What is the best thing about the budget?
From the perspective of a film maker, I believe the proposal to exempt the industry from the service tax on copyrights relating to recording of cinematographic films is welcome. It is a good decision. It was difficult for the industry, as the government had put each and every thing under the service tax. We were demanding a similar relief for a long time.
Do you think this Budget will revive the economy? Or does it lack boldness?
As far as reforms in the Budgets are concerned, I believe that in a country like India, with huge disparities and with the compulsions of coalition politics, it is difficult to come up with massive reforms all at one go, so I had not expected any massive reforming measures.
If you were the Finance Minister, what would you have done with the budget?
If I were the Finance Minister, I would have learnt lessons from the bleeding economies of the West and taken reformative steps. You have seen what is happening with Wall Street and the European economies. India should not follow what Wall Street dictates. We should be independent as far as economical decisions are concerned.
Goutam Ghose, Film maker
