Budget 2021 should push the demand for housing

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The union budget of 2021 will be an important one for the country gradually coming out of recession brought about by covid-19.

The budget should focus on the real estate sector as it provides jobs and supports other sectors like steel and cement. The budget should help in creating demand for housing. This can be done in some of ways illustrated below.

On the aspect of housing demand, Section 80 C tax deduction on home loan principal repayment does not provide for a focused benefit on housing. A separate annual deduction of ₹150,000 will provide the much-needed fillip to opt for house purchase.

A separate annual deduction of ₹1,50,000 will provide the much-needed fillip to opt for house purchase.

The credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) has ensured a remarkable increase in the activity level in the affordable housing sector. Given the COVID-19 pandemic disturbances and a likely two-year time frame for the economy to recover from the impact, the deadline for the CLSS scheme should be extended by two years up to March 31, 2023.

Additionally, given the relatively higher house prices in major cities, the upfront amount of the CLSS subsidy should be increased to ₹3.5 lakh (from the current level of ₹2.3-2.67 lakh depending on the income category) with corresponding enhancement in income criteria which shall make the subsidy amount more significant in comparison to the house value.

The upfront amount of the credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) subsidy should be increased to ₹3.5 lakh

The stressed asset fund to revive stuck residential projects has been progressing well. Considering there is a well-developed mechanism to prevent misuse and ensure timely completion of projects with proper supervision in this fund, government should consider increasing the size of the fund. With the increased financial support, the fund can also be encouraged to lend to wider bouquet of projects till the NBFC sector gets back on its feet.

To avoid cascading impact of taxes and consequently house prices, the government should use this budget session to refer recommendation on restoration of GST input tax credit to the upcoming GST council meet.

For REIT, the government should reduce the timelines of investment from three years to one year

For REIT, the government should reduce the timelines of investment from three years to one year for long-term capital gains taxation; thereby ensuring larger retail investor participation and easing a long-term funding challenge for such projects.

The writer is chairman and managing director, Knight Frank India, Views are personal