Prudent measure
The Centre’s decision to scrap an equalisation levy of 6 per cent on payments for digital advertisement services to non-resident entities exceeding ₹1 lakh at a time when the US administration is exerting pressure on India to cut tariffs is a pragmatic move and would help the country to strike a better bilateral trade deal with the US.
While the levy is intended to ensure that multinational tech firms such as Google and Meta, which accounted for a substantial share of the digital advertising market in the country, pay their fair share of tax to market countries, many felt it is an imperfect solution to bring digital transactions under tax. No doubt, its abolition has now addressed concerns of its unilateral nature.
M Jeyaram
Sholavandan (TN)
Unprecedented challenge
This refers to the article ‘A jobless future looms while leaders loop in AI’ (March 27).
The prospect of job losses due to AI in India, a nation struggling to strike a balance between new job aspirants and job creation, presents a significant challenge.
While those doing physical labour may not be the immediate victims, those in other routine and white collar jobs face the risk of retrenchment.
The government must assess job losses and industries affected, protect labour-intensive industries from an unchecked AI onslaught, prepares the workforce for the new jobs that AI will generate, and introduces a Universal Basic Income guarantee in a structured manner.
YG Chouksey
Pune
Food bill needs pruning
With reference to ‘Revisiting food subsidy’ (March 27), it is astonishing to note that the National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA) provides subsidised foodgrains to 75 per cent of rural and 50 per cent of urban population, costing the exchequer to ₹2 lakh crore annually.
When poverty ratio is estimated to be at 21.9 per cent which works out to 27 crore people living in poverty, the NFSA provides highly subsidised foodgrains to 81 crore people.,
Keeping the Antyodaya Anna Yojana untouched which covers the poorest of the poor people in rural and semi urban areas, the beneficiaries under Priority Households which are being overseen by the respective States must have a re-look in inclusion of new beneficiaries under the scheme.
Given the drastic fall in poverty ratio, the Public Distribution System (PDS) needs a relook.
Akin to ‘Give It Up’ scheme for LPG users to voluntarily surrender LPG subsidy, the Centre can look at a similar to urge rich urban consumers to give up consuming subsidised provisions from PDS.
RV Baskaran
Chennai