Page 5 - Union Budget 2016

Lack of boosters: foreign brokers

Some brokerages have raised concerns over high dependence on divestment and telecom spectrum sales for achieving fiscal consolidation

Brilliantly prosaic!

The worst criticism of the Budget making rounds is that it lacks vision or a big idea. Frankly, that is good for India. The government remains focused on execution to repair the economy from past issues and steering the economy amid challenging global economic conditions.But, I would argue there is a big idea. Sticking to 3.5 per cent fiscal deficit target is a signal that fiscal prudence is a matter of faith, and not of convenience. Rather than being tempted to dilute fiscal rectitude and by sticking to a stated plan, we are following what the Germans did during the great financial crisis by avoiding an expansive fiscal and monetary policy. The results are well documented. Fiscal conservatism sharpens our focus on cutting waste and improving productivity of our spending.As a growth driver, the finance minister continues to push infrastructure spending in areas with proven delivery track records. The central outlay on roads and railways is set to grow 31 per cent next year - both these

GIFT City expects relief from the companies law

An international body may undertake arbitration in SEZ

FM's rural push may not see fruition

Sustained rural poverty can't be eradicated without capacity building

A K Bhattacharya: Budget with a difference

The Budget chose to stick to an ambitious disinvestment programme for 2016-17 and laid a special emphasis on agriculture and rural sector

Rajiv Memani: Time to improve on the good work done

The Budget has proposed reform in tax administration, curbing black money and reporting a company's activities. These measures should now pave the way for India to progress from Make in India to 'Innovate in India'

NDA reaches out to allies to justify its farmer-focused Budget

Also, PM Modi asked the NDA MPs to work towards taking the benefit of newly announced 'Pradhan Manti Fasal Bima Yojana' to farmers

Govt to consider partial rollback of tax on EPF withdrawals

Earlier in the day, Revenue Secretary Hashmukh Adhia said only 60% of interest on contributions made after April 1, 2016 will be taxed

Aluminium makers hail hike in customs duty

This move will help Indian aluminium industry by checking influx of cheap imports, the industry said

Budget 2016: Will the finance minister continue to be lucky in 2016-17?

Fingers crossed for the huge bets on non-tax revenue and the rural sector

Budget 2016: What it means for the oil & gas sector

While the finance minister did make some statements that impact the sector, he omitted some important details

Punjab and Haryana may not gain from the thrust on agriculture in Union Budget

The projection of doubling the farm income by 2020 cannot be achieved here since the two states have a high yield of 10-12 tonne per acre

10 laws that Jaitley wants to change

Priorities include the amendments of the Companies Act and the Motor Vehicle Act

Budget reflects a negativity for middle class: Robert Vadra

He said the budget proposals will inevitably bring pressure from people, which "will be the nemesis for the government".

Budget 2016: An attempt for consolidation of Indian economy, says industry in UP

However, industrialists felt that the Centre could have announced some sops for the MSMEs.

Budget 2016: Custom duty reduction on STBs to help lower customer acquisition cost

The finance minister announced a reduction of 10% customs duty on digital head-ends and set top boxes, which will help lower set top box prices and consequently lower capex

Budget 2016: Credit positive, uncertainties on few fronts, says Fitch

It said the policy agenda for reform and consolidation are credit positive, but implementation risks remain significant

Tax incentives welcome, but more measures needed, say startups

The startup community reacted positively to the tax incentives announced in the Budget, but feels the government has not done enough to address their near-term concerns. They added that investors would have benefitted if capital gains on investments in listed and unlisted companies were treated at par, even as they welcomed the three-year tax exemption for startups. This will reduce compliance burden and cash outflows, allowing new ventures to invest in product development and scaling up businesses, they said. "We were expecting more radical reforms in the Budget for startups. While we welcome the the three-year tax holiday, the fact that the Budget has retained MAT negates much of the advantages, as we have cash-flow problems in initial years," said Ravi Gururaj, chairman of Nascomm Product Council. He also said capital gains tax on investments in listed and unlisted companies have not been treated at par, which makes it unattractive to invest in startups that are already more ...

Trade unions to go on nation-wide strike on March 10 against tax on EPF withdrawals

Central trade unions, including the RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), have opposed the Budget proposal to tax EPF withdrawal and contribution

Budget 2016 impact: Tata Motors hikes prices by up to Rs 35,000

Other car makers such as Maruti, Honda and Toyota to announce details of increase on Wednesday