Spending ‘health & wellbeing’ allocation dependent on third tier of govt; capacity of local bodies must be stepped up

 

The presentation of the Budget every year is followed by a series of critical reviews on changes in inter-sectoral allocations. Subsequently, not much attention is paid …

(Co-authored with Rudrani Bhattacharya)

 

Budget 2021-22 has now been tabled in parliament and there is no denying that it is an interesting attempt, combining a slew of institutional reforms in various sectors with a fiscally aggressive stance. Coming after a year of deep recession due to …

Extraordinary times require extraordinary policy responses. Against the backdrop of macroeconomic uncertainty in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has presented a “significant” fiscal deficit number – which went upto 9.5% in FY21 – from a position of strength. Simultaneously, commencing a fiscal consolidation path …

(Co-authored with D Priyadarshini)

 

Recent news reports suggest the upcoming budget may include proposals for a Bank Investment Company (BIC) anchoring the government’s shareholding in its banks. With a predominantly bank-led growth strategy, banks face the daunting task of managing the pandemic’s impact on their balance …

Taxation of digital companies has been a key concern for G20 countries. The agenda to reform international tax law so that digital companies are taxed where economic activities are carried out was formally framed within the OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting programme. Seven years since its inception, it …