ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

M Govinda RaoSubscribe to M Govinda Rao

Business as Usual

Vol. 52, Issue No. 9, 04 Mar, 2017
Budget 2017-18
M Govinda Rao
The global situation is tense, marked with protectionism. The domestic environment is constrained by the twin balance sheet crisis. The dull investment climate was further jeopardised by the note ban. The budget has failed to create a policy environment to kick-start a virtuous investment cycle. It has failed to address critical issue of accelerating employment.

Fiscal Federalism

Vol. 50, Issue No. 10, 07 Mar, 2015
Perspectives
M Govinda Rao
What lessons can economic and political theories and contemporary experiences offer to Nepal in designing a federal system? While political aspects are very important, the focus in this article is on fiscal federalism or efficient organisation of the multilevel system.

Role and Functions of NITI Aayog

Vol. 50, Issue No. 4, 24 Jan, 2015
Commentary
M Govinda Rao
The architecture, engineering and management aspects of the new institution, NITI Aayog, will have to be crafted carefully, if it is to serve as an institution to impart dynamism to the developmental process in a harmonious manner. Its effectiveness will depend on how it charts out a course for itself. An important question is whether the Aayog will have influence when it does not have the power to give grants and does not have the powers to make plan allocations to different ministries and departments.

Taxes and Death Are Inevitable, but GAAR Is Avoidable

Vol. 47, Issue No. 43, 27 Oct, 2012
Commentary
M Govinda Rao, R Kavita Rao
The report of the committee to review the introduction to the General Anti-Avoidance Rules gives the impression that it fi rst decided on a postponement and then looked for a rationale for the recommended delay. While the report makes a strong case for protecting the interests of foreign investors, it does not clarify how their interests align with those of India. For some reason, the report does not seem to refl ect on the interests of India or even if it does, it assumes that a tax policy which has been drafted in India goes against the interests of India and Indians!

Stimulus, Recovery and Exit Policy: G20 Experience and Indian Strategy

Vol. 46, Issue No. 29, 16 Jul, 2011
Special Articles
M Govinda Rao, N R Bhanumurthy, Sudipto Mundle
There are large variations among the g20 countries in their deceleration experiences, transmission mechanisms and their current macroeconomic outlook. In an integrated global economy, it is essential that the major economies coordinate their policies. But coordination does not imply simultaneous stimulus withdrawal from all g20 countries. Indeed, a phased withdrawal is probably the best guarantee against the risk of a negative global shock leading to another recession in the event of a simultaneous stimulus withdrawal from all g20 countries. Hence, this paper argues that each country needs to set the timing, scale and composition of its stimulus withdrawal keeping in mind its own macroeconomic outlook.

Debating the Thirteenth Finance Commission

Vol. 46, Issue No. 17, 23 Apr, 2011
Discussion
Deepa Sankar, M Govinda Rao, Pinaki Chakraborty, Rathin Roy
Two comments and two responses on two of the papers published in the special issue of the recommendations of the Thirteenth Finance Commission (27 November 2010). (This discussion could be read alongside that published on 26 March 2011.)

Goods and Services Tax: A Gorilla, Chimpanzee or a Genus Like 'Primates'?

Vol. 46, Issue No. 07, 12 Feb, 2011
Perspectives
M Govinda Rao
Introduction of goods and services tax in India will be a win-win strategy for both the centre and the states and there is every reason to embrace it. However, reform of this nature involving both the centre and the states is an experiment in cooperative federalism and requires stewardship by statesmen. Resumption of GST reform requires greater recognition of and sensitivity to the views of the states. The IMF-type "one size fi ts all" reform, as has been recommended by the Thirteenth Finance Commission, could simply stall the process. At the same time, while it is legitimate for the states to bargain to retain their fi scal autonomy, they should not use this autonomy to indulge in predatory competition and export the tax burden to non-residents.

The 13th Finance Commission's Report: Conundrum in Conditionalities

Vol. 45, Issue No. 48, 27 Nov, 2010
Specials
M Govinda Rao
Critically appraising the recommendations of the Thirteenth Finance Commission, this paper points out that despite some tinkering with one of the indicators, its approach to tax devolution suffers from the same limitations as those of earlier commissions. More alarmingly, the inability to offset the fiscal disabilities of the states has led it to recommend as many as 12 different types of grants with a host of conditionalities. There are serious questions over the design and implementation of these conditions, in addition to monitoring compliance. Besides, the commission's recommendations on the goods and services tax have been resented by the states and this has actually taken the reform agenda backwards. All this lends weight to the suspicion that yet another opportunity to reform the transfer system has been lost.

Goods and Services Tax: Some Progress towards Clarity

Vol. 44, Issue No. 51, 19 Dec, 2009
Commentary
M Govinda Rao
The first discussion paper on Goods and Services Tax released by the Empowered Committee is an important step in signalling the consensus and commitment to harmonise the indirect taxes levied by the states and the centre and in traversing some distance in clarifying the design and implementation aspects of the new tax regime. The efforts of the EC must be complimented for building a consensus on many a contentious issue in the process of evolving the GST in the country. However, much more remains to be done, many of the design and implementation issues are yet to be negotiated and settled and it would take considerable time and effort before they are finalised.

Direct Taxes Code: Need for Greater Reflection

Vol. 44, Issue No. 37, 12 Sep, 2009
Insight
M Govinda Rao, R Kavita Rao
A new tax code that overhauls the complexities that have emerged in the Income Tax Act of 1961 has been long overdue. The draft Direct Taxes Code put out by the Finance Ministry for discussion and comment does just that in a number of areas. At the same time questions must be posed of the sweeping reduction in rates and restructuring of slabs in income tax, which are likely to rob the exchequer of a significant amount of income. Questions must also be asked of the proposed taxation of not-for-profit organisations.

Fiscal Space for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals and Implementing the Tenth Plan in Bhutan

Vol. 44, Issue No. 35, 29 Aug, 2009
Special Articles
Anuradha Seth, M Govinda Rao
The paper addresses the issue of financing the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in a sustainable manner in a small, low income and landlocked country, the example being Bhutan. The analysis shows that although mdg financing is nested within the plan outlay, significant efforts will be needed to ensure adequate resources for financing the plan and smoothening the wide year-to-year fluctuations in revenues and expenditure flows. The paper explores the availability of additional fiscal space using the fiscal diamond framework to identify policy and institutional reforms needed for raising revenues from tax and non-tax sources, improving productivity from public spending through reprioritisation, accessing external grants and borrowing from domestic and foreign sources.

Feasibility of Introducing GST in April 2010

Vol. 44, Issue No. 29, 18 Jul, 2009
Commentary
M Govinda Rao
April 2010 was the target date set three years ago for introduction of the Goods and Services Tax, but the economy is far from ready for the switch over. This article cautions against hasty implementation and lists the measures that need to be taken by the centre and the states in order to reap the benefits of the new indirect tax.

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