The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, March 01, 2008

JAI KISAN
Rs 60,000-crore debt waiver for farmers; relief for income-tax payers (Audio Highlights)
"If you are against the one-time writeoff of debts of the small and marginal farmers, then have the courage to stand up and be counted. You cannot duck the issue and I'm not ducking the issue." -- Finance Minister P. Chidambaram More

Stock markets not impressed
The air of excitement that typically surrounds Budget days on the bourses was missing this time. The signals from overseas were far from comforting on Friday morning. Continued onslaught of negative data on the US economy and the crude prices ... More

Govt plans to inject liquidity into banking system
Making good the loan waiver to farmers More

There is no case for corporate tax rate cut, says Chidambaram
‘They are doing well and are making good profits’ More

Duty cut on six life-saving, bulk drugs
Tax holiday extended for new hospitals More

Excise on small cars, 2-wheelers slashed
The domestic auto industry got a major boost with the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, announcing a 4 percentage point reduction in excise duty on two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger cars, buses and chassis to 12 per cent from the ... More

Hyundai, Maruti, GM to cut prices
More

Middle-class bowled over
People from the poorer strata of society have never shown any serious interest in Budgets much less in their nuances, though indirect tax proposals do impinge as much on their fortunes as they impinge on the fortunes of the well-heeled. ... More

Goodies galore; dilution of fiscal standards may prove costly
Reform measures absent; major demands of exporters unfulfilled More

Relief for all taxpayers
In Budget 2008, the Finance Minister has increased the basic taxable limit for all individual assessees. This results in a tax relief of around Rs 4,120 (including cess) for the personal taxpayer. The accompanying table shows the tax ... More

IT companies put new campus recruits on bench
Turn choosy and may raise assessment norms More

Direct taxes’ share of revenue kitty tops 50% for first time
New Delhi, Feb.29 2007-08 would be a landmark fiscal, when, for the first time, direct taxes would contribute more than 50 per cent of the Centre’s revenue kitty. Of the total of Rs 5,85,410 crore to be mobilised from all Central tax ... More

Boost for broadband services; wireless data card to be cheaper
New Delhi, Feb. 29 In a move aimed at enhancing Internet and broadband usage in the country, the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, has abolished excise duty on wireless data modem cards. The move is expected to bring down the price of data ... More

‘Off-budget’ bonds beginning to exact toll
New Delhi, Feb. 29 Large-scale issuances of special bonds may have helped the Centre meet its fiscal and revenue deficit targets in the narrow technical sense and that too in the short run. But the fact is that these ‘off-budget’ ... More

DTH set-top boxes may be no cheaper
New Delhi, Feb. 29 The domestic manufacturers of set-top boxes are expected to benefit from the Budget proposal to exempt certain components from duty taxes, but DTH operators and the CAS-notified cable industry may not necessarily be able to ... More

‘Commodity transaction tax to hit price discovery’
The Budget for the year 2008-09 is a mixed bag. It is a populist and pragmatic one, conducive to growth. The Finance Minister is clearly focusing on balanced growth while addressing primary concerns of the slowdown in GDP and inflation, ... More

Durables industry has little to cheer
‘Duty cut will not offset rise in raw material costs’ More

Commodity trading to turn a costly affair
Mumbai, Feb 29 Introduction of commodity transaction tax (CTT) similar to that of securities transaction tax (STT) seems to have not gone well with the exchanges and broking firms alike.Apart from the 12 per cent service tax, the Union ... More

Taxing times for stock market
Investors and traders on stock and commodity exchanges have to grapple with many unfriendly measures from the Union Budget of 2008. The hike in short-term capital gains tax, bringing transactions in the commodity exchanges under the ... More

FMCG stocks gain
Bet on increased spending power among people More

Day-traders would be hit hard, say marketmen
Mumbai, Feb 29 The Finance Minister’s proposal to raise the tax on short-term capital gains (profits from sale of capital assets held for less than one year) on the transfer of listed equity shares from 10 per cent to 15 per cent ... More

Bank stocks recover post clarification
Announcement of loan waiver to farmers affected sentiment More