'Investors scared due to GAAR, govt mishandling'

BJP says PM gave wrong assurance to his then British counterpart Gordon Brown that there would be no retrospective amendments to tax laws

PTI | July 11, 2012



Amid controversies over Vodafone tax matter and GAAR, BJP on Wednesday hit out at the government saying it has mishandled these issues creating scare and uncertainty among the foreign investors.

The main Opposition party suggested that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were not on the same page with regard to the retrospective amendment to tax laws against the backdrop of Vodafone case, leading to the current precarious situation.

Senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha went to allege that the Prime Minister had given a wrong assurance to his then British counterpart Gordon Brown that there would be no retrospective amendments to tax laws.

He underlined that the Prime Minister cannot distance himself from the policy action taken by Mukherjee, who resigned last month to contest for President elections.

"This (Vodafone) case is a clear case of total mishandling. Without disputung the principles of government levying capital gain tax, I am saying this case has been completely mishandled," told PTI in an interview.

The government has amended Income Tax Act with retrospective effect to bring into tax net all overseas deals involving domestic assets. The amendment would result in a Rs 20,300 crore tax and interest liability for UK-based Vodafone telecom company arising out of USD 11.2 billion Vodafone-Hutch deal of 2007.

Asked about the perception that this development has created a scare among the foreign investors, Sinha agreed.

"This case is bound to have an impact. Foreign investors are interpreting it as uncertainty. He cannot be sure what will happen 10 years, 5 years from now because tax laws can be tweaked with retrospective effect," he said.

"I am not commenting on individual case. What I am saying is when you take a decision of this kind, then you should be aware of the consequences, what is going to be the economic consequence of a decision of this kind," Sinha said.

Comments

 

Other News

India calls for doubling bilateral trade with UK by 2030

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has called upon businesses in India and the United Kingdom to translate the opportunities created by the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into expanded trade, investment, partnerships and job creation. Addressing the Bu

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter