New IT Bill to be tabled in Lok Sabha tomorrow
What's the story
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has announced that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce a new Income Tax Bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The proposed legislation incorporates 285 suggestions from a Select Committee, which was chaired by BJP member Baijayant Panda. The move comes after some media outlets expressed concerns over the withdrawal of the previous bill from Parliament.
Clarification
Rijiju addresses concerns over bill withdrawal
Rijiju clarified that the new bill isn't a completely fresh proposal, but one that incorporates all the changes suggested by the Select Committee and accepted by the government. He said, "It is being presumed that there will be an absolutely new bill, ignoring the earlier bill for which a lot of work was done." The minister stressed these fears were unfounded as all recommendations made in the last six months will be reflected in this new legislation.
Efficiency
Minister explains reason behind introducing new bill
The introduction of a new bill is also aimed at streamlining the amendment process. Rijiju explained that when there are too many amendments to an already introduced bill, a new one is introduced with all accepted changes for easier parliamentary consideration and passage. He said, "It is a normal convention that when a Select Committee submits a report and there are a number of amendments which are suggested and accepted by the government, the earlier bill is withdrawn."