Deferring CVS, a right decision

Sir, The Karnataka government has done a right thing by putting on hold the Capital Value System (CVS) as it violates the general principle of taxation viz tax should always be based on actual/possible revenue accrual, and the paying capacity of the tax payer.

In the case of a building, the actual rent realised/realisable alone should be the basis. In the case of vacant land, the only basis can be the actual price paid by the owner at the time of buying or the guidance value at the time of his purchase. If it is absolutely necessary, updated value based on inflation index, as is done to in reckoning capital gains, is also applicable.  CVS is actually an unrealistic system for metropolitan areas. For example, some one, who has purchased land years ago would have paid some modest price for it. To pay tax at an astronomical rate as proposed under the CVS, the owner might have to, perhaps, sell the land itself !

P V Iyer
Bangalore

Right policies

Sir, The rise in the prices of essential commodities is the direct result of the wrong economic policies of the UPA government. The present situation is also the result of retailers making a huge profit by arbitrarily increasing their margins. The government must ensure that farmers and vegetable growers must get the right price for their product and these middlemen should not add too much to their margin. One alternative is retail shops controlled by the government where the the government can control the prices.

Mahesh Kumar
Bangalore

An alternative

Sir, First it was the Cauvery issue wherein Tamil people, cinema halls showing Tamil movies and Tamil channels were targeted and now pro-Kannada organisations have targeted these people with regard to the Hogenakal issue. We are already, along with Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, giving them 15 tmc ft of water under Telugu Ganga project and still they are continuing to trouble us. Instead they should look for alternative source in their own State for getting water.

Margaret Rajan
Bangalore

Provide security

Sir, It’s a surprise that the Chhattisgarh government is unable to protect its citizens working under the Salwa Judum to counter the violence against Maoists. The country’s highest legal authority, the Supreme Court has rightly disapproved of the Chhattisgarh government’s request to give arms and ammunition to the Salwa Judum activists. Hence it’s the right time for the government to disband the Salwa Judum by disarming the activists and provide them security from the hands of Maoists.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee
Faridabad

Ban on Akhtar

Sir, The decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board to impose a five-year ban on fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is a sad news for cricket fans all over the world. Of course, the bowler himself has to be blamed for the present situation, since he has repeatedly violated the code of conduct, and often landed himself in controversies due to his  behaviour on and off field.

Harikrishna S Holla
Bangalore 

Ban on tobacco

Sir, The recent proposal by the Union Government to halve tobacco cultivation in the next ten years will severely jettison the livelihood of 27 million people engaged in tobacco farming. Extensive research studies piloted by Central Tobacco Research Institute has revealed that tobacco offers much higher returns to farmers than any other crop that can be cultivated in any region.

K THIAGARAJAN
Chennai