Holistic new tax code needed for Viksit
Bharat, say experts ahead of Budget
There is a need for a holistic new Tax Code with a
focus on lower rates, widening base, improved collections and compliance for a
Viksit Bharat, experts said ahead of Budget.
A new philosophy of keeping it FLAT, with Fewer and
lower tax rates, Litigation reduction, an All-inclusive wider tax base, and Tax
collection without withholding it, is urgently needed to increase net tax
revenues while energising the economy and realising the vision of a Viksit
Bharat by 2047, they said.
Budget 2025-26 is expected to be tabled in
Parliament on February 1.
"It is certainly not a good situation that we
have so many tax rates under GST. Ideally, GST should be one tax rate, but in
our country, it is not possible to have one tax rate," former chairman
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs P C Jha said.
Three tax slabs can be considered (5 per cent, 16
per cent and 28 per cent) and 12 per cent and 18 per cent can be merged into a
single rate of 16 per cent, he said while participating in a seminar organised
by Think Change Forum (TCF).
Supporting the need to simplify the current
provisions in the taxation system, Rajiv Chugh, partner Ernst & Young said
"reduction in tax rates will lead to rise in disposable income in the
hands of citizens and companies. If rationalised, it can lead to a booming
economy." There is a need for simplification of the tax laws, their
consistency with focus on compliance and widening of the tax base, said Rajat
Mohan, Senior Partner, AMRG & Associates.
"The government loses more than 50 per cent of
the litigation cases before they reach the Supreme Court. Recently, we have
seen tax demands made on companies which don't even have revenues of the size
of the tax demand. So, the litigation cases have to go down for a more
efficient tax system," said Mohan.
Though there have been incremental changes in the
tax laws and a lot of ambiguities have gone, there still is a wide gap in
international and Indian practices, and foreign investors are looking for
consistency in Indian tax laws, Suraj Malik, Managing Partner, Legacy Growth
said.
www.business-standard.com,
dt. 29-11-2024