By Rajneesh De, APAC News Network
The IT sector in India spans across an entire gamut of different domains and each of them faces their specific challenges. APAC News Network talks to different stakeholders to analyze and collate the different expectations these stakeholders have from the Union Budget.
Reduction in the Current Corporate Tax Regime
India has to make its technology industry as competitive as it can be in a highly connected world, even while access to venture money is much easier than it was in the past. The worldwide minimum tax rate, which most countries have agreed upon, is 15%; the current corporation tax rate is 22% (before surcharge and cess). A decrease in the corporation tax rate for all enterprises will assist Indian companies to become more competitive and increase their share of the global market.
The capital gains tax scheme in place right now is complicated, with different tax rates, different classifications as per the holding term, etc. According to statements made by members of the finance ministry, the administration intends to simplify the system. Uniformity might help with this, and if done so with consultation, it would be a positive step. The limitations on claiming a refund of GST paid on capital items create a major financial barrier. The acceptance of such reimbursements to taxpayers who are exempt from paying GST on services they export has long been a demand.
Need to Focus on Cybersecurity Training
Cyberattacks are increasing in terms of scale and complexity, making it one of the biggest threats enterprises face today. Amidst this, there is an urgent need to build a talent pool that is equipped to handle new-age sophisticated attacks. Sunil Sharma, managing director – sales, Sophos India and SAARC would welcome if the Union Budget places a focus on bridging the cybersecurity skills gap and increasing awareness around the same. We are hopeful that the government will take cognizance of this, and increase spending on skilling and training initiatives. In the long run, this will help create employment opportunities, as well as build defenses against threat attackers.
Catalyzing Edtech Sector to Adopt Next-Gen Tech
The Indian Edtech market has seen steady growth in recent years due to technological advancements, increased demand for skills in a competitive job market, and improved accessibility of education. The sector is projected to continue growing in 2023. In the upcoming budget, Yuvraj Krishan Sharma, Co-Founder & CPO, Edverse recommends that the government should focus on promoting emerging technologies in the education sector and building a strong e-learning infrastructure. This includes the adoption of AI, AR, VR, ML, and metaverse, which can help improve overall learning, upskill, overcome geographical barriers, and create more job opportunities for the future generation. The government should also emphasize mandating and investing in skill development, providing training in these technologies, exploring the possibilities of the metaverse, and offering subsidies for EdTech startups in areas such as R&D, tax incentives, and financial benefits.
International Tax Clarification Required
Lower margins should be mandated and safe harbours for transfer pricing must be made available to the assessee with more revenue compared to the existing ceiling of Rs 200 crore. By increasing safe harbour adoption, these modifications would contribute to a reduction in tax disputes. Regarding several uncertainties in the application of substantial economic presence (SEP) regulations, guidance should be given.
When the sole revenues from India are certain dividends, interest, royalties, or fees for technical services, and taxes have been withheld at domestic tax law rates, non-residents are excluded from submitting tax reports in India. It must be made clear why transfer pricing compliance is not necessary for certain circumstances.
Incentivize Upskilling in Cloud Services, 5G, AI, Blockchain
Despite recent global headwinds, Puneet Gupta, vice president & managing director, NetApp India/SAARC believes India is well poised to become a $5 trillion economy soon. With cloud and data technologies becoming the de-facto standard for businesses to operate, Gartner estimates that public cloud spending in India will grow 27% YoY in 2023. Amidst this, there is a need for the government to focus on incentivising the use of cloud services and deep tech like AI, blockchain etc., across industries.
In 2023 and beyond, upskilling of talent in an environment driven by technology will be mission critical. The government has made great strides towards this, through the Skill India program. In this year’s Union Budget, it would be good to see more investments and programs in upskilling, as this is an important factor towards achieving the collective Digital India dream of our nation. Additionally, a comprehensive policy to help start-ups survive and grow during predicted economic downturns should be implemented. Improved internet connectivity, including last-mile access, reasonably priced 5G plans, and strict data privacy rules, should also be prioritized to benefit from the technology of metaverse and make education more accessible to everyone.
Rationalization in SEZ Rules
India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and is set to achieve its $5 trillion GDP goal by 2024–25. The IT sector will play a pivotal role in helping the country achieve this objective; given the rapid digital and emerging technology adoption we are seeing across sectors. Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have played an important part in the country’s rapid economic development over the last two decades. However, S. Mukundhan, Group CFO, Fulcrum Digital advocates there are some changes to SEZ rules that could be looked at to ensure technology businesses can reap these benefits – including smoother processes for the movement of goods between two SEZ units, scrapping of old computers and laptops after paying the residual duties in the open market, and simplifying the permissions process to facilitate remote working.
From a CSR standpoint, it would be welcome if the government relaxed the mandatory spend on CSR activities for companies with 5 crore net profit by increasing the threshold to companies with 50 crore net profit. Additionally, while calculating net profits, the remuneration paid to professional employees should not be added back. This would ease some of the burden on MSMEs. In terms of the personal income tax threshold, it would be beneficial for businesses if the ministry revised the existing limits. In order to do away with the numerous tax exemptions, an alternate method of income tax computation without exemptions could be looked at, but with lower rates and higher basic exemption limits.
Investment for Robust Healthtech Platform and Digital Registries
The increase in allocation of budget for National Health Mission (NHM) and launch of the ‘National tele-mental health programme’ in the last Union Budget 2022, was a step forward in the right direction. Namit Chugh, Investment Lead, W Health Ventures expects this budget to increase the allocation for mental health and further build resilience of national mental health infrastructure, as well as incentivize strengthening of the talent pool of counselors and mental health professionals – to handle the massive mental health challenge we are facing. We need additional investment on skilling other healthcare personnel such as nurses and lab technicians as well.
On the digital front, now that a robust platform and infrastructure for managing digital registries of healthcare providers and patients is created, there is a dire need to boost adoption and accessibility. The government should allocate more budget for rolling out this initiative. The creation of longitudinal data for masses will unlock several use cases such as data interoperability, personalized healthcare recommendations, hyperlocal pharmacy data, etc. and will further accelerate India’s digital health agenda.
Tax incentives for MSMEs adopting technology
Indian MSMEs are witnessing constant push from the government towards digitisation of business functions. In budget 2023-24, the government may also consider announcing a full-fledged integration of different portals, such as e-Shram, Udyam, etc. servicing MSMEs. Last year, e-invoicing was made mandatory for businesses with turnover above 10 crores. The government is expected to further reduce the turnover threshold to 2-5 crores. Further, the government may consider announcing tax incentives on expenditures associated with expanding and using new-age technology applications for operational and organisational purposes.
Targeted interventions to improve MSME credit
Announcements with respect to providing MSMEs with a flexible line of credit is one of the essential requirements. Existing mechanisms such as Factoring and TReDS have not been very successful in facilitating credit access to micro enterprises. Micro and small enterprises face severe short-term capital needs because of challenges in the supply chain and delayed payments. There is an expectation that the government in Budget 2023-24 may come up with different targeted interventions to resolve supply chain finance concerns. Further, it may consider providing an inclusive regulatory framework and ease in regulatory burden for NBFC-fintech partnerships involved in supply chain finance.
Infrastructure Investment Through PLI
Investment in infrastructure is crucial for the growth and advancement of any sector, and Sanjeev Chhabra, MD & CEO, Beetel Teletech is grateful for the government’s efforts in supporting the telecom industry. Last year, the government recognized the importance of reliable and sustainable power sources by allocating an additional 19,500 crores for the solar PLI scheme.
However, with the rollout of 5G networks, the trend of solarizing telecom towers is gaining momentum. We hope that the budget for 2023 will continue to prioritize the needs of the telecom industry and provide the necessary support and incentives for developing telecommunications infrastructure in India.
Increasing Investment on Tech R&D
With the rise of new-age technologies such as artificial intelligence and the proliferation of internet access all across India, it is an opportune time for India to invest in new-age digital technology. The best companies are leveraging technology to scale and grow. Kunal Nagarkatti, Chief Executive Officer, Clover Infotech feels the budget must focus on investing in Tech R&D, product innovation, and technology solutions and services and ensuring 5G services all over the country.
The budget must consider investments in state-of-the-art incubation centers which can digitally transform ideas from all over India into sustainable businesses of today and giant corporations of tomorrow. A simultaneous investment in skilling human capital to use these technologies is paramount. The budget must include measures that can help better industry-academia connect to make ‘India’ a hotbed of technology innovation and digital transformation services for the world.
Introduction of National Logistics Policy
The government may announce implementation of National Logistics Policy (NLP) in this budget, as introduced by the PM in September 2022. NLP has been framed with the objective to reduce the cost of logistics in India from current 14-15% of GDP to the global average at 8% of GDP. NLP aims to mobilize digitisation and data-driven capabilities for streamlining cooperation and support within India’s logistic sector and improve ease in movement of goods. NLP 2022 lays out an extensive multi-stakeholder scheme for the growth of the entire logistics ecosystem to solve concerns of high cost and inefficiency. In 2025, it was predicted that this industry will reach 380 billion dollars with a 10-12% CAGR.
Neobanking framework in India
In Budget 2022-23, Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman announced the setting up of 75 digital banking units (DBU) in 75 districts by RBI-regulated banks. The step is aimed to enable access to the core banking services for rural markets and improve financial inclusion. The government may consider the NITI Aayog’s recommendation to issue a licensing framework for such digital banks focussing on creating niche solutions for specific underserved segments, such as credit products for MSMEs.
Impetus and Emphasis on Digital Budget and Made in India
Union Budget 2022-23 will be remembered by all as a landmark “digital budget” for some pathbreaking beginnings made towards leading India into digital transformation. All necessary registrations, such as those for forming a business, opening a store, registering for the goods and services tax (GST), obtaining an MSME (micro, small, and medium businesses) certificate, etc., should be handled through a single window. That will enable MSMEs, feels Rahul Raj, Co-founder, FloBiz: to make significant time, effort, and financial savings.
The government should promote manufacturing, consumption & export of Made In India products. Digitization will also help in widespread e-invoicing implementation and administration for SMBs, helping in efficient business processes and operations. At present, the GST, with the full input tax credit, is 18 percent for all software products produced and sold in India. This rate must be tapered down to support indigenous creators of software intellectual property (IP) in India.
Focus on Automation to Mitigate Supply Chain Challenges
The headwinds triggered by pandemic have, in recent times, been exacerbated by global unrest and conflict, rendering 2022 to be a very challenging year for enterprises across various industries. Inflation rates went up, global supply chains came to a complete halt, and where all of this spelled trouble, it has been encouraging to see that in India, the governmental push towards supporting the nation’s startup ecosystem, especially D2C brands, to thrive and grow. As a result of this the e-commerce industry in India has seen a fantastic explosion, and despite the occasional spikes in physical shopping trends, the convenience of e-commerce is here to stay.
According to Aniket Bajpai, Co-Founder, LimeChat for D2C brands to remain competitive in an environment where ad spends are becoming untenable and customer acquisition and retention costs are becoming higher, the next step would be to continue aggressively on the path of automation, R&D, and wider adoption of AI in every possible sector. The government’s attitude towards tech and AI has been determinedly positive and we are certain that the Union Budget 2023 will be reflective of this as well.
Clear Controversy from Administration
Many people have praised the steps the government has taken in recent years to settle tax disputes. It would be easier to attain certainty if steps were made to expedite proceedings, such as establishing deadlines for appellate agencies to resolve cases.
Three benches of the Board for Advance Rulings were informed by the government more than a year ago, but none of them has yet to start working. The effectiveness of the Board should be guaranteed. The Advance Pricing Agreement mechanism could be strengthened by establishing deadlines for case closure, enhancing the APA administration, standardizing resolutions for frequent problems, suspending transfer pricing assessments during the APA process, conducting proceedings online, and other measures.
