One of the things that struck me in the Budget was the change in the Fringe Benefit Tax. The onus of paying it now rests on employees, not the company. My question is this: should our babus and netas also be liable to pay FBT on the lavish bungalows, cars, chauffeurs etc. that are used not only ... [More]

Pranab Mukherjee’s budget has come and gone, and is taking the Sensex down with it. This was caused by the irrational exuberance in the days after the UPA came back to power, and an unreal expectation of path-breaking reforms. In the end, most of these myths were dispelled. Here are the big fi... [More]

Education reform has been in the air in recent days but what made headlines was, to my mind, the wrong story. Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal’s proposal for optional Class X board exams is a welcome step, given the trauma associated with the exam to both students and parents. I... [More]