Luxury Auto Majors Protest Small Car Bias in Excise Sops

I am surprised that auto majors like Mercedes Benz and BMW have adopted a 'sour grapes' attitude to the lower excise duty and taxes offered to small car models, as reported in The Eco Times, Mumbai on page-20 of 31st March 2009 under the byline of Shri Chanchal Pal Chauhan, New Delhi. It seems they are unhappy with the 8% duty for 'small cars', as opposed to the 20% duty that they have to pay for the 'larger cars' that they specialise in. The reasons they claim is that instead of size (over 4 meters length), the car safety, emission and fuel efficiency should be the criteria for determining taxes. They claim to introduce the latest technology in their models and have no incentive to innovate for the local market due to the higher taxes.

Size is an unsatisfactory method to determine taxes, in this even Mahindra & Mahindra are affected, when it is clear that their main market is in the rural areas where road condition and passenger load are vastly different from metros. Minimum safety is specified and if some offer more, they charge more, and so where is the inequity?

Except for M&M, it is clear that the so called large car manufacturers focus on exclusivity and so their clients do not worry about price. In fact, high price is a selling point with a certain class who they target, so the taxes should not be a worry at all.

Next, what has prevented these newly tax conscious manufacturers from using their innovation, to build smaller cars? I think, they have no market for these.

The key issue is the carbon footprint, not just the fuel efficiency or emissions. It may be worthwhile if SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) would tabulate the 'fixed plus variable' carbon footprint over a ten year life for all these so called small and big car models. Annualised figures for a five year old car would be useful too. This would reveal the true cost to the environment. The results might surprise all and the differential taxes would then be
self-explanatory.

There is no doubt that life time carbon footprint should be used for determining taxes with due weightage given for end use. This should satisfy all. All those connected with transport of any kind should worry about the Carbon Footprint and not just efficiency at a single point in the chain.

DETECTING TAINTED CANDIDATES

The current law as it stands, requires the Electoral Candidates to file affidavits clearly giving details on pending litigation and court orders/jail sentences. Such information is required to be in public domain as per the Supreme Court order. It is the unfortunate reality in India that such public domain information is not reaching out to all the voting citizens equally; either they cannot read and understand or cannot access the information. In any case, the voter cannot easily make an 'informed choice'.

Similar situation existed with packaged food products. The Labelling rules now require among other things, that contents and constituents be clearly stated so that, for example, the citizen can determine if the product is of vegetarian or non-vegetarian origin. To simplify this for the citizen, it is required to put a green dot for vegetarian and brown dot for non-vegetarian constituents of content. Now it is very easy for the buyer and citizen to distinguish between products.

I suggest that similar 'dot system' be used for Electoral Candidates. The tainted candidates, who have pending litigation or jail terms, etc, should be identified by a 'red dot' against their names on the Electronic Voting Machine. This will simplify the difficult issue of reaching important information to the citizens in an equitable manner.

It can be no ones' case that this mandated information should not be easily understood by the voting citizens. Then why do we need so many NGOs, Citizen Groups and the Media, to try to reach it to the voters? The State Chief Electoral Officers should require the EVMs to have the 'red dot' against the names of the tainted candidates. The Election Commission of India should mandate this simple process.

The publicity of explanation of the 'red dot' alone, will act as a serious deterrent to the political parties from nominating tainted candidates from any constituency in India. This process is in consonance with the Supreme Court ruling, in that it is a different method to put such information in public domain. The ECI can act on this method and satisfy the spirit of the SC order.

Banner Removal Tutorial

Jagrut Nagrik Manch (JNM), an independent platform of Citizen Groups, undertook a pan-Mumbai direct action movement, to remove illegal political banners in Jan-Feb 2009.

Those Citizen Groups and NGOs who are keen to undertake similar citizen movement to remove illegal banners in public spaces may please study the attached picture.

Here is a list of files, of which the ppt file underlined in red is the key. This is a power point presentation that tells you the process that JNM Volunteers and associated NGOs, undertook in the past two months to shake the Mumbai Administration and Maharashtra State Govt. on a blatantly illegal act.

The Bombay High Court passed orders against illegal banners, the Mayor of Mumbai came out publicly against illegal political banners and the Administration started the process of taking down thousands of such illegal banners. This symbolic protest by citizens to empower themselves and shake the Administration, is a very successful movement. It allows Citizen Groups to get together and plan other citizen centric activities. The coming Parliament Elections will need NGOs to act together to get the best for the country. This JNM feels is one way to implement the change in political culture.

The set of 42 files is zipped into one file which is stored at MediaFire (a free hosting site), from where you can download the same. A broadband internet connection is essential. Those who do not have one may please visit Cyber Cafes or their well wishers for same.
The link: http://www.mediafire.com/?ygnjmvzmwrm
File: Banner Project.zip 12.53 MB.

Kindly unzip the files into a 'new folder' on your computer and study the same in details. The attached pic will guide you on the files in the zip folder. Most of them are pictures of letters and newspaper clippings, which will show you how JNM and other Groups run the movement in Mumbai.

Photos of events as they unfolded during the city rallies on illegal banners are posted under the 'photos button' at the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jagrutnagrik/. Most of the files needed and included in the zip file are also posted under the 'files section' at the same site. The attached picture may be used as a guide to locate the needed files for closer study.

Concerned NGOs are free to use the material to design and implement their own movement suited for their own local conditions. The contents are not to be used for profit. JNM, its Volunteers and associated NGOs will not accept liability of any kind, for the consequences and outcome, in the use of the aforesaid material. The said material is provided only as a guidance and all users must exercise discretion in its use and be fully responsible for the outcome. JNM requests NGOs to contact any of the persons in the ppt file for support and clarification. Your inputs will be valuable.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO OTHER CITIZEN GROUPS AND NGOs ALL OVER INDIA, SO THAT CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT CAN DEVELOP IN INDIA. Kindly post this at 'social networking sites' for better reach.