Tax conundrum

The government needs revenue but it should be pragmatic in collecting tax. GST, since Day one has seen glitches. Health insurance has become a must for everyone.

The demand for exemption for medicines, medical devices and health and life insurance are the popular demands. But the government is trying to just reduce the taxes.

AG Rajmohan

Anantapur

S-E Asia connect

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Singapore and Brunei aimed at giving fresh impetus to India’s engagement with South-East Asia and more broadly the vast Pacific region is welcome, especially at a time when the regional environment has become more complex owing to sharpening US-China conflict and New Delhi’s own deepening troubles with China.

While India’s membership in the newly revived Quad, comprising the US, Australia, Japan, and India, raised concerns in the ASEAN region, Modi’s assurance in Singapore that India and ASEAN stand squarely behind the bloc and underline its central role in the regional security architecture deserves praise, as it marked a major attempt to reboot one of India’s most valuable partnerships in Asia and the world.

By giving more thrust to semiconductor diplomacy with both Singapore and Malaysia, both of which have significant capabilities in semiconductor production, India has signalled its commitment to collaboration with these two countries and leveraged it to make its semiconductor ecosystem more robust.

M Jeyaram

Sholavandan (TN)

UPS and EPF

This refers to the article ‘Do we need to go beyond EPF’ (September 10). The answer is an emphatic yes.

We note with comfort the efforts by government and institutions like LIC and PFRDA to make retirement planning customer friendly by introducing savings products tailored to suit different segments of end-users.

Introduction of NPS for minors is a step in the right direction.

Moving forward, government can think of encashing the trust of the public in the government and quasi-government savings instruments to mainstream idle assets like gold stock and idle cash into regular savings accessible for investors on a need based basis. This could be achieved by: (i) Encouraging investment in regular pension plans for family members who are not in pensionable jobs; (ii) Allowing monetization of deposits in gold-linked investments and long-term bank deposits into regular pension schemes.

The system overhaul will have to take into account the deficiencies pointed out in this article by ensuring provision of professional management of new schemes and use of user-friendly technology.

MG Warrier

Mumbai