Comments
With reference to the editorial, ‘In praise of cess-ation’ (November 13), the assessment that the cess tax is ill-conceived and anti-poor is correct. The new cess suggests that unavailability of the fund is the only constraint in achieving the goals of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The biggest hurdle is not money but the mindset. Cleanliness and zero open defecation are possible only when people make a habit of this. There are many instances of people not using toilets even when there are available. The concept of pollution and purity based on religious beliefs is the reason why people in rural aresa do not build toilets inside their homes. Therefore, it is importance to remove such prejudices through awareness campaigns.
Public-private partnership rather than extra cess is the answer to this challenge. The private institution, Sulabh International, has already shown the way. Sanitation is not only a Union subject, State governments and municipalities are equal and key players. Moreover, before implementing the swachh cess the government must undertake a comprehensive review of education cess and should proceed only if it is found useful. Innovation, not taxation, is the way.
Naveen Agrawal
Puducherry
The editorial rightly questions the negative impact of introducing cess which is borne by the common man. A man living in a metro spends ₹1 lakh on buying services; a 0.5 per cent increase in service tax means an expense of ₹500. The government could remove LPG subsidies and recover the money. We cannot measure the effectiveness of cess without data on consumption patterns.
Vikram Sundaramurthy
Chennai
The government had promised to reduce taxes and they are now finding new reasons to tax. We should have a decentralised approach to this Clean India initiative. From villages to small towns, we need to send out the message for keeping clean both public places as well as commercial entities. This has to be done by panchayats and corporations; the Centre cannot enforce any law from Delhi. We should fine those who litter public places but instead, the government has chosen to fine everyone. This is unfair.
CR Arun
As recommended by both the Direct Taxes Code 2009 and the Economic Survey of 2014, public spending programmes such as sanitation for all, primary school education and basic road connectivity are to be funded out of main budgetary resources. Moreover all the cesses imposed are temporary in nature, but in practice they are revised, hiked and shifted around but seldom discontinued. The road cess has been in force since1998-99 but the condition of roads is bad. The education cess recently completed a decade, but improvement in literacy is meagre. Greater civic sense on the part of every citizen, backed by grassroots initiatives will go a longer way tjam levying a cess.
TSN Rao
Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh
Incisive analysis
‘Rebooting NDA 2.0’ by Pradeep S Mehta is an incisive analysis of the NDA’s Bihar setback.It is imperative for the BJP leadership to introspect over the debacle and rectify the faults; it should comforting itself that it has lost only the battle and not the war.
HP Murali
Bengaluru
Irrational consumer
It is learnt that retail inflation climbed up to 5 per cent in October. In India, where marginal propensity to consume is high, inflation (retail, in particular) is inescapable. People don’t mind taking loans to spend on goods and services, often not essential. The Indian consumer, is neither prudent or rational. This is the main reason for disequilibrium in the economy.
S Ramakrishnasayee
Ranipet, Tamil Nadu
Shame on Bengaluru
Another horrific gangrape in the Garden City exposes the lack of swift and deterrent legal action against perpetrators. So long as rapes are attributed to women venturing out on their own at night, meting out punishment to culprits will be a challenge.
R Prabhu Raj
Bengaluru
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.
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