Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations: How to claim Tax deduction in your ITR

By Vivek Dubey

CNBC-TV18.com

Published Jan 22, 2024

Ayodhya witnessed a historic day with the grand inauguration of the Ram Temple and the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla’s idol.

Tax Benefit Opportunity

Taxpayers can contribute to the temple and avail deductions while filing income tax returns (ITR).

Trust Establishment

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, established by the Government of India, oversees the temple’s construction and management.

Donation Eligibility

Donations designated for the temple’s renovation and repair are eligible for tax deductions, according to the trust’s website.

Deductions

The Central Government allows a 50% deduction of voluntary contributions for the temple’s renovation or repair under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.

Donation Limit

If the total amount donated exceeds 10% of the adjusted gross total income (GTI), any excess amount beyond the 10% limit will not be eligible for deduction.

Donation Process

Individuals can contribute to the trust through various means such as cheques, UPI, and Internet Banking.

Receipt Verification

For online donations, a receipt is instantly issued upon successful completion of payment. For other methods, the donation receipt is issued after verification.

Fulfilment of Conditions

Donations made to the trust from the financial year 2020-21 onwards are eligible for deduction.

Claiming Deductions

To claim the deduction under Section 80G, individuals must retain the donation receipt and report the deduction when filing the ITR.

Document Retention

One should keep the donation receipts and relevant documents as supporting evidence for verification or audit purposes.