Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is used to industry chambers asking for all manner of sops in the run-up to the Budget, so Assocham’s latest pre-Budget request has to come as a big surprise. Assocham has asked that he bring in medical and educational institutions under the ambit of the tax system.

Assocham’s press release says educational and medical institutions, including hospitals, are sitting on huge surpluses but do not pay taxes. The same principle, Assocham says, has to be applied to other organisations which, by law, are forced to operate as societies or trusts in order to get land at concessional rates or to meet the requirements of the law.

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