An allotment letter from a developer is considered an agreement...

An allotment letter from a developer is considered an agreement to purchase a property, and payments made through banking channels establish its veracity. The valuation date for determining any deemed gift is the date of the first payment, not the later date of property transfer. CBDT circulars recognize allotment letters as agreements for construction, granting capital gains set-off benefits to purchasers. Applying this analogy, the assessee's allotment letter and cheque payments from June 2010 constitute an agreement, precluding additions u/s 56(2)(vii)(b)(ii) for deemed gifts. The Assessing Officer erred in considering the valuation date as October 2014, and the addition is deleted by the Appellate Tribunal.

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