Member Budget Charge Taken Away from Sheila Sangwan in Mid-Course of Budget 2012 Build Up

- Academy of Business Studies News Service -

New Delhi 26.12.2011: In a sudden development last week, the Member Budget charge held by Ms. Sheila Sangwan was transferred to Member Customs Mr. M.C. Thakur. The change has come in mid-course since Ms. Sangwan who recently joined the Board was in the thick of preparing the budget proposals on the customs, excise and service tax side. She has held meetings and examined the representations of the Trade Associations, Chambers of Commerce. Key Government Bodies and Departments have given their suggestions on the Budget. The Taxation Research Unit (TRU) Commissioners on the customs and excise side as well as service tax have formulated their approaches after discussing the strategy in internal meetings.

Our sources say that this type of action in which a Member Budget is removed in the middle of the process is perhaps the first time in the history of the Board. The new person will not have the time or even inclination to take a fresh look at the Budget proposals since he is already handling the heavy customs charge. It does not make administrative sense to allow a subject domain member to hold simultaneous charge of the Budget since there is a measure of independence and sensitivity to public interest required for Budget. In the alternate, he will follow the direction set by the incumbent without the “ownership” involved in generating the proposals from the first stage inwards. Changing horses in midstream will certainly affect the quality of the Budget.

Ms. Sangwan has acquired a reputation of honest and technically competitive officer. She has risen through the ranks to occupy the coming post of Member CBEC. It is possible that she may have put her foot down little too heavily on matters of following the law of the land! In any case, the CBEC owes us an explanation on why the horses were changed in midstream.