Sitaram Yechury: The Government Should Get Priorities Right

Sitaram Yechury/ Forbes India

India Budget 2012: Sitaram Yechury on how the finance minister can balance the politics of the poor with the policies for the economy. As far as I am concerned the solution is very simple. During the last three years, the tax foregone through concessions given to the corporates and high-end income payers as well as the exemptions in the customs and excise duty amounts close to Rs 15 lakh crore. This is according to the Budget figures put out by the finance minister himself. Now, your fiscal deficit this year is projected at Rs 4.6 lakh crore - even if this goes over to Rs 5 lakh crore, it is just one-third of the concessions given over the last three years. Now if you stop these concessions and collect what is legitimately due to the government then you don