GST made India more tax-compliant society: President
New Delhi, July 1: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) had made India a more tax-compliant society while also enhancing the ease of doing business.
On the first anniversary of the implementation of the GST, the President said the new tax regime helped India achieve many goals including creation of a common platform across the country for registration, duty payments, filing of returns and refund of taxes.
"GST has also enhanced reliance on technology and reduced scope for subjectivity," he said at the inauguration of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), an official statement said.
Kovind also said the GST rollout has been part of a sustained effort over the past few years to formalise the economy, enforce rule of law, promote transparency in financial and business transactions, and make India much more of a tax compliant society.
Stressing that adherence to a fair taxation system is much more than merely providing revenue to the government, he said: "Taxes are what we pay to get social benefits in the form of public goods and services, health and education facilities, better infrastructure, law and order, and secure borders.
"It is crucial that this responsibility is shared by the widest possible number of citizens -- whether they pay taxes directly or indirectly."
The President said that chartered accountants had a key role in advancing such a culture and while as professionals, it is their legitimate right to advise their clients on tax planning, "but there is a fine line between intelligent tax planning and tax dodging and tax evasion", and they were custodians of that fine line.
Maintaining such propriety is not just a legal duty for all tax payers and for all taxation and financial professionals, there is also a morality added to it, he added.
"When banking scandals take place, when large borrowers abscond and leave their banks in the lurch -- or, as in the case of Satyam some years ago, when promoters themselves embezzle funds and carry out fraud -- it represents a breach of faith.
"It amounts to a betrayal of not only corporate ethics but of honest fellow citizens and of our collective value system. White collar crimes don't leave behind a smoking gun; they leave behind broken hearts and a shaken confidence," Kovind said.
"When such episodes occur, it would be in order to introspect. It would be relevant to ask if those responsible for auditing balance sheets have truly done their duty, or if they have contributed to the sorry situation."
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K'taka expects maturity, not 'impulsive commentary': LoP Ashoka slams Siddaramaiah over Iran remarks
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka expects maturity from its Chief Minister, not impulsive commentary on sensitive global affairs, Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly R Ashoka said on Tuesday.
Ashoka's comments came in response to CM Siddaramaiah’s recent post on ‘X’ regarding US-Iran tensions.
“While speaking of peace, it (US) has chosen the path of war,” the CM had said in the post, as he “strongly condemned” the contradiction, and expressed condolences on the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Taking to X, Ashoka said, “Karnataka expects maturity from its Chief Minister, not impulsive commentary on sensitive international matters.”
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“India’s foreign policy is determined in New Delhi with strategic depth and national interest as its guiding principle. It is not shaped or driven by domestic vote-bank compulsions or electoral calculations,” he said.
According to him, responsible leaders exercise restraint when global tensions are escalating.
The BJP leader also drew parallels to past incidents, especially Operation Sindoor, where he claimed Siddaramaiah's remarks "created unnecessary controversy and embarrassment for our State, even being amplified and finding applause in hostile foreign media.”
“And now, once again, instead of statesmanship, we are witnessing knee-jerk reactions rooted in appeasement politics,” he said.
Ashoka further said foreign policy is not a stage for ideological posturing.
“It is about safeguarding India’s sovereignty, maintaining strategic balance, and strengthening our global standing,” he said.
Karnataka deserves leadership that reinforces India’s voice on the world stage, not statements that are conveniently celebrated by those who do not wish our nation well, he added.
Ashoka reminded the Chief Minister that his words carry weight and urged him to "rise above partisan calculations" and uphold the dignity of his office.
