Taxes

In all the commotion of the Saral Form becoming 'A-Saral' and with the impending four page complexity of filing tax, comes the marvellous idea of 'exit tax' from the Left sadists. I know I will have a tough time with mnemonics of taxation that read like an Archive library catalogue (15-AAA, Sec 80CCC..and the alphabets). Taxation was always as illogical to me as history. Today, the Indian Government has made me rue my decision of not opting for the elective on taxation during my MBA. I envy my Chartered Accountant friends smacking their lips and waiting to charge that extra for decoding the tax code.

Amidst all the noise of reservations (where have the Rang de- Basanti DJ's vanished?), and inflationary pressures, one 'leftist' suggestion seemed to make some sense among all their nonsense. Exit tax, refers to imposing tax on all students working abroad who have availed subsidised education from Government of India. It was one of the key points of every college debater speaking against the motion of brain drain benefits. The debaters have settled abroad, but the problem remains unresolved. There will be arguments on corruptions, improper utilisation of tax funds etc. I wish the 'left' ist propose a clean channel for tax collection and transparent reporting before imposing the tax. If channeled to improving primary education, exit tax can go a long way to abolish the oft-repeated school debate topic-brain drain. I know many IIT-ians have contributed money to setting up research units. The idea is to make the contribution more meaningful and not just another tax break (section 8OG of the Indian Income Tax Act for donations to educational institutions). That is one clause that will not need my CA's help!