CPI(M) in support of IRS officers, asks govt to take transparent measures to revive economy

The CPI(M) on Wednesday asked the government to initiate a "free and transparent discourse" on the revival of the economy following the Covid-19 situation, as it condemned the move to take disciplinary action against 50 IRS officers for recommending to enhance tax rates for the super-rich.

In a statement, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau demanded that the government rescind disciplinary actions against the IRS officers on charges of for publicising their proposal to enhance tax rates for the super-rich to 40% and impose a 4% Covid-19 Cess.

Reportedly, it said, these recommendations came in response to the government’s proposal of seeking inputs for drawing up a fiscal roadmap in rebuilding the economy in the midst of the Covid-19 impact.

"The Polit Bureau also unambiguously expresses its resolve to resist moves to unilaterally burden the poor and the working people for shouldering the Covid-19 impact, while the super-rich continues to loot and amass greater wealth," it said.

The CPI(M) said the government’s "class approach of being pro-rich, anti-poor and anti-working people" is evident with its "unilateral decision to freeze" the dearness allowance for its employees and pensioners, retrospectively and prospectively, which by some calculation will fetch a stupendous amount.

"The paper prepared by the officers' FORCE, an acronym for Fiscal Options and Responses to Covid-19 Epidemic has obviously angered the Government to act viciously, betraying their brazen intention to protect the rich. The government has formally stated that these proposals will trigger uncertainties in the ‘market’, clearly suggesting that the super-rich are ‘holy cows’ for the ruling dispensation," the statement said.

"The government’s effort to stonewall queries on write off for wilful defaulters and absconders in Parliament has now come to nought with authenticated RTI replies exposing the government-corporate nexus, which is looting the country and the people," it added.

On Tuesday, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support of the IRS officers, saying the action against them was "thoroughly unjust and autocratic". CPI(M) MP A M Ariff also wrote to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanding that the government take the recommendations "positively" and withdraw the disciplinary actions against the officers.