Wait a while before investing in infra bonds

The long-awaited, tax-saving infrastructure bond issue is out. Industrial Finance Corporation of India is the first company to issue these, at 7.85 and 7.95 per cent.

These bonds can lower your tax burden by    2,000-6,000 a year, depending on the tax slab. A person in the lowest tax bracket, who pays 10 per cent income tax (   1.6-5 lakh), can save Rs 2,060. The one in the 20 per cent tax bracket (   5-8 lakh) can save    4,000 and in the highest bracket, of 30 per cent (or    8 lakh and above), saves    6,180.

Last month, the government issued guidelines for these bonds that said Life Insurance Corporation of India, IFCI and Infrastructure Development Finance Company have approval to issue these bonds. IFCI has come up with infra bonds that have face value of    5,000 and a 10-year tenure.

Should you subscribe to bonds from the first issuer? Taxpayers in the 10 per cent and 20 per cent bracket can wait for future issues. This is because, even if the future issues have slightly lower interest rates, it will not impact the returns greatly.

"Investors in the 30 per cent tax bracket can look at this issue, as this is competitively priced. The issue is rated AA-minus, one reason for aggressive pricing," said Brijesh Dalmia, a certified financial planner.

A credit rating official explained: Just like public sector banks' fixed deposits have lower interest rate compared to their private counterparts, the same disparity would exist in this case, too. "If the issue is rated AAA+, the yields could be lower," he said.

There are reports that LIC is planning to offer free insurance with their bond issue. The company is awaiting clarifications from the regulator and the ministry concerned.

Another financial planner said if investors are worried about returns, one can make a partial purchase and wait for other companies to issue these bonds. These could be better priced, as interest rates are expected to increase further.

The maximum deduction allowed (under Section 80CCF) for this investment is    20,000 each year. This is in addition to    1 lakh of deductions permitted under Sections 80C, 80CCC and 80CCD of the Income Tax Act.

Financial planners feel infrastructure bonds are a must-have in the portfolio. "Taxpayers across tax brackets should definitely make use of this additional deduction," said a certified financial planner. His reasoning: the net interest rate, including the tax deduction, is much better than returns from any other instrument.

However, the gains from this investment will attract long-term capital gains tax. The person will have an option to either pay a flat 10 per cent tax or 20 per cent with indexation benefits. IFCI has priced these bonds depending on the exit option – if you're willing to stick to your investments for the entire tenure, you get higher returns.

If you want to sell the bonds back to IFCI after the lock-in period, the interest rate will be 7.85 per cent each year. Within this, a person can ask for either cumulative interest (interest paid on maturity) or opt for annual interest payout.

For those willing to keep the capital locked for the entire tenure, the company is rewarding such investors with a 10-basis point higher interest rate, that is, 7.95 per cent. Here, too, a person has an option of receiving annual interest.

IFCI would list this bond on the Bombay Stock Exchange. This means a person who has opted for a higher interest rate bond can still exit, provided there is demand for these papers on the exchange.

The issue will close on August 31 and a possible deterrent is the requirement of a compulsory demat account to subscribe to these.