Gaurav Taneja, Partner & National Tax Director says the Finance Minister has stressed on buoyancy in tax collections and on attaining a Tax—GDP ratio of 12.5%.
Motilal Oswal, Chairman and Managing Director of Motilal Oswal Financial Services says the Finance Minister was uniquely positioned to present a landmark Budget.
Srinivasa Rao, Partner & India International Tax Leader, Ernst & Young is of the opinion that Union Budget has lived up to the populist trend.
Writing off farm loans worth Rs 60,000 crore, increasing Income Tax exemptions, slashing excise duties... Finance Minister Chidambaram's Budget 2008 is aimed at winning votes in an early poll, writes Shalini S. Dagar.
While small cars, medicines and consumer goods like washing machines and refrigerators have become cheaper, mobile phones, cigarettes and cement will cost more.
Negotiating a rough patch
Demand growth is expected to be buoyant driven by new vehicle launches, likely softening of interest rates and continued growth on the export front.
Lalu presents people's budget, slashes fares
The minister announced launch of several new trains and reduction in fares across all classes amid chaos by Opposition in Parliament.
A budget for Bharat Buoyant tax revenues a lower fiscal deficit and an economy that's in top gear permit the FM to pump big money into agriculture and the social sector. Those efforts might help at the hustings, too.
'Expand telecom infrastructure, R&D' "With rapid growth of telecom network, there is a need to further expand the infrastructure and research and development," the survey said.
This is a very good budget, especially for agriculture and education. P Chidambaram is the best. - By Saravanan P (plsharavanan@rediffmail.com)
If you can waive Rs 50,000 crore for farmers what about the tax on housing loan interest? That should also have been reduced. - Chandra Shekar V (rilshekar@yahoo.co.in)
Please tax the street hawkers and give relief to the salaried persons. - Rajaram (rajaramghurup@rediffmail.com)
This is the worst budget the finance minister has ever presented. The backbone of the country's economy is the transport but he completely missed it out. - Jayakaanthan A (jayakaanthan@gmail.com)
The budget is sure to augment growth and will also lessen the volatility of the stock markets. - Sidharth Paul (sidharth.paul@gmail.com)
Overall, the budget is satisfactory but the health sector should have been given greater importance. - Ankit Chaudhary (chaudharyankit1987@gmail.com)
Maintaining the growth story
The Finance Minister defends Budget 2008 and the Rs 60,000 crore loan waiver doled out to farmers in an exclusive interview to Business Today's Sanjoy Narayan and R Sridharan.
"Total reduction of excise duties by 2% will give a welcome boost to the manufacturing sector. Also, the exemption of specified parts of set-top boxes from customs duties is commendable".
- Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises
Union Budget is an estimate of the Government
of India's revenue and expenditure for the end of a particular fiscal year,
which usually runs from April 1 to March 31. Read on...
"Total reduction of excise duties by 2% will give a welcome boost to the manufacturing sector. Also, the exemption of specified parts of set-top boxes from customs duties is commendable".
