by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Tax in India has long been a matter of negotiation rather than obligation. Earlier this year, pending indirect tax disputes in concerned appellate tribunal and the high courts and Supreme Court stood at 136,365. The number was so staggering that the government was forced to find excuses to withdraw appeals in minor disputes ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Yet the tax revenue now frozen in disputes at various levels is well over five lakh crore of rupees. Besides, Indian companies" 'hunger' for exemption led successive regimes to succumb to make changes in to the tax laws. It has resulted in many large companies being 'zero-tax'. The country's tax administration has, over the decades, left its public finance permanently starved.
