Edition: Budget 2008 Special

Cover Story

'Growth should remain intact and growth must be inclusive'

P. Chidambaram considers himself a lucky Finance Minister—that is, one who brings luck. And lucky he has been over the last four years as India’s Chief Financial Officer, but not so much because of his government’s policy making as the economic boom across the world.

In This Issue

From the Editor: Budget special

You may be a Harvard Graduate, one of the finest legal minds in the country and even an old hand at budget making, but when you are also a politician with political masters and, worse, an election to win, then you have no choice but to set aside whatever your rational mind may dictate.

A budget for Bharat

Special

Transportation - A long way to go

Editorial

Predictably populist budget by Chidambaram

Few finance ministers enjoy the comfortable buffer that P. Chidambaram did when he put together Budget 2008. A booming exchequer with tax revenues exceeding targets, a consistently growing economy and a robust inflow of foreign investment.

Features

Budget at a glance

Budget 2008-09, which is high on promises for indebted farmers, rural development projects focussing on health, education and employment, also tucked in a few surprises for the urban tax payers.

Columns

International tax: Towards a new direct tax code

The pre-election union Budget was expected to be on populist lines and the current Budget lived up to this trend. The Budget focussed on social outlay and tax reform was not the main driver.