Farmers should pay tax: Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy challenges govt

Bibek Debroy's views challenges the government's stand on the issue

A senior adviser to the Union government proposed on Tuesday that farmers pay tax, in remarks that challenged government policy in a country of 1.3 billion people where there are only 37 million income tax payers.

Economist Bibek Debroy, a member of the Policy Commission that serves as the government's own think-tank, told a news conference that farmers should pay income tax in line with urban dwellers.

They should be liable to tax on their incomes at the same thresholds, he also said, taking into account typical fluctuations in incomes experienced by farmers over a three-year period.

India's public finances