BRS opposes income tax on farmers

The party suspected that the views expressed by Vivek Debroy were nothing but "Mann ki Baat" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Hyderabad: The BRS has strongly opposed the suggestions of Vivek Debroy, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, on imposing income tax on farmers. The party suspected that the views expressed by Vivek Debroy were nothing but “Mann ki Baat” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded that any such proposals should be immediately withdrawn.

In his article published in an English daily, Vivek Debroy said tax was levied on farmers in some princely States of erstwhile India and similar proposals were also made under the British regime. Speaking to mediapersons at BRS Legislative Party office here on Wednesday, Rythu Bandhu Samithi chairman and MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy said the suggestions made in the article were unprecedented in independent India. He reminded that a major part of India’s population still live in rural areas where agriculture remains a major occupation.

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“Rather than implementing their poll promises to double farmers’ income and also to give social security pensions to farmers aged above 60 years, the BJP government at the Centre is trying to loot farmers who are struggling to earn a respectable income,” he said, pointing out that the farm investment had already doubled under the BJP regime and it was detrimental to levy income tax on farmers under these circumstances.

Rajeshwar Reddy also found fault with Debroy for stating that levying income tax on farmers was within the purview of the States. He stated that Debroy’s job was to advise the Prime Minister, but not the States. He demanded that Modi remove Debroy from the post, failing which it would be presumed that these suggestions were made with approval of the Prime Minister himself.

MLC Yegge Mallesham, Kasireddy Narayan Reddy and others also spoke, stating that farmers would revolt if the Centre imposed income tax on them.