I had been investing in HDFC Tax Saver Regular Plan (dividend) for several years. In February 2019, I switched to HDFC Tax Saver Direct Plan (growth)- units worth Rs 9,500 were allotted in the growth plan in lieu of my earlier investment in the dividend plan. Can I claim deduction under Section 80C for the investment in the new scheme for 2018-19?
Ashok Shah Partner, N.A. Shah Associates says, "Switching from HDFC Tax Saver Regular Plan (dividend) to HDFC Tax Saver Direct Plan (growth) will be considered as redemption from the former and investment in the latter. Since, the allotment of units in the growth scheme will be considered as fresh investment, you can claim deduction under Section 80C based on the value of the fresh investment- Rs 9,500. Please note that as you will be redeeming your investment from the dividend plan, the capital gain will be taxable."

I bought a flat in 2004 for Rs 24 lakh and am now about to sell it for Rs 1.3 crore. How should I calculate my tax liability?
Archit Gupta CEO, ClearTax says," As you have held the property for more than two years, the capital gain on its sale will be considered long-term and taxed at 20.8%. You can avail the indexation benefit. If you bought the flat in 2004-5, its cost- Rs 24 lakh-will be indexed by multiplying it with the Cost-Inflation Index (CII) of 2018-19 (280) and dividing it by the CII of 2004-5 (113). So, the indexed cost of acquisition will be Rs 59,46,903. Your gain will be Rs 70,53,097 (sale price minus indexed cost of acquisition).

You can also index the cost of any improvements made to the property and add it to the indexed cost of acquisition. Any expenses incurred by you in the process of selling the house can also be deducted from the capital gain. To save tax, you can invest the sale amount to purchase another property or invest the capital gain of up to Rs 50 lakh in NHAI or REC bonds. The new house should be purchased one year before or two years after the sale of the flat. You can also construct a house within three years from the date of sale. If you are not able to invest the gains by the due date of filing the tax return (usually 31 July), you may park them in a capital gains account scheme and invest later."