SP4Y: Swaichchhik Pashchatap Prayashchitta Parihar Prasannata Yojana. A suggestion.

Dear Mr Narendra Modi (and Arun Jaitley),

Your recent speech at Company Secretary Institute's golden jubilee invoked quite appropriate examples from mahAbhArata. Duryodhana's arrogant pramAda, and Shalya's duplicity (the real story is more nuanced than you presented, but still) nearly pin-pointedly underlined the subject matter.

Despite my general support for DeMonetization (and overwhelming public support as well), I still maintain that it is still too early to evaluate DeMon. And it may never indeed get evaluated, except on data-independent sound principles. Our "alleged" intellectuals are too prejudiced to make an even a trifling unbiased evaluation, leave alone an objective evaluation.

Further, its truest vindication, if ever, will emerge only based on cleansing of "black money" that is yet to take place. I presume some work is underway. But I digress.

Likewise, GST rolling out has also been (again despite the fact that I generally support it) a somewhat damp squib. Basically, I suspect that the system is too infested. Few honest-dumb-fucks, largely what-do-I-care-I-get-may-salary, and more than critical numbers of intelligent-crooks. You get the drift? Nothing short of "draining the swamp" as Donald Trump termed it (and he too is miserably failing in it), will turn the tide in any realistic and tangible terms. I have a small suggestion re' GST. Try and get the following done(I am not an expert, I am sharing with you some general impressions):

1. Along BHIM app lines, get a JavaScript based web-page which can do Form-Validation off-line. Such a page can be hosted on a static-page site with CDN (content delivery network) etc. It need not be a free accounting software. Just some thing that can check (for validity, not necessarily "correctness of data") GST forms. What I mean is, for example, that wherever date must be put, a date-type is put and (say) not some arbitrary text.

Once Form is "valid", a person can attempt to submit (for example) it to the GST site.

2. For sometime, (say a few more months till things stabilize), allow only 1-2 submissions per person per month/per-time/whatever. I mean, if I am a trader, it should not be possible for me to submit/attempt-to-submit (say) 5-6 times. This will drastically reduce the load on GST form accepting servers. (Will work somewhat like indelible ink on finger during DeMon cash exchange at Banks).

I surmise that it should be possible to put such a system in about a few weeks (like BHIM app was made in a few weeks).

But I digressed again. This post is about a suggestion to give a last chance to those who might be having "black money". This chance is NOT about any concession, nor does it help them to get back any part of it. Rather it is about something else.

Corruption in India is for many reasons, but I want to highlight two of them. First is the regular allegation that India's traders are often thieves. This has been beaten to death, and you will have to figure out a way to correct it. Second is that governments in general are SO CORRUPT that people do not want to pay tax. I mean, if I am a trader (or for that matter anyone), why should I pay tax from my hard earned money, only to get infernal statues of Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Robert Vadra, et al, dotting the whole landscape, making blots all over the place? You get the drift? Good.

At the same time, of course, non-payment of tax MUST involve (notwithstanding any other things) certain amount of shame or guilt. (Though I doubt if shameless Indians have any of it). However, if you are going to run behind their behind (And I assume and wish you ARE going to; you promised to make tax-thieves cry bloody tears), as a last "concession", you could think of the following honorable exit: 

1. This does not help in any way to launder "black money"; it only helps one avoid humiliation; helps one cleanse onself of guilt and shame, and helps one to rejoin mainstream honorably.

2. Please feel free to refine as per needs. I am NOT an expert (in any thing).

Continuing from your mahAbhArata analogy, I have named it: SP4Y: Swaichchhik Pashchatap, Prayashchitta, Parihar, Prasannata, Yojana. And it is like so:

3.1 A person declares his hitherto undisclosed/uncaught/untaxed/whatever money to the government.

3.1.1 Consider including foreign bank deposits, as well as bEnAmI property also in the ambit.

3.2 50% of this declared income goes straight to the govt.

This money will give you quick slush funds, and generous breathing space despite global recession, and  looming wars. I suspect we are living in war times and thus we better play safe.

3.3 Remaining 50% also to govt (but this is with a twist). You make a few (I have mentioned 3) separate funds:

3.3.1 Citizens Monitored Disaster Management Fund.

3.3.2 Indian Investment Abroad Fund (this has 2 parts). It is done in rupees, not in any other currency. So those nations need to buy stuff from India or route through India.

3.3.2.1 Investment in Education and Health in poor/struggling nations (say from Africa, Latin America). Must be non-muslim nations. We ain't should fund our own destruction, okay? Such investments will lay foundation (long term relation building, send teachers and all)

3.3.2.2  Investment in Medium Term (say for 100 years). For example, in Siberian gas: extraction, fossil fuel based power generation. Russia has been our friend, and for further security it could be JV with Japan. And power transmission from there to India. We could sell power to Japan, Mangolia, Koreas, etc. Power cable will CROSS OBOR (China) so that will be added advantage. It can also connect with similar investment with Iran.

3.3.3 Investments in High Risk Technology Research. By high risk I do not mean risk to life. I mean, some mad, out of the box ideas; which if 2 in 10 work, we hit the sky, you get the drift?

4. Now people whose money gets into this (in principle you could make this open to general public also) can choose under which head the money will get used. In this aspect, it is akin to cooking-gas-subsidy voluntary surrender initiative. Clarification: They get "control" but NOT profit.(Drafting will have to take care of this aspect).  However, they can monitor if babus are working on the "investment" etc or not. On one had it needs to be ensured that owing to whatever little control they won't funnel profits to selves. On the other, since they themselves have been "thieves" in the past, they will keep a damn good tab on "cleaver by half" babus. (Need to ensure that the two thieves groups don't form a cartel).

5. You may be wondering why this 3.3.2.1 etc.? Make Jaitley also read this, at least about (say) ten times. He will get a taste of form-filling terror that he loves to inflict on people. Government forms are so full of such multi-layer convolutions.

6. The biggest advantage of this scheme is: You GET the money, without having to rely on those IT/ED/GST babus! Coz, if all goes well, people declare it on their own, and they just go and deposit it in some account, with a "preference for investments" directive. (Total half page). And they get a receipt. That's it.

7. Despite all your measures, if it still fails, your resolve, and peoples' support for making the corrupt cry bloody tears will get doubled! And tax-evaders would know it. Though, I think this scheme should be more of a positive initiative than a fear inspiring one.


All the Best.