Budget 2021: Why easing taxpayers' load is a good idea

Almost 17 million women lost their jobs in the first month of lockdown alone, data released by the CMIE showed.

Govt slashed basic corporate tax rate to 22% from 30% while for new manufacturing companies it has been cut down to 15% from 25%.

Serious consideration for a defence financing corporation, along the lines of the Indian Railways Finance Corporation, is needed.

GST is still a complicated regime with varying slabs, not easy to comprehend or comply with, and open to interpretation.

The focus must be to boost investment as a share of GDP, languishing below 27%.

As growth is poised to dip into negative, the budget should cut fiscal restraints as much as possible.

Low interest rates & high inflation have yielded nil or even negative returns.

India is expected to grow at 10% next fiscal to become one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia-Pasific.

One of the three major drivers for high inflation during the pandemic is the huge disruptions in the supply side factors.

The credit-starved Indian market provides a opportunity for universal banks to explore and grow profitably.

Automakers like Ford and GM feel unwanted, as evidenced in high taxes & levies on luxury car items.

There is no obvious magic wand to deliver a quick cure. Govt needs to boost business & consumer confidence.

At 4%, India’s total healthcare expenditure as a % of GDP is amongst the lowest globally.

Budget 2021-22 must re-orient expenditure in the right direction to get maximum bang for the buck.

Investors should be realistic and take some profits off the table at this stage.

It would be safer to expect that jobs wouldn’t come flooding to a job seeker in the new year.

In March 2020, real estate developers were sitting on inventory that would take roughly 15 quarters to clear.