The finance ministry has asked market regulator Sebi and insurance watchdog IRDA to deposit their surplus funds with the government, a move that may be resisted by these bodies citing regulatory autonomy. The directive follows repeated suggestions by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, the government’s statutory auditor, which says this will improve the regulators’ accountability to the exchequer.
A few months ago, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi walked up to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and said: “Gujarat is awaiting the Goods and Services Tax (GST) eagerly.” On Tuesday, at a meeting of state finance ministers where it was decided that a decision on GST would be deferred by a month, possibly leading to an indefinite postponement in its rollout, BJP-ruled Gujarat was at the forefront in opposing the tax in its present form.
The financial year 2011-12 is going to be more vibrant, especially for the accounting professionals, with the implementation of Direct Taxes Code (DTC) and the convergence of Indian accounting standards with IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards), according to Mr G. Ramaswamy, Vice-President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
