Budget 2018: Pensioners, corporates could get tax breaks, no big bang reforms expected

Having carried out major reforms in the last three years, the Centre is looking for a pause, finance ministry officials have said.

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Moneycontrol News  The Finance Ministry is working on offering tax breaks, and larger sops to pensioners as well as corporates in the 2018-2019 Union Budget, according to a report by the Business Standard. The direct taxes levied on the corporate sector could also see changes, the report suggests.
"We have gone through a series of steps in the past three years to bring some major changes in the economy. It is time to offer a pause," an official involved in the Budget process told the newspaper.

The Centre will also reportedly focus more on building 10 million houses for the poor, under the 'Housing for All' initiative, and work on the nationwide road-building programme after having implemented multiple reforms like GST and demonetisation, and simplified processes to improve ease of doing business.
According to the official, a pause has become necessary because, while the collections from GST have picked-up, they still have a long way to go.