The Indian tax code is numbingly complex. It came to be so because of the high tax rates that India lived with before the 1991 reforms, with powerful interest groups seeking an escape through a web of exemptions. High tax rates, too many exemptions and a deeply ingrained culture of suspicion has victimized honest taxpayers even while millions sit outside the tax net.
The solution is a simple one. Modi must push ahead with the direct taxes code as it was originally designed. A simple tax system, with stable rates and minimal exemptions, is the best long-term antidote to tax terrorism.
(Source: Quick Edit in Mint Newspaper dated 17.06.2016)