DELHI BUDGET MERELY A DOCUMENT OF TALL CLAIMS AND VISION LESS POLICIES

The Delhi Budget 2013-14 presented by Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Shiela Dikshit today in Delhi Legislative Assembly is a "document of tall claims and vision less policies" – said the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) while commenting upon the budget.The announcement of allowing FDI in Retail at the earliest by the Chief Minister in her budget speech is greatly unfortunate and is condemned in its strongest terms. It will prove to be a death warrant for the livelihood of not only the traders but even on lakhs of people who are dependent upon traders for their earnings. " We will stoutly oppose FDI in Retail tooth and nail-said Mr. Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) .Reductions of VAT rate on certain item is a welcome step but large number of other items which are of daily consumable nature have been left for higher percentage of tax rate. The CM has failed to remove anomalies and disparities in VAT taxation system.

The Delhi budget is not at all an  economy driven document  since no steps have been announced to ensure sustainable growth of Delhi trade and commerce which is the largest contributor to Delhi's exchequer. Various policies announced in the Budget without spelling out a definite road map and with no accountability system are vague which can be termed to attract the voters.

Mr. Khandelwal while watching live telecast of Delhi budget today at Constitution Club in Delhi with large number of prominent trade leaders of leading trade associations of Delhi said that the Chief Minister has failed to streamline the working of VAT Department which is the revenue collector and no measures have been introduced to simplify and rationalize the taxation system of Delhi. The anomalies and disparities in VAT have remain untouched which is one of the major cause of worry for the traders. Though the CM is more ambitious to introduce E-governance at all levels but  no scheme to upgrade and modernize the existing retail trade of Delhi has been announced.
The trade leaders attending the live telecast of Delhi budget  regretted that no announcement of any State Trade Policy for trade of Delhi has utterly dismayed the traders. Similarly in the wake of repeated incidents of loot and dacoity with traders the CM has not taken any initiative to form any Panel comprising of Police Officials, Delhi Govt Officials and traders to ensure safety and security of Delhi markets. No steps have been announced to remove anomalies and disparities in VAT taxation system.

They  further said that Walled city constitute a major area of Delhi trade and is known as the commercial hub of Delhi but the Chief Minister has not made any allocation of special fund to develop Shahjahanabad ( Old Delhi) into a modern commercial hub of DElhi.No announcement of a policy of rehabilitation and relocation of traders who have lost their business due to sealing, demolitions etc. in Delhi has again shocked the traders.
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For more details, please contact CAIT Secretary General Mr. Praveen Khandelwal at +91-9891015165-9310199771.