Rise of 50% and 25%.

"India's net direct tax collection recorded a significant growth of 19.54% in FY25, amounting to Rs 5.74 lakh crore (Rs 5.74 trillion) as of July 11, according to the data released by the Income Tax Department." Corporate tax collections grew by 20.44%, personal income tax was up 22.76% and securities tax collection doubled. ET. Is this a sign of high earnings because of a booming economy or a result of 'tax terrorism'? In 2023, Manipal Group Chairperson Mohandas Pai said that "6,500 high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) will leave India in 2023, calling the trend 'very worrisome' and attributing it to 'tax tarrorism'." On the other hand, "Central government employees have been granted a 4% raise in their Dearness Allowance (DA), bringing it up to 50%." This means that 13 other allowances, which these pampered Indians are showered with, will also rise. "When the Dearness Allowance (DA) payable on the revised pay structure goes up by 50%, other allowance rates will increase by 25%." ET. 'Dearness Allowance' is "a bonus or pay increase to meet a rise in the cost of living." Merriam Webster. While our rulers were assured of the highest standard of living for Indians, "India's June retail inflation rose to a four-month high of 5.08%, faster than expected, from 4.8% in May, with food inflation flaring to a six-month high of 9.36%, data showed." Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation was 4.87% in June 2023. ET. High prices lead to higher goods and services collections, and so "Central and state governments collected Rs 1.74 trillion in Goods and Services Tax (GST) receipts in June, 7.74% more than the proceeds from the indirect tax a year ago." Mint. Apparently, this indirect tax terrorism is causing resentment in people so, "This July, for the first time since the rollout of GST in July 2017 - excluding the first few lockdown-affected months in 2020 - the Ministry of Finance did not issue an official press release regarding the collections and breakup of revenue under GST." The Print. Not only do soaring food prices directly hurt the poor but taxes on processed agricultural products condemn poor people to inhuman living conditions. For instance, palm oil is used in a range of cosmetic products, like soap, toothpaste and detergents, essential for basic cleanliness and hygiene. Treehugger. Import tax on crude palm oil is 5.5% and on refined palmolein is 13.75%. dfpd.gov.in. On top of this, soap, toothpaste and toiletries attract GST at 18%. cleartax. "High tariffs on input parts and barriers to entry for leading firms in the global value chains has hindered further growth in increasing India's share of smartphone exports with the help of production-linked incentive scheme." ET. No wonder, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reported, "India's trade dependence on the EU and China increased 1% and 1.2%, respectively while that on Saudi Arabia fell 0.5% in the (first) quarter." ET. Giving incentives with one hand and snatching it back with taxes on the other is senseless. Terrorizing citizens is immoral. But then, how else can they get 50% more DA?