'Will get rid of Angel tax after Cong comes to power': Rahul Gandhi
Bengaluru, Mar 18: Congress President Rahul Gandhi Monday said that angel tax goes counter to the philosophy of startups and his party would get rid of it on coming to power.
"I have been informed about the angel tax and angel tax goes counter to the philosophy of startups...we are going to get rid of this tax.
When we come to power, we will scrap it...you can call me on that one," Gandhi said.
The Congress chief was speaking to a gathering of entrepreneurs at a technology park here.
To a question on GST by a participant, Gandhi, calling it a "disaster", said the Congress, on coming to power, will work to give "one GST", which is simple and lowest tax possible.
Stating that the Congress had come up with the idea of the Goods and Services Tax with an aim to simplify things, he said the current government launched it in a hurry.
"Frankly it is a disaster. The definition of GST is one tax, so even though this government calls it a GST, it is not.
It is five different layers of taxes and it is counter productive," he said.
"We are pretty clear we are going to get rid of this GST, we are going to reform it and we are going to work to give one GST, which is simple and lowest tax possible," he said.
Also noting that the existing GST leaves out huge chunks of the Indian economy, he said some of those things are going to be brought into it.
"It is perfectly doable..." he said, adding that GST was a "self inflicted" wound by the current government and it has had a devastating effect, very much like demonetisation.
To a question on the e Commerce policy, Gandhi conceded that he had not gone into the details of the policy, but promised to look into it on coming to power.
"I haven't gone into the details of it. I have to go into the details before I comment.
I have been given a little bit of a briefing on it.
I think there are issues with warehousing in the policy, that I have been told about.
There is a balance that has to be created between the large and small players...
I don't know how the policy creates the balance, but I think we would think about in terms of being fair to all the stakeholders," he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
TN polls: TVK pushes DMK behind with leads in 83 seats, AIADMK ahead in 54
Chennai (PTI): New entrant TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, was leading in as many as 83 constituencies on Monday when counting of votes polled in the April 23 Assembly polls was on across Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK was leading in 58 seats while the ruling DMK was ahead in 34, EC data showed.
About two hours after the postal ballots were counted and EVMs opened for multi-round counting, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam surged ahead of its Dravidian rivals-- the DMK and the AIADMK, with the ruling party struggling to catch up.
If the trends maintain, Vijay could as well ensure the biggest electoral upset, something in lines with the "1967,1977" wins he had referred to in his campaign speeches.
While the Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai brought the first non-Congress government in Tamil Nadu post-independence in 1967, the charismatic MG Ramachandran (MGR) installed the maiden AIADMK government 10 years later, unseating then DMK government under M Karunanidhi. TVK was leading in most Chennai segments, all considered DMK strongholds and currently represented by the party in the 234-member House.
A poor show by DMK could belie most exit polls giving an edge to it, riding on the number of populist measures Chief Minister M K Stalin had implemented in his five year "Dravidian model," inclusive governance.
According to EC and TV reports, 15 cabinet ministers, including Stalin were trailing. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi was also behind in his incumbent Chepauk-Tirvuvallikeni seat, according to a number of reports.
Stalin was trailing behind TVK's VS Babu by 1234 votes in Kolathur segment. Vijay was ahead in Tiruchirappalli East by over 3,000 votes at the end of two rounds of counting, according to EC data.
BJP is trailing in 26 constituencies and it is ahead in Thali segment alone. TVK is ahead in constituencies including Ponneri, Tiruvallur, Poonamalle, and Avadi.
AIADMK is leading in segments including Katpadi, and Guidyattam and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is ahead in Edappadi segment by 7003 votes.
DMK was leading in segments including Vellore, Anaikattu and Rishivandiyam.
