Best of BS Opinion: GST collection, India's telecom crisis, and more

According to an estimate by a foreign brokerage, India’s gross domestic product growth could be impacted by 0.20 per cent in the March quarter because of coronavirus. The Indian economy is battling a severe slowdown and the spread of coronavirus could affect the chances of recovery. Slower than expected growth will also affect government finances.  

Business Standard Opinion pieces for the day talk about government finances in the context of GST, along with other policy issues.

It is important to realise that the idea of compensating states for 14 per cent growth in GST collection was unrealistic from the beginning, argues our lead editorial.

An implosion of the telecom sector with economy-wide ramifications is the last thing India needs right now, writes former TRAI chairman Rahul Khullar.

The combined effect of a relatively stable or tending-to-rise unemployment rate and a falling labour participation rate indicates that the employment rate is falling, writes Mahesh Vyas.

We must guard against easy money over a long period in the current scenario, writes Soumya Kanti Ghosh.

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“The scheme [Vivaad Se Vishwas] will give settlement option to all those with disputed tax...This will be of great help because people spent a lot of time and money in settling cases.”
 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman