The Hindu Business Line : Raise rebate for women

General tax exemption be raised from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 1,50,000. Women rebate to be enhanced from Rs 1,35,000 to Rs 2,25,000. Senior citizens rebate can be enhanced to Rs 3,00,000. Educational fees be capped at Rs 2,000 per month per child to the maximum of two children. Conveyance exemption to be raised from Rs 800 a month to Rs 3,000, as the transport charges and petrol prices have gone up considerably. Medical reimbursement (not allowance - any amount given as allowance should be fully taxable as it is now) of Rs 15,000 can be raised to Rs 20,000 and to be granted without bills. Restricted rebate like Section 80D to be brought for women to equalise the earnings against the tax suffered for marginal cases. Ceiling on PPF can be raised from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1,00,000.

V. Hemalatha

Asst. Manager - Operations,

Allsec Technologies Ltd, Chennai.

Give fair treatment for seafarers

I work as a ship captain. Needless to say we seafarers and all other Indians working abroad bring in a great amount of foreign exchange into our economy. To be eligible for tax exemption by claiming the NRI status one has to be out of India for 183 days or more. The rule is unfair in the sense that if I come off the ship due to circumstances after 179 days then I have to pay a full 30 per cent odd tax whereas one who completes 183 days outside is exempted. To satisfy the rule we often go overseas for a holiday or work in excess of 183 days unwillingly. This means a lot of foreign exchange being spent outside the country. If one cannot satisfy the 183 days rule then the income earned by such a person should be given fair treatment by say a 5 per cent tax slab for every month above six months that the person overstays in India. Thus, if a person stays 7 months in India and 5 months outside then his foreign income is taxed at 5 per cent. One who stays 8 months in India and 4 months outside pays tax for his foreign income at 10 per cent and so on.

Capt Jagdish Gunjal

(Send in your Budget wish list (in about 200 words) with a brief profile of yourself and a digital photograph, which may get published, wishlist2007@thehindu.co.in)