'Union Budget directionless and bankrupt of ideas'

Chennai, Mar 01: Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy today (Mar 01, 2006) described the Union budget for 2006-07 presented yesterday, as 'Directionless and bankrupt of ideas'. Addressing a press conference here, Dr Swamy said there was no need to have taxed personal computers or Internet telephony.

Dr Swamy also ridiculed reduced excise on the Italian dish 'pasta', "Who eats this dish in the villages", he said, and charged that this was only to please the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

He also charged that most of the new levies were 'retrograde' including the increase in service tax.

He also hit out at exempting lawyers from the tax net.

Dr Swamy alleged that more than 75 per cent of the promises made in the previous budget-2005-06, had not been fulfilled, for example, allocation of Rs 10,000 for tsunami victims.

UNI

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