Budget will promote conversion: BJP

New Delhi, Mar 1 (UNI) The BJP today said the Budget proposals 2007-08 presented by Finance Minister P Chidambaram was prepared in line with the Government's minorities appeasement policy and it would promote conversion.

Talking to newspersons, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the Government had only thought of welfare of the minorities and not of the commonman.

He also criticised the imposition of 12 per cent service tax on rented commercial space, saying this would affect 40 to 50 million small shopkeepers who eked out a living through retail business.

The landlords would pass on the 12 per cent service charge to the tenents and ultimately the consumers would be the sufferers, he said, alleging the government wanted to promote retail majors and big malls, not the small shopkeepers.

UNI