AIR 267 · CSE 2024 · GS3 · 55 pages

Ankit Agrawal: GS3 answer copy

20 answers by Ankit Agrawal, as written in the test. Each question opens a page with how other toppers answered it.

The questions

The answers

Question 1 · 10 marks · 145 words written

What do you understand by Windfall tax? Do you think that windfall taxes can effectively redistribute wealth and promote greater economic equality?

Opening · a definition

Windfall tax is a tax on profits generated due to unexpected circumstances or on a sin good. eg. Windfall tax on oil products in the wake of higher profit due to Russia-Ukraine war.

Body · points and prose

Effectively Redistribute wealth & Promote economic equality

  1. Resource mobilisation by Government to spend on physical & social infrastructure • eg. tax on oil marketing company for Subsiding PM Ujjwala yojna

  2. Consumer Protection by ensuring the companies pass on benefits to consumer rather than rising profits.

  3. Parity between exports & domestic demand • eg OMCs selling to EU & USA creating shortage domestically.

④ Control Inflation & thus ensure macro-economic stability

⑤ Act as surcharge on direct taxes which is fiscal tool to redistribute wealth.

Diagram
* Challenges * Affect ease of doing business & Investment climate * Used to bridge fiscal deficit rather than productive purpose * Can be Retrospective in nature * Impact balance sheet of company

Close · a way forward

To address the challenges & to ensure its effective utilisation, there is need for legislative enactment to standardize its applicablity & usage to bring transparency.