Containing subsidies is not an easy task and the government is likely to move gradually on this issue, he said.
Budget 2012-13 may or may not herald the arrival of the Goods and Services Tax, but one can be sure services taxation will expand like crazy this time.
India's GDP threatens to expand by a lowly 7 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2012 and investors, businesses and consumers will be watching to see if the government takes any steps to reverse that trend.
The Supreme Court has thrown out the government's review petition in the Vodafone case. Will the government never learn?
When DoT is saying its spectrum auctions could take all of 400 days, is it prudent for the FM to claim Rs 40,000 crore from auctions in 2012-13.
The budget effectively spares no one - rich, poor or the middle classes. Everyone has been nicked or mugged for taxes.
Developing the airspace over metropolitian railway stations can raise Rs 50,000 crore - but the government is sitting on the idea for 20 years.
The Union Budget 2012-13 is expected to have a positive impact on the fertiliser industry that is expected to benefit from cheaper farm credit.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed a hike in excise duty to 12 percent from 10 percent. It will prompt an increase in product prices from manufacturers, already hit by high input costs.
By raising the cess on oil just after selling ONGC shares in the market and by seeking to change the Vodafone case ruling, the FM is setting very bad precedents
The government, hard-pressed for cash, proposes to levy additional indirect taxes of Rs 45,940 crore for 2012-13 at a time when the industry is facing slowdown in demand.
Here's what Twitter folks are tweeting about the budget and Pranabda's speech.
The cost of money is the biggest bugbear of India Inc. If the budget is above expectations, it will lift the current pessimism.
Industry is not optimistic of GDP growth topping 7 percent next year, though the Survey forecasts 7.6 percent.
Even as the Railways struggle to boost revenues and upgrade and maintain its 115,000 kilometre network, it will be taking on the additional burden of paying salaries to another 100, 000 recruits.
Industry has welcomed the decision to raise passenger fares as the right step. But the targets set by the railway minister may be over-ambitious
Despite low expectations, foreign investors are honing in on this year's budget to be presented on 16 March, to get a sense of the broader policy intent of the Manmohan Singh government.
Exempting infrastructure bonds from income tax would help the government generate more funds for much-needed infrastructure projects.
This will reduce the price differential between the domestic and overseas players .
The current situation of the airline industry is not very optimistic. Here are some key events that could impact the sector.
Car buyers were buying cars like never before as fear of new taxes in the budget prompted them to prepone purchases.
Having already pushed through his freight increase, why does Dinesh Trivedi want to waste his time and ours making a speech on 14 March?
The sudden decision to push through a rail freight hike even before the rail budget suggests that the petrol-diesel hikes may also precede the Union budget
The company seems well-poised to weather an excise duty hike. So, if the stock corrects on and near Budget day, investors could use it as an opportunity to enter the stock.
Deutsche Bank's Global Markets Research has released its expectations on the Budget. Here are the five themes that the brokerage believes the Budget will focus on.
Budget 2012 could bring in a Rs 80,000 tax on diesel cars. This explains the rush to buy diesel cars before Pranab Mukherjee lowers the boom
Diesel cars could become costlier post the budget if the government decides to hike the duties on the cars.
The move to introduce a 'negative' list for services in the forthcoming Budget is expected to boost tax collections by 25% (and increase prices of these services as well)
The budget will have to focus on restoring the investor's confidence and bring back the India growth story on track.
Under the CSR provisions for PSUs, a company with a net profit of less than 100 crore will have to spend 3-5 percent of it on the CSR.