-TheWire.in At Axis Bank and Yes Bank, it appears that a single auditor of a member firm of Ernst and Young has overlooked gross NPAs of a staggering Rs 13,655 crore. Recently, Axis Bank and Yes Bank jolted the Indian banking community while releasing their annual results. Both banks disclosed a staggeringly large divergence between the banks’ audited accounts and the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI)  findings regarding bad loans on the...

-Business Standard Reportedly, Bibek Debroy suggested to tax agricultural income, which led to a public outcry Over the past few days, India’s agriculture has received much public attention for two apparently contradictory concerns. The first issue was the possibility of taxing agricultural income. NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy reportedly suggested this move for widening the tax base and pruning exemptions. However, this led to a massive public outcry and within a few...

-Livemint.com One-off gains from Income Disclosure Scheme 2016 call for scepticism about any immediate claims of demonetisation having widened India’s income Tax net News reports have quoted government officials making claims about a record increase in the number of income tax payers in 2016-17. Should such claims be seen as a success of demonetisation in forcing unscrupulous individuals to become a part of income Tax net? An analysis of direct tax collection...

-Livemint.com The Indian statistical system is failing to fulfil the needs of 21st century policymaking The Indian state has often been a source of bewilderment to observers and analysts, and a source of frustration for its citizens who marvel at the state’s ability to perform complex tasks—such as running a successful space mission—while failing to perform many basic tasks such as ensuring the survival of newborns. Perhaps no other organ of the...

-The Hindu Business Line Sees enhanced infra spending, higher consumption New Delhi: While noting that demonetisation of high value currency by the government last year will help bring in more taxpayers into the Tax net, the United Nations ESCAP in a new report has said that more measures will be required to fight black money in the future. “The measure did not, by itself, impede future black money flows in new denominations. …...