Bombay Chamber welcomes Budget, ranks it at 7 on ten

The Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday hailed the Budget saying that the Finance Minister has effectively handled the aspect of inclusive growth and ranked it at 7 on a scale of 10.

"The Finance Minister has effectively handled the aspect of inclusive growth, sent the right signals from the fiscal discipline point of view and managed the fiscal deficit at 5.5 per cent," Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry's President, Bharat Doshi, told reporters here.

"We give a rating of 7 (out of 10) for this Budget," he said.

The Finance Minister has done well between political balancing and economic balancing.

"As everybody expected, he (Finance Minister) announced a 2 per cent roll-back in excise duty and surprised everyone by not increasing the 10 per cent service tax," Doshi said.

Welcoming the emphasis on agriculture, he said that "the expenditure incurred in rural areas and agriculture is good for the economy".

However, the increase in Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) from 15 per cent to 18 per cent is substantial, he said.

Another interesting aspect highlighted by Doshi is the Finance Minister putting the FDI policy in the Budget, thereby confirming consistency in government policy.

"Normally, there are differences among various ministries on issues such as FDI. But (now) by putting the FDI policy in the budget, the FM has brought clarity and consistency in government view," he said.

The new tax structure providing benefits to individuals will bring more money in to people's hands, Doshi said.