When Finance Minister P. Chidambaram proposed changes in the Finance Bill 2008-09 recently, one of them was the extension of the tax holiday for the IT industry by one year, till March 31, 2010.

These are extraordinary times, not just for India but the whole world. At no time before in world history has inflation and economic downturn combined to create a “caught-between-ice-and-fire” situation. In India, rising inflation coupled with a moderating economy does signal a cyclical slowdown, but the country’s long-term growth story is still intact. An analysis by BT's Shalini S. Dagar.

A Business Today-Technopak roundtable on ‘Opportunities and Investments in the Healthcare Industry’ throws up some ground-breaking solutions on how to help the sector thrive.

Writing off farm loans worth Rs 60,000 crore, increasing Income Tax exemptions, slashing excise duties?Finance Minister Chidambaram’s Budget 2008 is aimed at winning votes in an early poll. Full coverage: Budget 2008

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.

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.

Writing off farm loans worth Rs 60,000 crore, increasing Income Tax exemptions, slashing excise duties?Finance Minister Chidambaram’s Budget 2008 is aimed at winning votes in an early poll. Watch complete Budget speechHighlights of Union Budget 2008Full coverage: Budget 2008Surfers' comments on Budget 2008Read full text of FM's speechClick to read sectoral analysisRead experts views on Budget 2008Budget at a glanceWhat’s cheaper, what’s dearer?

The economy is slowing down, foreign investors have turned wary, and there is an election to be won next year. So, will Finance Minister P. Chidambaram script Budget 2008 for votes or growth? Shalini S. Dagar tells us what we can expect this year.  Full coverage: Budget 2008-09

That’s what some top investment analysts and stockbrokers say about buying auto stocks.

The promised tax cuts may not materialise in Budget 2008-09.

The country will switch over to a Common Goods and Services Tax (GST) on April 1, 2010. M. Govinda Rao, Member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, and Director, National Institute of Public Finance & Policy (NIPFP), shares his insights on the hotly debated subject with Business Today’s K.R. Balasubramanyam. Excerpts:

With TheOneAlliance Network of SET Discovery, the TV Today network, to distribute its channels— Aaj Tak, Headlines Today and Tez.

India Inc reacts to Union Budget 2015-16

Multiplexes are poised for rapid growth. But watch the valuations.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram is planning to do way with some of the tax shelters in his proposed Income Tax Code, and this could signal Code Blue - an emergency - for big companies.