Page 4 - Budget 2020

Best of BS Opinion: Budget's tax revenue estimates, RCEP talks, and more

Here's a selection of Business Standard Opinion pieces for the day

Marathons, but no winners

In this season of heightened awareness of a functional democracy, we need to realise that the travesty of Budgetary accountability is yet another step in the direction of citizens' disempowerment

Optimistic projection

Doubts emerge about the Budget's tax revenue estimates

BJP issues whip to its MPs asking them to be present in LS, RS on Tuesday

Sitharaman is likely to speak in Lok Sabha first and then in Rajya Sabha

West Bengal dues from Centre more than Rs 50,000 crore: Amit Mitra

State FM presents Budget of Rs 2.55 trillion, up about 7.5 per cent over last year

FMCG woes: How Budget 2020 pushed demand revival further down the road

The Budget's incentives have ignored a large section of middle-class buyers

MNCs with permanent establishment to pay tax on pre-negotiated income

Budget 2020 has expanded transfer pricing provision to PEs' profit

Budget doesn't really enthuse

The allocation of Rs 12,824 crore in FY21 for the ministry of commerce and industry shows a reduction of Rs 875 crore from the revised estimates for FY20

Some Budget proposals prone to litigation, may give rise to tax disputes

Tax experts say one of the most dispute-prone proposals is making "fraudulent availing" of input tax credit (ITC), without an invoice or bill, a cognizable and non-bailable offence

FM Sitharaman pitches for rationalisation of GST rates once a year

'I think we have laid the foundation for increasing consumption', said the finance minister

City industrialists air concerns to FM Sitharaman over Budget 2020

The finance minister is in city to discuss the government's vision on the budget with the stakeholders of various sectors

Budget proposes to shut thermal power plants of 166,000 mw, says group

National powermen body to stage protests against 'anti-people' proposals

Why India's present slump is a more serious issue than earlier slowdowns

What is unusual about the current period of slow growth is that it has come without an exogenous driver, unlike all previous periods of slowdown, going back 50 years, writes T N Ninan

FinMin working on FRDI Bill but not sure when it will be tabled, says FM

The FRDI Bill seeks to offer a bail-in clause to banks, which many fear will be detrimental to depositors

RBI may cut rates by 40 bps in FY21 as Budget did little for growth: Fitch

The RBI held its benchmark repurchase (repo) and reverse repo during its February 6 monetary policy meeting at 5.15 per cent and 4.90 per cent respectively

India's insurance is one of Asia's better long-term stories: Chris Wood

In September 2019, he had bought SBI Life Insurance and HDFC Life Insurance, which now account for 5 per cent and 4 per cent weight in the above-mentioned portfolio

RBI does what Budget could not

It's not a monetary policy; it's a credit policy of a governor who is not shy of experimentation when the space for monetary easing is limited

Letter to BS: Budget speech lasting 160 mins bound to fatigue the listener

One way to curtail the duration could be by changing the structure of the speech.

Fundamentals of Indian economy strong, no reason for being despondent: Modi

Rejecting pessimism over the target of nearly doubling the size of the economy to $5 trillion, he said aspirational targets were needed to move ahead

Why govt may have to lower its FY20 tax revenue target a second time

For this financial year, the Budget has already slashed the net tax revenue figures by Rs 1.45 trillion in RE to Rs 15.04 trillion, down from Rs 16.49 trillion given in the BE in July 2019