Page 8 - Finance Ministry

Pre-budget Eco Survey highlights urgent need for agricultural reforms

The pre-budget Economic Survey on Monday underscored the pressing need for comprehensive reforms in India's agricultural sector, citing structural issues that could impede the country's overall economic growth trajectory. The Survey, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, identifies several key challenges facing the agriculture sector, including the need to sustain growth while managing food price inflation, improving price discovery mechanisms, and addressing land fragmentation. "Despite its centrality in India's growth trajectory, the agriculture sector continues to face structural issues that have implications for India's economic growth," the Survey said. According to the document, policymakers must strike a delicate balance between incentivizing farmers to increase production and keeping food prices within acceptable limits. This dual objective requires careful policy interventions, the Survey noted. Other critical issues highlighted in the report, prepar

Short-term inflation outlook benign, normal monsoon expected: Eco Survey

The short-term inflation outlook for India is benign, and the expectation of a normal monsoon and moderating global prices of key imported items give credence to the projections made by the RBI and IMF, the Economic Survey said on Monday. However, to ensure long-term policy stability, the Survey 2023-24 suggested making focused efforts to increase the production of major oilseeds, expanding the area under pulses, and assess the progress in developing modern storage facilities for specific crops. The Economic Survey 2023-24, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, also suggested linking of price monitoring data for essential food items collected by different departments to help monitor and quantify the build-up of prices at each stage from the farm gate to the final consumer. "The ongoing efforts to construct the producer price index for goods and services may be expedited to have a greater grasp of episodes of cost-push inflation," said the Survey authored by a

Rising obesity a concern, healthier lifestyle must: Economic Survey

Raising concerns over growing obesity and increase of consumption of highly processed foods laden with sugars and fat, the Economic Survey said 54 per cent of the total disease burden in India is due to unhealthy diets. Obesity presents a "concerning situation" and preventive measures must be taken to enable citizens to have a healthier lifestyle, it said. "Obesity is emerging as a serious concern among India's adult population," said the Survey, which was tabled on Monday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament. If India needs to "reap the gains of its demographic dividend, it is critical that its population's health parameters transition towards a balanced and diverse diet", it said. Citing a report from the Indian Council for Medical Research, the Economic Survey observed that the rise in consumption of highly processed foods laden with sugars and fat, coupled with reduced physical activity and limited access to diverse foods, exacerbate micronutrient deficiencies a

Delhi should get Rs 10,000 cr from Rs 2 trillion paid as income tax: Atishi

Ahead of Budget 2024, Delhi Minister Atishi demanded the release of additional funds for Delhi for improving infrastructure across roadways, transportation, and power sectors

Budget 2024: What do women entrepreneurs expect from FM Nirmala Sitharaman?

Union Budget 2024: Experts seek women-centric initiatives that harness their entrepreneurship potential by providing credit opportunities, improve financial literacy and foster skill development

Budget 2024: Capital markets eyeing hike in STT on high-frequency traders

Union Budget 2024: The Securities Transaction Tax (STT) applies to every sale and purchase of equities listed on exchanges. The STT rate for selling options is 0.017%, while for futures, it is 0.01%

India put up tariff walls. To revive factories, it must bring them down

The jobs crisis in the most-populous nation has assumed alarming proportions. Young graduates are nine times more likely to be unemployed than those who can't read or write

Centre may cut fiscal deficit target slightly in Budget after revenue boost

Modi returned to power only with the support of coalition partners, who have been seeking more money for their states, already putting demands on the table for more than $15 bn in financial aid

Budget 2024: TDP seeks grants for backward areas, timely Polavaram funding

The Telugu Desam Party raised three demands, including allocation of grants for backward districts, financial assistance for the development of Amaravati, and prompt fund release for Polavaram project

Budget 2024: ICC calls for changes in custom duty to boost manufacturing

Ahead of Budget 2024, to be tabled in the Parliament on July 23, the Indian Chamber of Commerce has called for streamlined customs duties and tax reforms to boost domestic manufacturing

Budget 2024: Rail budget may see more focus on passenger capacity, safety

Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced that the national transporter will manufacture 10,000 non-air-conditioned coaches over the next two financial years

Space industry demands tax exemptions, PLI scheme from Union Budget

Import holidays, GST exemption for components of launch vehicles, productivity-linked incentives (PLI) and government stepping in as a customer are some of the expectations of the private space sector from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as she presents the Union Budget next week. "More money for space related acquisitions, tax holidays, import holidays, and PLI scheme for space," Pixxel Space co-founder and CEO Awais Ahmed told PTI when asked about his wishlist for the budget. Industry bodies Indian Space Association (ISpA) and Satcom Industry Association (SIA-India) have sought greater government expenditure on the space sector in the form of an anchor customer for the nascent private sector. "ISpA calls for a commitment from the government to procure and adopt space technology solutions across various governance areas such as agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure planning and development monitoring, urban development, and remote area connectivity," ISpA director .

Uber, other apps seek govt clarity over GST liability for their business

Move comes after Karnataka AAR exempts Namma Yatri from GST, citing its role as mere intermediary between auto drivers and customers

Govt may cut borrowings by Rs 50-75K cr in FY25 Budget: Axis Bank treasurer

In the interim budget, the government announced a gross borrowing of Rs 14.13 trillion, with a fiscal deficit target of 5.1 per cent of the gross domestic product

Industry body urges FM Sitharaman to continue 45-day MSME payment rule

Industry body SME Chamber of India has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to continue the 45-day MSME payment rule for corporates and other buyers. According to Section 43B(h) of the Income Tax Act, introduced through the Finance Act 2023, if a larger company does not pay an MSME on time -- within 45 days in case of written agreements -- it cannot deduct that expense from its taxable income, leading to potentially higher taxes. The government in last year's Budget added a new clause under Section 43B of the Income Tax Act to address the challenge of delayed payments faced by MSMEs in the country. "We are pursuing not to change the 45-day MSME payment rules imposed by the Department under the pressure of corporates or multinational companies to save the life span of the MSME sector. Section 43B(h) of the Income Tax Act reinforces the importance of timely payments by mandating that companies settle payments to MSME vendors within 45 days to qualify for deductions," SME Chamber

Budget watch: Real estate sector wants industry status, tax relief

The sector also expects the Centre to provide measures, including tax breaks, to boost the demand for affordable housing, generally priced below Rs 50 lakh

Ballots to Budget: Taxpectations from Union Budget 2024

Economists predict a potential populist shift through a surge in welfare initiatives, write Sandeep Puri and Jitendra Jain

What does the jewellery sector expect from FM Sitharaman?

Union Budget 2024: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget in the Lok Sabha on July 23

FinMin notifies GSTR-1A, allows taxpayers to amend outward supply form

The finance ministry has notified the GSTR-1A form which will give an option to taxpayers to amend outward supply or sales return form. Last month, the GST Council had recommended providing a new optional facility by way of form GSTR-1A to facilitate the taxpayers to amend the details in form GSTR-1 for a tax period and/ or to declare additional details. GSTR-1A will, however, have to be filed before filing of return in GSTR-3B for the said tax period. The finance ministry on July 10 notified the GSTR-1A form. Moore Singhi Executive Director Rajat Mohan said the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has introduced a significant enhancement to the GST compliance framework with the optional facility of form GSTR-1A. "By facilitating timely corrections, form GSTR-1A ensures that the correct tax liability is auto-populated in form GSTR-3B, reducing manual errors and fostering a streamlined compliance process," he said. This amendment not only minimizes the risk of penalt

Budget 2024: What does India's power sector expects from FM Sitharaman

Union Budget 2024: Securing supply chain stability and embracing new technologies are essential for the sector's long-term sustainability and efficiency