Satisfactory Start To Tax Drive, Says Chidambaram

Union finance minister P Chidambaram yesterday said the drive to net more revenue by way of income tax and increase the number of income tax assessees had enjoyed a very satisfactory beginning.

Citing an example while talking to newsmen here, he said that in the Hyderabad zone where there were 5,600 new tax assessees last year, the figure had risen to 17,500 before the end of June this year.

Special attention was being given to increase the number of persons in the income tax payers list and, in this regard, the focus would be only on the corporate sector, he said.

Asked about the proposal to hike the prices of petroleum products, Chidambaram said in a bid to keep the hike to a minimum or avoid it, he would place alternate proposals before the steering committee of the United Front at its next meeting.

He expressed the hope that the nine public sector undertakings (PSUs)