India’s listed REITs and InvITs are a key pipeline for long-term infrastructure capital, backed by distribution rules and a mostly single-layer tax design. But Budget 2026’s revised treatment of MAT credits creates a structural dilemma for REIT/InvIT SPVs: shifting to the new corporate tax regime may make dividends taxable for unit holders, cutting yields, while staying outside risks MAT credit lapse and future liabilities. Either way, cash-flow uncertainty could raise the cost of capital. Policy design must protect predictability.
Union Budget 2026 proposals by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman include exempting non residents paying tax under presumptive schemes from Minimum Alternate Tax. The safe harbour threshold for IT services will rise to Rs 2,000 crore, while TCS on liquor, scrap and minerals is cut to 2 percent. Safe harbour rules will also streamline accountant definitions.
Your news, in seconds
Get the Beige app — every story in 60 words, updated hourly. Free on iOS & Android.
Swipe through stories, personalise your feed, and save articles for later — all on the app.
