MPs want Finance Minister to broaden tax base, reduce duty on items for poor

The government should endeavour to broaden tax base and provide excise relief for items of mass consumption in the forthcoming Budget, suggested Members of Parliament (MPs) in their pre-Budget meeting with Finance Minister P Chidambaram today.

In their pre-budget consultation with the Finance Minister, the members suggested that the Budget should focus on the middle class. The Budget 2013-14 is scheduled to be presented on February 28.

"Suggestion was made to broad base the tax network," the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

Besides, suggestion was made to minimise centrally sponsored schemes and focus on quality control and enforcement of those central schemes which are 100 per cent funded by the Central government, it added.

The members of the Consultative Committee also sought relief from excise duty on 14-inch colour TV sets below the cost of Rs 2,000 and bringing multi-level car parking projects back in the infrastructure sector.

Suggestions were made regarding setting-up of Skill Development Centres at district level to make them easily accessible to the youth and also inclusion of fertiliser and seed subsidy under direct benefit transfer scheme.

Some members suggested for focusing on providing of drinking water facilities, tackling of garbage problem and sewerage related issues and providing basic facilities of health and education in rural areas.

The budget of the Ministries of Rural Development and Human Resource Development may not be reduced, the members suggested.

Members who participated in the meeting included Narahari Mahato, Partap Singh Bajwa, Neeraj Shekhar, Birender Singh, Rajkumar Dhoot, Ashok Sekhar Ganguly and Murli Deora.