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| Vijay Mallya |
Vijay
Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi are not the only people who have parked
their wealth abroad. They have, however, done so after having cheated the
Indian financial system. While Mehul Choksi traded his ill-gotten wealth for an
Antiguan citizenship, the two others named above have not been reported to have
done so. While Mallya is waiting for an order regarding his extradition, the
two others are yet to get into the Indian nets.
These
three are examples of cheats who bribed their way to build their wealth and are
now awaiting retribution. There are, however, others like the film actor Akshay
Kumar who milks the Indian film lovers and goes and buys a whole hill in
Canada. Many Indians who love his films that are tinged with nationalism
perhaps do not know that he is a citizen of Canada and allegedly spreads the
lie that he has dual citizenship of India and Canada when India has no
provision for dual citizenship. That does not detract from the fact that he is
seemingly honest about his money matters and is a very popular actor, so much
so that his brand endorsements make around $35 million (around 250 crore) per
annum for him apart from the Rs. 30 crore that he reportedly charges per film.
Though he invests most of his money abroad yet curiously he is in good books of
powers that be, including Prime Minister Modi. Why cannot he spend a few of his
millions in India where people seem to be crazy about him? If he does so, the
fact is not widely known.
Akshay
Kumar’s millions are all presumably legitimate whereas Mallya’s and those of
others are not. As it happens there are numerous Indians who are now parking
their funds abroad, apparently, preparatory to their own shift in foreign
climes. While the government is trying to get as much foreign portfolio
investments (FPI) as possible the country witnessed the highest ever monthly
remittance abroad of $1.69 billion by resident Indians in July 2019 under the
liberalized remittances scheme (LRS). Accounting this with the preceding four
months, the outflow of money in foreign exchange has hit $5.8 billion in the
first four months of 2019-20. Since 2014 the outflow under LRS amounts to $45
billion (3.5 lakh crore in rupee terms @ Rs 70 to a dollar).
Under
the LRS resident Indians are allowed to remit up to $250,000 in a financial
year for various specified reasons, such as going overseas on employment,
studies overseas, emigration, maintenance of close relatives, medical
treatment, etc. The resident Indians can also transfer money under LRS for
opening foreign currency account overseas, purchase of property and making
investments in mutual and venture capital funds. The RBI data reveals that the
outflow of funds under LRS during the last 5 years (from 2014 to 2019) has been
far more than FPI in the same period, thus negating the latter’s beneficent
effects.
Various
reasons, from economic to social and cultural, have been attributed for the
rise of this phenomenon. The reasons are somewhat imprecise and analysts have
not been able to pin-point the specific reasons for the (mis)use of the LRS.
Investment experts and others in the business of fund management say that the
sharp rise in outflow of funds under LRS over the last five years indicates
flight of capital and of small and mid-sized businessmen from India. Many of
these affluent businessmen wish to shift base to developed countries where work
culture is better, profits are high, taxes reasonable and life is hassle-free.
Others feel that the taxes now are too high and that on payment of such high
taxes in an advanced and developed country they could get a much better quality
of life. Then, of course, the social factor, that of a persistent unease in
society, bugs many who increasingly find their universe suffering from lack of
societal harmony and cohesion.
Expressing
their anxiety many investment experts feel that even if 50% of the amounts sent
abroad stayed back in the country and got invested in it country it could have
resulted in a big multiplier effect in terms of job creation and growth of the
economy. Hence many experts in the field think the government should arrest
this trend. It seems to be valid proposition as many of us in India are
unscrupulous and make dishonest use of facilities extended by the government.
Foreign exchange is precious and is hard to come by. Misusing the facility, one
should think, is criminal. Analysis of the data has shown that the amounts
parked abroad during 2014-19 are almost 9 times more than what was sent abroad
during 2009-14.
One
tends to feel the provisions of LRS are far too liberal than necessary. While
the RBI has prescribed the ways to monitor the outward remittances it has also
recently redefined the term “relatives”, remittances for the upkeep or medical
treatment of whom ballooned in recent years.
If the RBI has to be very generous a mechanism
needs to be devised to check whether the amounts sanctioned were used for the
purpose(s) they were released. The system in existence should not provide for
un-noticed leaks of precious foreign currency. Besides, care has to be taken to
ensure that outward remittances do not out-strip or negate the inward investments.
The health of the economy has to be the prime consideration when the government
extends various facilities and offers concessions to the people. Their abuse
should be checked and punished wherever noticed.
*Photo from internet
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