelated, so that there is no conflict of interest.

Compliance provisions in regard to Related Party Transaction:

Exception to above:

In the case of Wholly Owned Subsidiary, the resolution passed by the holding company shall be sufficient for the purpose of entering into the transaction between the wholly owned subsidiary and the holding company.

Some Important Notes:

If the transaction is in the ordinary course of business and done on an arm’s length basis it shall not require the approval of the board or the company.
  1. No member shall vote on the special resolution if such member is a related party and this clause is not applicable to such Company in which ninety per cent. or more members, in number, are relatives of promoters or are related parties.
  2. Details of every contract entered into shall find its reference in the Board’s report along with justification about the same
  3. Ratification of the transaction may be done by the Board or the shareholders within three months. If the same is not done, then the contract will be voidable at the option of the Board.
  4. If the contract is with anyone related to the director, or is authorized by any other director, the directors concerned shall make good to the company for losses if any caused to the company.
Penalty for Contravention under Section 188
For Directors or any other employee in default:
Listed Company
  • Imprisonment – Maximum 1 Year months;
and/or
  • Fine – Minimum Rs. 25,000/- and Maximum Rs. 5 Lakhs.
Other than Listed Company
  • Fine – Minimum Rs. 25,000/- and Maximum Rs. 5 Lakhs.

Thursday, 22 August 2019

FDI in Construction Development sector in India


The Construction/ Real Estate sector is one of the most critical sectors of the Indian economy due to its huge multiplier effect on the economy. Any impact on the Real Estate sector has a direct bearing on economic growth. Due to the well-acknowledged need for foreign investments into this sector because of the sheer demand, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) route has attracted foreign investors’ interest in this sector.

In the year 2005, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification and the township, housing, construction development project sector and built up infrastructure was opened for 100% FDI with specific terms and conditions.
The Reserve Bank of India has recently relaxed norms on end-use of funds raised via external commercial borrowings, making it more attractive and viable for corporates including non-banking finance companies to raise cheaper offshore funds. With a view to further liberalize the ECB framework, it has been decided to relax the end-use restrictions and allow the use of funds for working capital requirements, general corporate purposes and repayment of rupee loans. ECBs with a minimum average maturity period of 10 years can now be used for working capital purposes and general corporate purposes.

These changes will improve ease of doing business in India.
There have been changes in FDI policy in this sector from time to time and following is the updated policy as of now.


*Real Estate Business
“Real Estate Business” has been defined as dealing in land and immovable property with a view of earning profit there from and does not include development of townships, construction of residential/commercial premises, roads or bridges, educational institutions, recreational facilities, city/regional level infrastructure, townships. Significantly, the earning of rent or income, not amounting to transfer, from lease of a project in which FDI is permitted would not tantamount to ‘Real Estate Business’.

Applicable conditions for FDI in Real Estate Sector in India:

ConditionsApplicability under FDI Policy 2017Minimum CapitalizationNo minimum requirementExit and Lock-in restrictions• The investor is permitted to exit from the investment: (i) after 3 years from the date of each tranche of foreign investment, or (ii) on the completion of the project; or (iii) on the completion/development of trunk infrastructure i.e., roads, water supply, street lighting, drainage and sewerage.• The lock-in period of 3 years will also not apply to Hotels & Tourist Resorts, Hospitals, Special Economic Zones, Educational Institutions, Old Age Homes and investment by NRIs.Transfer of stake from a non-resident investor to another non-resident investorTransfer without any repatriation of investment is not subject to any lock-in or prior RBI approval.Separate Phases/ProjectsEach phase of a project is considered as a separate project for the purposes of the FDI PolicyMinimum Land StipulationThere is no minimum area requirement.Completed Assets• 100% FDI is permitted under automatic route into completed projects for operation and management of townships, malls/ shopping complexes and business centers.• However, there is a lock-in period of 3 years applicable.Transfer of control from residents to non-residentsTransfer of control from residents to non-residents as a consequence of foreign investment is also permitted. However, there is a lock in period of 3 years applicable and no transfer of immovable property is permitted during this period.Earning or rent/income on lease of the propertyFDI is not permitted in an entity which is engaged or proposes to engage in ‘Real Estate Business’. However the earning of rent/ income on lease of the property, not amounting to transfer, does not amount to ‘Real Estate Business’ and hence is permitted.Obligations on Indian Investee company• Indian Investee Company is permitted to sell only developed plots, i.e. the plots where trunk infrastructure has been available.• Indian Investee Company is responsible for obtaining all approvals, payment of development and other charges, and compliance with all other requirements as prescribed by local government bodies.Authority to monitor complianceThe State Government/Municipal/Local Body concerned, which approves the building/development plans, will monitor compliance of all the conditions by the developer.
Open Conditions
  • Timeline at which stage the foreign investment must come in is not provided in the existing regulations and the clarification on the same is awaited.
  • In the absence of any timeline for investment, since the FDI is permitted in construction-development projects, it is to be seen at what stage a project can qualify as being in the ‘construction-development’ phase.
  • Real estate being a state subject, any guidelines or regulations by state for the benefit of foreign investors would be a welcome step and is awaited.
Take Away
RBI has been regularly improving the real estate sector for FDI, which will hold great potential for formation of employment and generation of income. Furthermore, considering the urgent need to enhance the affordable housing stock, the government had provided definite relaxations to conditions for FDI in Real Estate sector. It also clarified that real estate broking services do not amount to real estate business and are, therefore, eligible for 100 per cent FDI under the automatic route.