Journal Press India^®

        We are pleased to bring to our readers another insightful issue of Vision: Journal of Indian Taxation covering important areas in Indian taxation, tax laws and public finance.  With the implementation of major indirect tax reform in the form of Goods and Services tax (GST) in the country in the year 2017, it is important to understand its design, various components and measures for effective implementation.  Besides, as the adverse effects of COVID 19 pandemic continue, changes and reforms in GST for reviving business and economy need to be analysed. The papers in the current issue of VISION deal with tax awareness and tax planning, reviving business and changes in GST, history and impact of VAT, e-commerce and GST implementation, amalgamation under Income Tax Act and prepaid payment instruments under the GST Act.
       The paper by Dr. Meetu Agarwal evaluates the levels of tax awareness of employees of both public and private sector. Mr. Vyshak, P. K., Dr. Jayarajan T. K. and Mr. Vishnu P. K. have examined tax planning measures by individual taxpayers in the state of Kerala. Besides, they have explored important factors associated with the tax awareness.  Dr. Pramod Kumar Pandey in his paper ‘Reviving Business across Sectors in India in COVID-19: A GST Perspective’ argues for simplification and reforms of GST rates to reduce the burden of COVID-19 pandemic on various sectors and for reviving business across sectors. Dr. Meghna Ghosh while trying to rationalise indirect tax structure, provides a theoretical basis for implementation of VAT and eventually its replacement by Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India. The paper also   highlights the effect of VAT on economy and on different sectors. 
        The paper by Dr. M. M. Sury on ‘Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation with special reference to e-commerce’ is quite interesting for policy. With the e-commerce sector becoming a significant sector for the Indian economy, the paper attempts to understand the clarity of tax provisions pertaining to this sector. It is observed that under GST regime, there are clear-cut provisions applicable to e-commerce sector on all-India basis and there is no complication regarding inter-state movement of goods. Another contentious issue pertaining to treatment of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) under the Central Goods and Services Act, 2017 has been addressed by Mr. Ashish Narang. In his paper, he also discusses some important judgements in India and the European Union (EU) and looks at the problem of double taxation created by PPIs and their implications. 
        The paper by Ms. Shruti K. P. provides a critical perspective on the practical aspects of the qualifying conditions for amalgamation’ under the Income Tax Act and measures for maintaining tax neutrality. 
        With an amalgam of pertinent issues in the domain of Indian taxation, we hope our readers find this issue interesting and engaging. We thank our authors for their contributions and hope that we continue to get diverse and thought-provoking articles on diverse aspects of Indian taxation and tax laws.

Dr. M. M. Sury
Dr. Prasant Kumar Panda
Editors