Overview
- The finance minister delivered the appeal at a tax conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday, urging researchers and industry to move from rate requests to public, evidence-backed submissions.
- Sitharaman told the International Tax Research and Analysis Foundation to make its work more visible and supply concrete proposals that identify outdated provisions for removal and model revenue and compliance effects.
- The GST Council will take up 'GST 2.0' process reforms on October 7, with specific focus on extending e-invoicing and tightening input tax credit rules.
- On the digital economy she said policy must be 'coolly studied,' noting India withdrew earlier digital levies during OECD talks and that crypto and cloud-tax issues remain under careful review while transactions continue to be taxed at source.
- She framed the push as part of broader reforms to ease voluntary compliance and cut litigation, citing higher appeal thresholds, faceless assessments and recent treaty and anti-avoidance changes that affect investors and cross-border deals.