Finance Minister urges independent tax research to shape national policy

At the Eighth International Tax Conference on ‘New Age Taxation’, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged that independent tax research be incorporated into public discourse, stressing the need for tax experts to put national interests first. She argued that a sophisticated tax debate cannot be limited to sector-specific viewpoints. Sitharaman pointed to recent policy moves, including the rationalisation of Tax Deducted at Source and Tax Collected at Source provisions, higher thresholds and the reduction of unnecessary criminal consequences.

On the international front, she said India has renegotiated its tax treaties with Mauritius, Singapore and Cyprus to restore its right to tax capital gains at source. The remarks were made under the auspices of the International Tax Research and Analysis Foundation.