Centre invites financial bids for Air India to complete sale by September
The Centre is set to invite financial bids for Air India as it looks to complete the sale of the troubled national carrier by September, reports The Telegraph.
After its assessment of the preliminary bids, the government has placed all the financial and operational details of Air India (virtual data room) for due diligence before the bidders, which include the Tatas and a consortium led by SpiceJet. The expression of Pawan Ruia has apparently been tossed out along with the overtures by the employees union.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said the government will keep the carrier running till it gets divested and there is no choice but to either privatise or close down the airline.
The proposed tax on PF incomes has its logic, but operational details need a revisit
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has stressed that Budget 2021-22 raises resources to push the economy without increased taxation. However, one change to the income tax law proposed in the Finance Bill, 2021, has triggered anxieties for the salaried class: withdrawing tax exemption on interest income accrued into Provident Fund accounts arising out of employee contributions exceeding ₹2.5 lakh ‘in a previous year in that fund,’ on or after April 1, 2021. The rationale some employees are contributing huge amounts into their PF accounts and getting tax-free incomes. Subsequently, the Revenue Department has pointed out the tax will only affect a small group of ‘high net-worth individuals’ (HNIs); the 100 largest employees’ PF (EPF) accounts had a combined balance of over ₹2,000 crore. It can be no one’s case that a social security scheme for formal sector workers should become an