-The Telegraph Sikar (Rajasthan): A 13-day agitation by Rajasthan's farmers, joined by about 100 disc jockeys with sound systems blaring, has forced the Vasundhara Raje government to agree to loan waivers up to Rs 50,000 and payment of the full minimum support price. Some 15,000 farmers had gathered at a mandi in Sikar town, 115km from Jaipur, on September 1 and by the time the government buckled on September 13 night, their...
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Uneven Mandi Tax adds to GST burden -Madhvi Sally
-The Economic Times Even as the dust kicked up by the Goods and Services tax is yet to settle, traders and companies have to face another conundrum an uneven Mandi Tax. So wide is the discrepancy that a company procuring grain had to pay 6 per cent tax in Punjab, 4 per cent in Haryana and 0.2 per cent in Madhya Pradesh. Industry says this will create an imbalance in the interstate...
More »Yogendra Yadav, convenor of Swaraj Party, interviewed by Archana Mishra (GovernanceNow.com)
-GovernanceNow.com As farmers protests take centre stage across the country, Swaraj Party convenor explains the ecological, economic and existential crisis behind this unrest. * We have recently seen farmers from Tamil Nadu protesting in the national capital. Then Maharashtra farmers protested, deciding not to send their produce to cities. The agitation has now reached Madhya Pradesh, leading to killings. Why there is sudden farmers’ unrest in the country? I think we...
More »From plate to plough: Farm and the tax -Ashok Gulati & Siraj Hussain
-The Indian Express A smooth GST regime can break inter-state barriers on movement and facilitate direct linkages between processors and farmers After more than a decade of intense discussion and debate, the GST is finally becoming a reality. Although in its current form, it is not as perfect as was originally envisaged, yet it is being lauded as one of the most transformational reforms since 1991. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was humble...
More »We should tax agriculture. But how? -Madan Sabnavis
-The Hindu Business Line While the idea is reasonable, the issue is so political that it will automatically ring in negative points for the implementer The subject of taxation on farm income has once again taken centre stage not just because there have been some distinguished opinions voiced on this subject but also that this has been recognised as one area where money is channelled to avoid paying taxes. As the focus...
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