7 Comments
Aug 17, 2023Liked by Anil Padmanabhan

Dear Anil,

Great article! The use of graphic presentation for comparing ITR trends in 2014 with the Data for income tax fillings in 2023 is very innovative and it gives so much of information.As they say , A picture speaks more than 1000 words !

This year around 6.79 crore people have filled the tax returns which still remains a very small percentage of our population of 142 crore!! We need to widen the tax base and improve compliance even more.From last year surely there has been an increase and it is a positive trend !!

Expand full comment
author

Dear Vandana,

Thank you so much for your kind words. Much appreciated. Especially glad that you loved the graphic. And, you are spot on. The number of people paying tax is nowhere near where it should be. There are two sides to this though. One, bulk of India is yet to graduate to income savers. Second, there are many among us who evade taxes. As Balesh, a regular reader and supporter of this newsletter, points out in his comments that tougher compliance is getting the errant to fall in line.

As always I would say it is a cup half-full.

Best

Anil

Expand full comment
Aug 14, 2023Liked by Anil Padmanabhan

Wonderful perspective! It’s also borne out by the fact that the middle class is getting bigger

Expand full comment
author

Dear Sidhartha,

Thank you so much for your kind words.

Absolutely, the growing middle class is another manifestation of a wealth effect.

Best

Anil

Expand full comment
Aug 14, 2023Liked by Anil Padmanabhan

I am so glad Anil that you have linked increased number of ITR filings to better compliance . This is also the reason for its wider spread .

Improvement in compliance has happened largely because of adoption of risk management techniques . These techniques have worked on line for expeditious assessment of Returns.

It is also to be acknowledged that since 2018 compliance for direct taxation has substantially improved due to direct and indirect linkages with implementation of GST .

Best regards

Expand full comment
author

Dear Balesh,

Thank you for your thoughts and elaboration about the changes in compliance norms. The linking of direct and indirect taxes--and to Aadhaar--was a master stroke against those who evade taxes. The wealth effect has only added to the bouyancy accruing from compliance. All this augurs well for the rule of law too--adds to India's attraction as a destination for investment and business.

Look forward to your continued participation.

Best

Anil

Expand full comment

Dear Anil Sir,

Just read the post after it got widely shared in social media. Initially when I started reading I was carried away by the common bias that this could be the case of " rich getting richer". Thanks for breaking this common notion among people, backed by multiple data points which conveys the story of wealth creation beyond metros. Looking forward for more insightful and eye opener blogs from you!

Expand full comment