-The Times of India Amid the debate on a super-rich tax, the pre-Budget Economic Survey on Wednesday argued against raising tax rates significantly; instead, it said that the focus should be on people who have a taxable income but don't pay any income tax. "It is much better to achieve a higher tax-GDP ratio by broadening the base which is taxed rather than increasing marginal tax rates significantly — higher and higher...

-The Hindu The Economic Survey has said that the proportion of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies that goes to the poor, in both rural and urban areas, was low. This finding is bound to provide fuel to the debate on whether the rich should continue to be supplied cooking gas at subsidised rate. Making a case for containing subsidies through better targeting, the Survey said the reach of subsidies on LPG “is...

-NDTV Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has earmarked Rs. 10,000 crore as incremental cost to implement the Food Security Bill, which he described as a promise of the UPA government. A centrepiece of the ruling government's campaign in 2009, the Bill was cleared last month by a parliamentary committee. The Bill says 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the poor in urban India - about 800 million people...

-PTI Project will help strengthen anti-money laundering steps, combat terror financing, says inter-governmental body Paris: India’s Aadhar programme has been praised by the FATF here which said the initiative will not only ensure “financial inclusion” for its teeming population but also tighten anti-money laundering measures in the country. “If successfully implemented, it (Aadhar project) would be the first biometrically verified unique ID implemented on a national scale and would provide the ‘identity...

-The Hindu By allowing futures trade in food and diversion of farm land for commercial purposes, the UPA government is fuelling the price rise International agencies are warning of high food prices on a global scale in 2013 if urgent action is not taken. But our government shows little concern. The President’s address to Parliament had only a cursory mention of inflation. “Inflation is easing gradually, but is still a problem,” he...