Capital Gains Tax in India After Budget 2024 — Complete Guide to LTCG and STCG

## The major Budget 2024 changes Budget 2024 (July 23, 2024) made sweeping changes: | Asset | Pre-Budget 2024 | Post-Budget 2024 | |---|---|---| | Equity STCG | 15% | **20%** | | Equity LTCG | 10% (above ₹1L) | **12.5% (above ₹1.25L)** | | Debt MF LTCG | 20% with indexation | **12.5% without indexation** | | Property LTCG | 20% with indexation | **12.5% without indexation** (or 20% with, for pre-Jul 2024 purchases) | ## Tax-loss harvesting in India If you have unrealised capital gains, consider selling investments with losses to offset them. Strategy: 1. Identify investments with capital losses 2. Sell before year-end (March 31) 3. The loss offsets your capital gains 4. Repurchase after 1–2 days (wash sale rules don't apply in India like in the US) ## LTCG annual exemption strategy You can realise up to ₹1.25 lakh in equity LTCG tax-free every financial year. Strategy: sell equity funds with gains of ₹1.25 lakh each March, then reinvest. This "steps up" your cost basis annually, reducing future tax liability.