Page 84 - Bs Opinion

Income Tax Bill, 2025: A pivotal step towards making law accessible

The traditional style of drafting the law has led to enormous tax litigation over the past six decades

Income-tax law: New layout, old provisions, but complexities remain

Certain amendments on trust taxation are welcome. All classes of registered non-profit institutions such as public trusts, society, university/educational institutions have been identified

New income-tax law: A case for simplification in language and format

Over the years, several attempts have been made to reform Income Tax Act, the first being between 1986 and 1991, second in 1996, third in 2010 in the form of Direct Taxes Code (DTC), and then in 2017

In step with a reordered world: A Viksit Bharat needs domestic market focus

A greater inward orientation is inevitable in years ahead for two reasons. One is a slowing down of growth in world trade. The second channel through which GEF will make itself felt is flows in FDI

Trump 2.0: Fate of climate policy amid shifting global priorities

The developing world may suffer a double whammy. Advanced nations, such as EU and UK, would be squeezing them by applying stringent sustainability measures having trans-border implications

Regulation.ai@India: Striking a balance between innovation and safety

India must not delay implementing comprehensive AI regulations to ensure technology serves humanity's best interests and upholds core values

Blaming welfare schemes for labour woes ignores real economic shifts

For India Inc, like big business everywhere, the standard response is to view welfarism as an impediment to business plans

NITI Aayog's fiscal health index needs clarity and better data use

Despite fact that Constitution assigns states predominant role in provision of social services and co-equal responsibility in economic services, their fiscal performance has not received much focus

Agriculture in Union Budget 2025-26: balancing continuity with change

Given that agriculture and rural development are state subjects, an inter-state council on the lines of GST Council is very important for better coordination between Centre & states

The blind state of media metrics: Publishers unfazed by lack of data

Maybe newspaper publishers are right - if the biggest platforms and advertisers don't give a damn about data, why should publishers?

Ambivalence on PSU policy: Budget 2025 eyes higher dividends, lower equity

In a departure from the past many years, its contribution to the PSUs' capital outlay by way of equity and loans will decline

Learning to grow: India needs greater investment in higher education

Overall public expenditure on education (Centre plus states) is also woefully short of the National Education Policy target of 6 per cent of GDP

Trump's trade order: India has an early opportunity to present its position

Economics and geopolitics are intertwined, at least in the context of China, and it is in the interests of both the US and India to continue cooperating

The illusion of decoupling from China: Costly trade barriers vs engagement

The G7 economies have continued to run massive trade deficits with China, a key issue in US presidential elections

A health financing perspective: Fiscal space for social sectors shrinking

In the 2025-26 Budget, the finance minister addressed public health seven times, emphasising accessible, high-quality, and affordable healthcare

AI and the human soul: What new books reveal about us and our purpose

Could AI ever function as a spirit ambulance, shuttling us through the uncanny valleys that keep us, as Shantideva knew, from accepting others?

Which road to Viksit Bharat? Charting India's path to development by 2047

Historically, most nations have managed to move only one income bracket higher over the past 80 years

DeepSeek versus ChatGPT: Is another tech revolution on the horizon?

But I can see one thing for sure: The tech community, which was getting ready to use the ChatGPT fever and raise unlimited capital for their businesses, is going to face tougher obstacles now

Donald Trump's belligerence will help China's image as reliable partner

Trump has threatened to increase the import duties on goods from Taiwan, Europe and India

Central banks have work to do on price stability and inflation targeting

The consumer price index (CPI) has extensive relevance in people's daily lives. Periodic review of CPI composition and weights assigned will keep it robust and relevant