The government's move to deny the senior advocates the ease of reverse charge and encumber them with registration, returns, & audit which is what the forward charge on them amounts to is incomprehensibly insensitive and would earn for the talented FM himself a legal stalwart the ire of all his peers and icons in the exalted rank. The tax revenue on legal services rendered to businesses is already secured to the government through the reverse tax remitted by the corporates taking the services of senior advocates and then why this sudden peeve against the senior advocates? The Modi Sarkar would do well not to earn the disaffection of the community of senior advocates who are influential opinion-makers. The PM could step in and advise the roll-back of this avoidable charge on the senior advocates as well as hold off the historically hated excise on gold jewellery. The Delhi Assembly has gone to the extent of passing a resolution against the excise. It is an instructive lesson in a tax system’s cultural acceptability that the Jewellers of India have not opposed the levies of State VAT on gold with the vehemence which they have consistently shown against the central excise over decades.

Dr. Ravindran Pranatharthy
Advocate

Ravindran Pranatharthy 06/04/2016