§ 88
Chapter IV — Computation Of Total Income
Section 88
Income-tax Act, 2025
✍️ A plain-language summary of this section is being prepared. Below is the official text.
📜 Official text
88. (1) Irrespective of anything contained in section 87, if the assessee has—
( a) capital gains arising from the transfer of a capital asset, being machin-
ery or plant or building or land or any rights in building or land used
for the business of an industrial undertaking situated in an urban area,
effected in the course of or in consequence of shifting of such industrial
undertaking (original asset) to any Special Economic Zone in any urban
or any other area; and
( b) has within one year before or three years after the date of such transfer,—
( i) purchased machinery or plant for the business of the industrial
undertaking in such Special Economic Zone;
( ii) acquired building or land or constructed building for his business
in such Special Economic Zone;
( iii) shifted the original asset and transferred the establishment of such
undertaking to such Special Economic Zone; and
( iv) incurred expenses on such other purposes specified by a scheme
notified by the Central Government in this behalf,
then, instead of capital gain being charged to income-tax as income of the tax year
in which the transfer took place, it shall be dealt with as follows:—
( A) if the cost and expenses incurred in on all or any of the purposes men -
tioned sub-clauses (i) to (iv) referred to as “new asset”,—
( I) is less than the capital gains, the difference shall be charged under
section 67 as the income of the tax year; or
( II) is equal to or more than the capital gains, no capital gain shall be
charged under section 67;
( B) for computing any capital gain arising from transfer of the new asset
within three years of its being purchased, acquired, constructed or
transferred, the cost shall be nil in case of sub-clause (A)(II), or shall be
reduced by the amount of the capital gain in case of sub-clause (A)(I).
(2) If the capital gain referred to in sub-section (1) is not utilised by the assessee
for the new asset within one year before the transfer of the original asset, or before
filing the return of income under section 263, then,—
( a) the unutilised amount shall be deposited in a specified bank or institution
and utilised as per the scheme notified by the Central Government;
( b) such deposit shall be made before the filing of the return and not later
than the due date applicable in the case of the assessee for filing the
return of income under section 263(1); and
( c) the proof of deposit shall be submitted along with such return.
(3) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the amount already utilised for purchasing
or constructing the new asset together with the deposited amount under sub-section
(2) shall be deemed to be the cost of the new asset.
(4) If the amount deposited under sub-section (2) is not wholly or partly utilised for
the new asset within the period specified in sub-section (1), then,—
( a) the unutilised amount shall be charged under section 67 as the income
of the tax year in which the period of three years from the date of the
transfer of the original asset expires; and
( b) the assessee shall be entitled to withdraw such unutilised amount in
accordance with the scheme referred to in sub-section (2).
(5) For the purpose of this section, the expression “urban area” shall have the mean-
ing assigned to it in section 87.
Extension of time for acquiring new asset or depositing or investing amount
of capital gains.
Plain-language summary — not the official text. Refer to the bare Act and confirm with a professional for your specific case.