Kunal

Stepping out in Mumbai of an evening one often encounters a very predictable sight – the young parents ferrying around a young child, probably about 4 to 6 years old, shopping for something of the other. And if you happen to follow this typical family for a while, you will notice something peculiar. No matter what language the young...

Ever since the formation of the NDA government in May 2014, which fought the preceding election on a pro-development agenda, the nation – and indeed, the world – has been looking to it for an impetus to economic reforms. Eighteen months later, it would not be an exaggeration to say that most observers are not quite satisfied. The primary reason...

Like all people of a certain age, I am prone to thinking that ‘life was easier when I was young’. But unlike those who generally mean this statement to refer to the time when they were kids in half-pants running like the wind through toddy fields or whatever, I am referring to a far more recent period of my...

One of the less-prominent news items from last week was a report from Bengaluru about NASSCOM, the Indian IT Industry body, making a demand for uniform policy on taxation of the e-commerce industry across states in India. As with anything tax-related, there are two aspects to it – Direct Tax (Income Tax) and Indirect Tax (Sales tax, Excise duty, Value-added...

We have spoken before on the inevitability of taxes, and the means by which an individual can invest his or her money in a manner that would lead to tax-free returns. But while none of us particularly enjoys paying taxes, it is important to realise that these are necessary. In a free-market economy, the role of the government is...