SME Times News Bureau | 05 Feb, 2020
A new levy of 1 per cent tax deducted at source (TDS) on e-commerce
transactions proposed in the Budget 2020-21 could hurt the working capital of
small businesses, Amazon India Country Manager Amit Agarwal said on Wednesday.
Speaking at an industry event here, Agarwal said that the government should
focus on removing friction and bottlenecks in doing business in India.
"Just look at the most recent Budget. There is an introduction of tax
collection at source. These seem like harmless papercuts but could really
impact the working capital of small businesses," Agarwal said.
He further advocated a clear focus on skilling, grassroots entrepreneurship,
driving equal opportunity through greater women's participation, as well as
artificial intelligence (AI)-backed solutions.
He exuded confidence that the bold economic reforms of the last few years and
India's rising tech clout globally, backed by the success of Aadhaar, UPI and
other initiatives, will help the country scale new highs.
In her second Union Budget presented on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala
Sithraman proposed a new levy of 1 per cent TDS on e-commerce transactions. The
provision, however, is applicable where the seller's gross amount of sales
during the previous year via e-commerce amounts to more than Rs 5 lakh.