Taxing philosophy

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee appears to have taken note of India Inc’s howls of protest at the aggressive tax regime that was announced in his latest Budget via retrospective amendments to law and stringent General Anti-Avoidance Rules. Inaugurating the Income Tax Department’s new building in New Delhi this week, he chose to advise his officers on tax collection techniques by quoting two noted philosophers. Asking taxmen to focus on increasing tax collections without harassing taxpayers, he said, Niccolo Machiavelli had noted that men forget the death of their father more quickly than the loss of their patrimony. Quoting Chanakya, Mukherjee said taxmen should collect taxes like a bee collects honey: without disturbing the flower.