Banks and friendly neighbourhood jewellers can serve as good channels to provide liquidity for gold deposits with built-in incentives for them, suggests Harsh Roongta.

Whatever you do, continue to pay your loan EMIs and insurance premiums for term and health policies (not investment-based policies) on time. Then try to buy yourself some breathing space, says Harsh Roongta.

Apart from its enforceability through courts due to it being part of the I-T Act, two other factors will help ensure the taxpayers' charter is implemented, at least in letter (if not in spirit) this time around, points out Harsh Roongta.

The Vivaad se Vishwas Tak scheme will be one area where some much-needed revenue can be collected by the government. The scheme can be more successful if some specific steps are taken, says investment advisor Harsh Roongta. This results in a very high tax demand. Investment advisor Harsh Roongta takes you through the maze of appeals and counter appeals.

No attention to detail seems to have been paid while introducing such a major provision and the wide arc of people it will take in its ambit, states Harsh Roongta.

'In most schemes, where the monthly investment is a fixed amount, investors run the risk of the price of gold rising during the tenure of the recurring deposit,' notes Harsh Roongta.

Chartered accountant and Sebi registered investment advisor, Harsh Vardhan Roongta, answers your home loan queries

It's possible to curb tax evasion using high-end technology. But it requires an honest intention to make use of the treasure trove of data that is captured, points out Harsh Roongta.

If, as promised, the refunds are done within 24 hours it will obviate one of the biggest reasons that taxpayers distrust the tax department -- delayed refunds especially in cases of large refunds.

Most borrowers may not be aware, but quite a few banks already offer external benchmark linked home loans to favoured borrowers, says Harsh Roongta.

Hospitals empanelled for Modicare may give preference to poor patients over the middle class for fear of strict government action, says Harsh Roongta.

Like the UPA government, probably the NDA government also feels that hardships caused to taxpayers are just collateral damage and that taxpayers are too few and even those few don't have a vote (non-individuals) or don't vote, says Harsh Roongta.

As long as the money has been 'paid or deposited in the previous year', an assessee should be eligible for tax relief, says Harsh Roongta.

The loss to policyholders due to massive mis-selling of insurance policies by trusted private sector and public sector banks will be well in excess of Rs 2 trillion, warns Harsh Roongta.

'The RBI can make a change in EMI the default option, when interest rates rise or fall, rather than a change in the loan tenure,' says Harsh Roongta.

An argument used for removal of this exemption is that it is used to launder black money and bring it in as clean tax paid money by manipulating the price of less liquid shares in the market, says Harsh Roongta.

'How is the scheme running despite running such massive deficits?' 'This is because the number of new members are much more than earlier members who are drawing pension.' 'If this was done by a private organisation, it would have been called a Ponzi scheme in which the contribution by new members is being used to pay off old members,' says Harsh Roongta.

The real estate sector is a major employment provider and the economy cannot afford its hard landing. Harsh Roongta suggests measures that can revive the under-construction market

Yet, no bank has been taken to task for its actions, says Harsh Roongta.

Provisions of RERA, subsidy under PMAY and relaxation in PF withdrawal to buy a house will aid affordable housing, points out Harsh Roongta.