India asks US to exempt Indian professionals from social security tax

24 Jun 2011 Evaluate

The Indian government asked United States (US) to make progress on the Bilateral Totalisation Agreement (BTA) which would exempt Indian professionals working in the United States from payment of security taxes to mitigate the impact of a visa fee increase last year. India and US are negotiating BTA which once singed, would benefit many Indians who are working in US and paying social security tax but not getting any benefit out of it. Under the BTA, professionals of both the countries would be exempted from social security taxes when they go to work for a short period in the other country.

At the event organized by the US India Business Council (USIBC) on June 23 in Washington DC, the subject which is important for Indian Information Technology Industry came up for discussion between Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, and William Daley , Chief of Staff in the US administration.  As per the statement issued by Anand Sharma, stressed on the need to make progress on BTA and to mitigate the impact of discriminatory measures such as the Border Security Legislation and Zadrog bill enacted last year which would unfairly tax Indian companies.

Under the Zadrog bill, US had imposed 2% tax on the US government procurement from foreign companies and also extended the visa fee on certain categories of H1B and L1, by one more year from 2014 to 2015. Visa categories such as H1B and L1 are mostly used by Indian IT professionals to fund security measures along the US-Mexico border. This increase of visa fee has raised the great concern and anxiety in the $60 billion Indian IT industry, which get its 60% business from the US.

Anand Sharma, asked US firms to invest in sectors like Agriculture, Infrastructure and Agro-processing industry. Minister said there is requirement for investment to bring about the Second Green Revolution in India and to develop the agro-processing and food processing sectors.

Anand Sharma said India will be spending around $1 trillion on the development of infrastructure in the next Five Year Plan beginning in 2012. There are many gaps in the infrastructure which present opportunities for investment, especially in energy, roads and power. Minister also emphasized on the need to give strength to the ongoing technological collaboration between the two countries through institutional linkages and co-development of technologies. He also pointed out the opportunities available in India in the manufacturing sector, in pharmaceuticals, in research and development and in a number of other sectors.

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