Economic
Highlights
New
Delhi, 18 July, 2016
Govt’s Unnecessary Taxes,
DO AWAY WITH INCOME TAX!
By Shivaji Sarkar
The Government’s concern
of bringing “black money” into the open is laudable. However, it also needs to
do a study on why people do not want to pay taxes on their legitimate income?
Should personal income be taxed? And, if so to what extent? Important, questions that rock the minds.
Add to this, the special
investigation team (SIT) set up by the Supreme Court has recommended that cash
transaction should not exceed Rs 3 lakh. This is yet another concern. Undeniably,
the country’s entire wholesale business thrives on cash. But the traders pay
taxes too. Primarily, because cash transaction ensure the least chances of
default.
True, for the bureaucracy
cash deals is a problem. But barring ready money might severely hit economic
activities. Think. Wholesale traders do not have the time or the mechanism to
deal with defaulters. Simply because their business is of trust which our officials
find difficult to understand. Therefore, let cash transaction continue.
Notably, the Income
Declaration Scheme 2016 opened last month is also another move on the lines of
several voluntary disclosure schemes. Remember, last year too schemes for
disclosures for persons having money abroad were announced.
Wherein, tax evaders were
made to pay 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty. And the Government got a
net tax of Rs 2,500 crores on disclosures of Rs 4,147 crores, realistically
speaking not a large sum.
Certainly, the new
scheme has on the face of it evoked interest as evident from the response. Many
people want the date extended to enable them to pay their taxes in tranches.
Whereby, they pay 45 per cent, 30 per cent tax and 15 per cent penalty. The Government
has rightfully agreed to allow them to pay their taxes till September 2017.
Importantly, this is a
pointer to the fact that people are not unwilling to pay taxes. But whether the
heavy penalty is justified or not is an issue which should be looked into. As
it is not unlikely that the responses would be more if penalties are minimized
to five per cent or done away with altogether.
Certainly, this exposes
the people’s fears about the functioning of the Finance Ministry which is also
the concern of Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
There is no gainsaying
that each so-called tax reform is done to suit bureaucratic rules instead of
mopping up taxes. Had this not been so, there would have been a permanent
mechanism for such disclosures as well as simplification of rules.
Apparently, the tax
collectors have a dislike for simplification of procedures and rules. Worse, the
political leadership has not been able to do away with the officials manipulative
tactics. Since the so-called liberalization, the bureaucracy has become not
only more powerful but also unnecessarily, increased numerically.
Consequently, the
political leadership continues succumbing to the bureaucratic interpretation of
rules, despite people protesting about the taxmen’s maneouvers. Indeed, they
were expecting the present Government elected with an absolute majority would act
sensibly and have a different approach to solve the complicated procedures.
No doubt, the procedures
might look simple, but trust the bureaucracy to make them cumbersome for
obvious reasons. They delay simple decisions which leads to harassment,
humiliation, loss of man-hours and revenue.
An example. Let us take
the claims by multi-national Cairn for $1 billion against the Rs 29,047 crores retrospective
tax levied on it. The company argument is that this has affected its value. Replicate
this for individuals, therefore one needs to take a pragmatic approach while
making such odd demands.
Besides, according to the
I-T department’s own admission, over Rs 5 lakh crores (some say Rs 7 lakh crores)
of its demands are locked in dispute. Shockingly, of these 40 per cent of the
cases involve very small amounts. Pointing to how even small earners are being
made to suffer.
More scandalous,
according to the IT department’s own admission, almost 90 per cent of the
disputed cases have been decided in favour of the assessees. A disgraceful pointer
to the flawed functioning of the department.
Surely, this calls for not
only immediate solution, reduction in the number of tax officers and also simplification
of procedures. One, the filing of tax returns should be done away with at least
up to an income of Rs 20 lakhs. Effectively with 47 per cent inflation between
2010-2015, the amount totalled a net worth of Rs 10 lakhs.
Further, the Government
also needs to ponder over whether taxing personal income is appropriate or not.
In reality there is discrimination. Income-Tax is not levied in North-Eastern
India, apparently to boost the economy of the region. Even Central Government
employees, irrespective of their rank, or deputation from any State, are exempt
under Section 10(26).
Hence, whatever the
rationale, this needs to be applied all across the country. If one region can
be exempted from paying income tax, the entire country should be exempted.
Additionally, the logic
of loss of revenue is incorrect. The Government does not compute the expenses
incurred in additional officers and staff employed since 2003. It also does not
take into account the unnecessary rise in expenses of the department.
It also does not
penalize its officers for forcing small amounts into dispute and consequently imposing
burden on the Government, tax payers along-with unnecessary legal hassles for
both the Administration and the assessee, who is mostly right.
Now let’s talk refunds.
Appallingly, it is over Rs 70,000 crores according to official statements which
does not include the additional expenses on refunds. As a result, it is
difficult to comprehend why an extra amount is collected at all. Obviously, the
Government itself can neither be unethical nor indulge in illegalities.
While the Government
claims the process of refund is simple, people continue to complain often that
the refund is not given back to them
Yes, most experts feel
that doing away with personal I-T would boost demands in the market and accordingly
boost growth.
Furthermore, let us not
forget that a taxpayer does not have to pay only income tax. Alongside he has
to pay levies, tolls, cess and myriad other taxes amounting to about another 40
per cent of his income.
Shamefully, even levying
of a one-time parking fee is illegal. So is the logic of forcing people to pay
atrociously high parking charges to satiate the greed of the parking mafia. The
ostentatious argument that it reduces congestion has not been found to be
correct. Practical problems cannot be solved through levying of different
charges or taxes.
Clearly, even as the
Modi Sarkar professes to function
logically and pragmatically, let it decide once and for all to do away with income
tax. True, the Government has fears that it might lose revenue but in reality,
it would not. As whatever it might deem to lose would be made up through higher
economic activities and higher indirect taxes. ---- INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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