A World of Thoughts

Income tax is one of the oldest taxes that ever was existing on this planet! Its recorded in Indian history that kings charged one sixth of the produce as tax and had it collected from every one who produced. This could be grains, agricultural products, forest produce or this could be cloth or any other material. The King had a granary and a large storage house where he stored these products that were collected by his people. He used this material for running the government, maintain the city and the country. Also to fight is wars and battles. Of course, in times of need, these granaries also gave food to the people. And there were number of wars in those days! Almost an ongoing war with some of the neighbours, cold wars with a few others, silent wars, secret wars and only few were friendly states. Even with all this, they still had money for development, road laying, canal building and then of course, for their own luxurious living as head of state! When you say, one sixth wa

India Tax Payer submitted budget suggestions to the Finance Minister. Here it is: Ref: PS2019-20/05 Date:7 Jan 2020                                                                 Union Minister for Finance Government of India New Delhi. Dear Madam Sub:  Suggestions for the Budget plans of 2020-21 ***** 1.      India Tax Payer is a group of Tax Payers in India having over 20,000 members in it. 2.      Please accept our wishes and appreciation for the positive response from the Government of India and from the Ministry of Finance on various issues faced by the Tax Payers and the Industries.  3.      We thank you for the opportunity to present the following suggestions to you for the Budget 2020-21. 4.      Madam, we would like to impress upon you the fact that human innovation and growth of human civilisation has always happened when the human thought and action has been unbridled. All that is needed is a free environment, devoid of shackl

God and Religion are two different things! I could see how these two got merged. If you look at the way the world has progressed from the days of old stone age to a civilised society, it is no rocket science to see why religions took their birth. But before that let us first hit at why and how God was 'discovered' or 'invented'! It looks quite logical to me. By the very definition of God, it is said, He was the person who made this Universe and the numerous other things that make it up. From the black holes to the stars, from the planets to the lifeless, from the insects to the humans, he made them all! This is the definition. Even if you approach logically, it just seems right that there should be someone or something or may be, many things that made the Universe. This could be one single individual or as a few others believe, thirty three crore Gods! Either way, there should be something that made the universe? It is quite logical that there is someth

One hundred years later what will happen to the energy industry? I was in the TANENERGY summit 2019. We closed pretty active year with a summit of ideas and thoughts from various people on the Energy vertical in Tamil Nadu. We had the wonderful Dr Sivathanu Pillai, the man behind the Brahmos Missile, tell us all how the energy is going to get generated in space and then beamed back to Earth using Microwave technologies! And then, we also had the Vice President Marketing of Hyundai Motors India Ltd., to come in and announce the arrival of their electric SUV that can run 650 kms in one charge! That means, you can travel to Bangalore and return from Chennai! What looked impossible just three years back seems a possibility. Well if that is what is going to happen with in three years, what could happen one hundred years hence? Join my imaginary wagon! Let me take you on this ride and let us take a look at what is going to happen in the Energy Sector in 2100, Tamil Nadu in Particu

Last Sunday, this was the front page news. 'No Extra Charge on Payments via RuPay, UPI from Jan 1'. I can't help wondering why it took so long for the government to bring the transaction charges on these two to zero! As a matter of fact, if this had happened before demonetisation (demon), the results of demon would have been substantially different. It was the transaction charges that made the digital shift, impracticable. Just imagine, my earning is Rs.150/- a day and I will have to sell-out about Rs.5/- every day to get this money from someone! That is what is a digital transaction all about, as of today. It would have made sense if the charges on these transactions had been brought to zero first and then we had gone for digital monetary system, I think, we would have been immensely successful. Maybe, the government is just inverting the whole process. What should have happened first, is happening last! Now, let us come over to today's fr