Bengaluru

Expectations: What I Want in This Union Budget

With Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley all set to present the Union Budget today.

Akram Mohammed

With Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is all set to present the Union Budget today.

Entrepreneur

Name: Manoj P Kudtharkar

Age: 33

Profession: Founder of 1000 Petals,

Omkar Printers Pvt Ltd

Annual Income: Rs 5 crore

Household: Owns a house in Jayanagar. Has 2 kids

Entrepreneurship is the buzzword, when it comes to ‘Make in India’ and other projects of the Centre. Though the business community has welcomed the initiatives, they seek clarity in the programmes implemented. With intense competition, incentives should be provided to small and medium enterprises, they feel.

5 expectations for myself

Scrap tax bill on goods and services. It is not profitable for anyone

Create awareness about Central government schemes, don't just announce them

Train business houses and entrepreneurs about new taxation norms

Reduce housing loan rates to 6-7 per cent from the existing 12-13 per cent

Ensure uniform registration and taxation for all firms, including ones registered as Hindu Undivided Family

5 expectations for the nation

Provide sufficient funds for infrastructure development, mainly in cities

Reduce taxes levied under various names

Find a permanent solution to the power crisis, which affects the manufacturing sector

Encourage organic agriculture and ensure enough funds for the same

Extend the same facilities provided to billion dollar firms to small and medium enterprises
 

Real estate

Name: Shrinivas Rao

Age: 45

Profession: CEO-Asia Pacific, Vestian, workplace solutions firm

Annual Income: Rs 1 crore-plus

Household: Owns a flat in HSR Layout

Though the real estate and housing sectors have witnessed a considerable boom in the past decade, firms have faced several issues owing to low occupancy rates of completed projects. While several firms are facing a crisis, they expect that announcements made during the Union budget will bring cheer.

5 expectations for myself

Give more clarity on Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) or revoke it

Uniform tax structure for e-commerce industry — the biggest consumer of commercial real estate across the country

Make provisions for infrastructure development on the outskirts of metros

Provide clarity on implementation of GST

Allocate funds or allow easy financing options to developers planning projects in this residential category

5 expectations for the nation

The government must make available healthy tax saving on housing loans

Tax exemption limit should be increased and the tax benefits on schemes encouraging end user to insure their homes could be encouraged

Offer financial protection from project delays to home buyers

Encourage property insurance premiums

Government should pay heed to scaling up the tax deduction limit on housing loans

Home Maker

Name: Shanthala Ravishankar

Age: 40

Annual Income: NA

Household: Stays with husband and two children in a house they own in Nagarbhavi

Rising prices of groceries is one of the primary concerns for homemakers, and they hope that this year's budget would have something to offer on this front. They also urge the Centre to reduce fuel prices and fix a cap on school fees, which has become a burden for parents.

5 expectations for myself

Petrol price should be reduced

Power tariff should be reasonable

Reduce service tax in restaurants

Lower prices for dal and edible oil

Place a cap on school fees

5 expectations for the nation

There should be ample budget allocation for road laying

Focus on agriculture to ensure better price for produces of farmers

Invest in higher education institutions so that students would not have to look for institutions abroad

Focus on clean cities

Build public toilets

Health and Medicine

Name: Dr Anand Subramanyam

Age: 46

Annual Income: Rs 36 to Rs 48 lakh

Profession: Senior cardiac surgeon, Apollo Hospital, Seshadripuram

Household: Stays with wife, two children and his mother in Jayanagar

The health sector is among the most promising, as medical tourism is attracting patients from around the world for affordable healthcare. Demands are now being made to ensure healthcare for each of its citizens.

5 expectations for myself

There should be accountability for taxes paid

Set up a mechanism to know how tax money is being used

The government should knock off or relax luxury tax on medical care

Ensure that benefits reach the actual beneficiaries

The Budget should provide insurance for rare diseases

5 expectations for the nation

Focus on health and family welfare

Allocate more funds for education

Relax luxury tax on food and entertainment

There should be improved healthcare at the grassroots level

Make super-speciality hospitals address high-risk pregnancies

Business

Name: Maqsood Abdul Khader

Age: 60

Profession: Retail store owner on Ibrahim Sahib Street

Annual Income: Rs 2.4 lakh

Household: Stays with wife and son in Frazer Town

While e-commerce boom has swelled the profits of a few start-ups, small traders have suffered considerable losses as people have shifted to online market. At such a juncture, such traders demand security and a mechanism to ensure that their businesses are saved.

5 Expectations for myself

Reduce taxes and other factors, which increase commodity rates

Earmark funds to give special financial assistance to small traders

Spend more on the welfare of armed personnel guarding our borders

Government should help small businessmen

Oil prices should be reduced in tune with international prices

5 Expectations for myself

Improve educational status of minority communities in thecountry

Provide more funds to government schools and other government-run institutes

Allot funds to teach self-defence to women under the Nirbhaya Scheme

Put better law in place to prevent communal clashes

Give subsidy to educational institutes that cater to the economically weak

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