Taxation policy needs accurate data

Taxation policy and our Data System

This refers to the debate "should there be a super rich Tax?" ( Business standard Feb 29,2012).The concept of super rich tax has been engaging the attention of advanced countries for quite some time and even some of the highly rich individuals in these countries have volunteered to contribue to rescue the economies from financial crisis.The taxation policy should be very fair and those who earn and accummulate wealth have to naturally come to the rescue of the poor who are not only below the poverty line but are also virtually starving without even a single meala day. The equitable distribution of nation's wealth is the responsibility of the Govt and it is unfortunate to observe that only 3 percent of our population is paying tax which is absurd and not tolerable when nearly 80 percent of the population lives on less than Rs 20 a day and 77 percent of our Ministers and 300 MPS who frame the policies for the people are millionaires.
This sort of situation naturally gives room for doubt whether the economic policies so far pursued in the name of AAM ADMI have been on the right track?The major problem faced in the economy is the absence of accurate data/ information and the economy which supports the whole world with its Information Technology power has not been able to put into optimum use of its IT power to generate proper data system. Mr Kamath Chairman ICICI BANK and Infosys is right for his observation under Chinese Whispers colum next to the debate column BS dated Feb29 that there is a lot of growth that gets lost due to inefficiencies in our data collection mechanism ,largely omissions and there is growth that is not recorded in the system. This is more or less true in our data relating to tax, people below poverty line, inflation, employment etc. It is time for the Govt to aim to capture exact data so that the policies that are pursued towards eradication of the ills of the economies achieve the desired result. Even the Governor of the Reserve Bank once sounded on the need for accurate data to frame policies. Taxation policy needs all the more accurate data to assess and decide equitable distribution of wealth of the nation.


Dr.T.V.Gopalakrishnan

( An edited version of this appeared in Business Standard dt1/03/12)

GDP , Economic Activities and Taxation policy

There are varieties of economic activities.But to what extent these economic activities and income generated from them reflect in GDP or tax revenue etc are in serious doubt. In various cities like Mumbai, Chennai Delhi, Calcutta, there are varieties of markets dealing right from scraps to gold bullion. There are whole sale and retail markets and transactions are generally in cash running into lakhs and even crores. These merchants are seldom seen issuing any receipts and it is difficult to assess tax collection if any. Apart from loss of revenue to the Govt, this system of transactions encourage black money and indiscipline in the society. It is desirable in the larger interest of the society that these transactions and the turn over should reflect online in some centralised data collection centre making use of the IT strength of the country. The very system of data generation will help to throw some light on the volume of transactions and money generated in the economy. This will pave way for formulation of policies on taxation,improvement of financial and banking inclusion, tracking black money generation and bringing in discipline and order among the trading community in paricular for conducting their business as per the laws of the country. It is not that difficult to get the transactions properly accounted for. Insistence of official receipt and getting the transactions tracked through IT will do the trick.The benefit is for the economy and the society.

Rich and Poor A Paradoxical Situation in India

My response to the editorial"Teach people to Fish" appeared in ET dated 22/09/11.
The link is here



Your editorial Teach people to Fish is thought Provoking and commendable.The planning Commission's affidavit to Supreme Court that any one with a monthly expenditure of Rs 965 in urban area and Rs 781 in rural area would be deemed not poor is an indication that the members of Planning Commission are totally unaware of the ground realities as to how much Rs 965 and Rs 781 can fetch in the market taking into consideration the fall in the value of Rs and rise in the value of products. In urban areas,water costs Rs 15 a bottle,milk costs Rs25-30 a litre, fuel costs Rs 375 a cylinder and the lists go on. Rs 965 a month at best can help a person to live for 15 days and starve for the next 15 days.This sort of definition of poverty level only reflects the poor understanding of the market realities and the actual living conditions of the masses.This lack of knowledge reflects poorly in all policy formulation.The number and conditions of people below poverty level have not changed for past six decades after independence. It is time to acknowledge the naked truth that Rs 32 a day can fetch nothing in the present day inflationary situation and this awakening is needed among the policy makers that economic policies so far pursued have miserably failed and widened the gap between the rich and the poor. The fact that dividend earned in crores of Rs is tax free,wage of Rs 32 earned through hard physical labour is above poverty level is a paradox and the Govt is answerable for that.

Dr.T.V.Gopalakrishnan