Aid for Ukraine, European allies growing as US lawmakers shape budget bill

 Proposed US aid for Ukraine, European allies has grown beyond $12 billion, top Senator said, as congressional bargainers worked toward a bipartisan government-wide spending deal

Proposed US aid for Ukraine and its European allies has grown beyond $12 billion, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, as congressional bargainers worked toward a bipartisan government-wide spending deal that would also contain fresh sums for battling COVID-19. The remarks on Monday by Schumer, D-N.Y., underscored the momentum in Congress for helping outgunned Ukraine fend off Russian invaders and assisting that country and others cope with refugees and other economic and humanitarian problems caused by the brutal attack.

The clearest signal Congress can send to Vladimir Putin this week is passing a bipartisan aid package, said Schumer, referring to the Russian president, leaving no doubt that the democratic nations of the world stand with Ukraine and against Putin’s deeply immoral and bloody war. Schumer said the assistance would pay for refugees, medical and food supplies, weapons transfers to Ukraine and aid for nearby NATO allies. The apparent growth of the Ukraine aid also illustrated eleventh-hour negotiations underway among lawmakers as they try completing the long overdue $1.5 trillion government spending measure by Friday…Read More

2 mn Hindus key voting bloc in swing states: Congressman Krishnamoorthi

The two million Hindus in the United States are a vital and key voting bloc in several swing states this presidential elections, Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said

The two million Hindus in the United States are a vital and key voting bloc in several swing states this presidential elections, Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said as he told fellow community members that it was their dharma to exercise their franchise. In his virtual key note address at the formal launch of the ‘Hindu Americans for Biden’, Krishnamoorthi, who is the three-time Democratic Congressman from Illinois, urged his community members to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his Indian American running mate Kamala Harris on November 3.

I feel it is so important to elect Joe Biden because of a Hindu value ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (entire world is a family) a core tenant of Hindus – we believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect, he said. It is an old saying in Washington DC, which is, if you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re on the menu. And none of us on this zoom call or our families, or communities, or Hindu Americans as a whole can afford to be on the menu, and neither can our agenda. That’s why it’s so important that you vote, he said.

This year is the most important election of our lifetime before us. In 60 days, on November 3rd, believe it or not, the two million Hindu, Americans in this country will be a vital and key voting bloc in several swing states. Not only Florida, but Virginia and Pennsylvania and Michigan and Wisconsin, and the list goes on and on. It is our duty, indeed it is our dharma to vote, Krishnamoorthi said…Read More

Benami property: Aadhaar-PAN link opposed in name of privacy, says Jaitley

Arun Jaitley said, 'People should voluntarily made disclosures and come within the tax net'

Economy news : Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Monday said example needs to be set to create a deterrent ag the inst use of anonymous people to hide ill-gotten wealth, amid some politicians and their family members coming under the scanner for alleged benami deals.

Referring to opposition of PAN-Aadhaar linkage, he said it is an "effective anti-evasion measure" and will get rid of multiple PAN cards and mismatch in income and expenditure, but it is being opposed "in the name of privacy".

He also said that the government is using technology to reduce the interface between a tax department official and the taxpayer to not just cut compliance cost but also corruption and harassment.

Addressing tax officers at the Income Tax Day event here, he said that tax rates have to become more reasonable but for that to happen, the tax base has to be widened by including more people in the net.

"These days we are finding political leaders also resorted to (benami dealings)," he said, without naming anyone. "Therefore (we are) unearthing them."

He said the government has taken steps under the stringent Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 that provides for confiscating properties of those who use name of other people to convert unaccounted wealth into white.

"Unless we can set some examples, we set down right deterrent against such kind of practices" can this practice of benami properties end, he said.

Raids were conducted in recent weeks at various places including Delhi and Haryana over alleged Rs 1,000 crore benami land deals involving the RJD chief and his family.

Jaitley said that the situation where the compliant tax payer has to actually pay twice over -- once his own share of taxes and the second time a higher share to compensate the non-compliant, cannot be allowed.

"Our vision is: we will use technology, we will ensure that our procedure is simple, we will ensure that there is almost negligent interface between (tax) department and assessee, (and) we would like our rates to become even more reasonable, but to enable us to that we need to expand our base," he said.

People should voluntarily made disclosures and come within the tax net, he said.

India, on the one hand, boasts of being the fastest growing major economy in the world but on the other hand lacks in some of the essential expenditure, he said.

"A more empowered country will need to be a country which is empowered by honest and compliant taxpayers. The faster we can do it, the greater it will be in the larger interest of the country," he said. 

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