Oppn gears up for amending Finance Bill in Rajya Sabha

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 27

The Opposition in Rajya Sabha is making a concerted effort to amend the Finance Bill flagging objections to move by the government incorporating several amendments, including linking Aadhaar to tax work, altering rules to set up tribunals and relaxing company law to remove ceiling on companies to make anonymous political donation.

Members in the Opposition are seeking to bring in amendments when the Bill is taken up for consideration to be returned to the Lok Sabha tomorrow. Since House does not have to power to legislate on financial matters, amendment at best amplifies objections which the Lok Sabha can accept or reject.

Attacking the Narendra Modi government for bringing about changes in the Finance Bill by including clauses that have nothing to do with finance, the Opposition tore into the provisions suggesting it was time to revisit clause 3 of Article 110 that rests final authority with the Speaker in determining the nature of the Bill.

Speaker after speaker, starting with Kapil Sibal, Naresh Aggarwal and Sitaram Yechury charged the government with bringing in elements in the Finance Bill giving “unbridled power” to tax authorities, and place ordinary people under surveillance of the data holder.

Sibal questioned the move to use Aadhaar for filing tax returns, saying it amounted to snooping into people’s lives. He said the PM and the Finance Minister, when the BJP was in opposition, raised concern over the use of the unique identity number. Yechury said the move could lead to surveillance by the state into everyday affairs of individuals and that reel life situation in movies such as “Enemies of the State” or “Matrix” could play out in real life.

Stating the government was promoting “crony capitalism”, Sibal said the government has done away with the cap on contributions that companies could make to political parties. “Now these companies don’t even need to disclose this amount or the identity of the beneficiary even to their shareholders,” he said, claiming that these provisions were included to ensure that the party in power gets unabated funding for national, state or even civic elections.

Members also questioned move to change the Companies Act by including it in the Finance Bill since it does not have majority in the Rajya Sabha. Naresh Aggarwal (SP) demanded implementation of the 7th Pay Commission for the defence personnel.