The policies for a nearly $3 trillion economy cannot be based on good versus evil storytelling

Don’t let people game the system, deal with tax evaders firmly” is what the finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, supposedly told the income tax department on July 25, soon after she presented the Union Budget in Parliament. The finance minister has set a lofty target of a 23.3% increase in income tax revenues for financial year 2020, compared to a meagre 7% growth in the current year. In other words, Sitharaman wants income tax revenues for the next year to grow three times faster than it did this year. Hence, the putative pep talk to income tax officers.

AFP■ The purported suicide note of VG Siddhartha is a grim reminder of the devastating impact that an aggressive tax revenue targeting policy can unleash on our economy and societyThe premise behind this policy goal is flawed, and disturbing. The tone and tenor of the finance minister’s budget this year is symptomatic of a larger and deeper malaise of a “morality governance” paradigm that is threatening to derail our society and economy, as seen in the recent tragic suicide of the founder of the successful Café Coffee Day business, VG Siddhartha.

There is a “good versus evil” framework that defines economic policymaking of the Narendra Modi government. The playbook seems to be to portray an “evil”, then position oneself or a policy as the “good”, to kill and triumph over this “evil”.

It started with the demonetisation policy in November 2016 that constructed a false narrative of an “evil” of millions of Indians, hoarding illegal cash in their homes, and under their

pillows. The PM’s demonetisation idea was supposed to be the “good” that will destroy and triumph over this “evil” of black money hoarders. It did not matter to the government that evidence pointed to the fact that hoarded black money was typically not stored in cash. It did not also matter that eliminating 86% of all currency was bound to impact hundreds of millions of innocent others who did not possess any black money. All that mattered was the popular narrative that the government was fighting a “good versus evil” battle.

Lt Gen NS Brar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (retd) has authored Drummers Call: An Anthology Of Writings While Following The Drum. He had a distinguished military career spanning 40 years. Notably, he was appointed colonel commandant of the artillery regiment and was honorary ADC to the president of India.He speaks to HT’s Aishwarya Khosla.

Three books one must read before one dies

In the present environment with Kargil in the news, politicians and laymen should read The Guns of August by Barbara W Tuchman. The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts And The Battle Against Fate by Robert D Kaplan and The Rise And Fall Of The Great Powers: Economic Change And Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000 by Paul Kennedy. The regime makers will perhaps be more deliberate with their speech if they read these books.

Growing up, what were your favourite books?

Frederick Forsyth’s Day Of The Jackal, which chronicles the story of a professional assassin contracted by a French dissident organisation to kill president Charles de Gaulle,was a favourite, as was Reader’s Digest. I also grew up on a steady diet of Commando comics, which are sadly disappearing .

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
The government may extend the deadline to file returns, but it is better not to wait till the last minute. A breakdown of all you need to know.

MUMBAI : It is the time of the year when everybody is busy filing their income tax returns (ITR). Though the current deadline to file your ITR is July 31, the government is likely to extend this owing to the delay in the release of Form 16 — a document required by salaried individuals for the process.

Usually, Form 16 is supposed to be issued by your employer by June 15. This year, the date was extended to July 10. Even if there is a change in the deadline, you still have to file your ITR. Hence, instead of waiting for the last date, you should do it right away. Did you know that you can file your ITR yourself? Usually, individuals seek help from a chartered accountant or financial advisor to do the ITR process. However, this time if you are planning to do it on your own, here is the process.

STEP 1

The first thing you need to do is collect all the relevant documents required to file your ITR. The Income Tax (I-T) department doesn’t ask you to attach any of the documents during the filing process, but you will need the documents to fill the details.

Since you have to fill your personal details, you will need your Permanent Account Number (PAN) card and Aadhaar card. You will also need Form 16, Form 16A, details of dividends, long-term and short-term capital gains statements, interest statement of your bank account and any other income-related documents. Since you also have to cross-check details of taxes paid earlier, you will require your TDS certificate and 26AS. Additionally, you must keep your bank IFSC code and other account details handy as you will have to mention your bank account details. If you have made tax saving investments and expenses, such as insurance premiums, home and education loans, and donations, you need to keep the proofs ready.

STEP 2

SADA KAUR HAD THE FORESIGHT TO SEE THAT PUNJAB WAS UP FOR GRABS AND HER SON-IN-LAW COULD BE POSITIONED TO FILL THE VACUUM

CHANDIGARH : If there was one woman who played a key role in the spread of dominion by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (17801839), the founder of the Sikh Empire, it certainly had to be Sada Kaur (1762-1832), his mother-in-law and the matriarch of the Kanhaya misl.

For, she had the remarkable foresight to see that Punjab was up for grabs and her son-in-law could be positioned to fill the vacuum created by the decline of the Mughals and the Afghans.

The saga of this extraordinary woman is penned in detail by Boston-based author Sarbpreet Singh in his newly published book ‘The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia: Stories from the Court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’ which has been received with great interest and curiosity by many at book readings and launches in cities.

“Chroniclers of Sikh history like Muhammad Latif and Khushwant Singh acknowledged in passing the role played by Sada Kaur in guiding Maharaja Ranjit Singh in taking on the Afghans and spreading his dominion over Punjab, including the conquest of Lahore,” Sarbpreet Singh told HT.

TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION

Sada Kaur was the wife of Gurbaksh Singh Kanhaiya who was killed by Ranjit Singh’s father Maha Singh. Sensing that Ranjit Singh was the rising star, she married off her daughter Mehtab Kaur to him.

When young Ranjit spoke to the Sikh chieftains at the Sarbat Khalsa to unite and unify Punjab, he was speaking the words of his motherin-law.

Sarbpreet adds, “Then Sada Kaur spoke with passion invoking the Sikh Gurus and reminding the assembly of their valour and rest is history. But Ranjit Singh’s marriage to the beautiful but haughty Mehtab was not a success as the she never forgot that her father was killed by her father-in-law. When Ranjit Singh married Raj Kaur and declared Kharak Singh his heir, Sada Kaur was devastated. The relationship grew bitter and ended on a sad note but it was Sada who rode with the Maharaja in the conquest of Lahore.”