the budget 2007 is out and PC did not give the usual whopping 16% excise tax cut. instead he slapped (little slowly) though the 1% tax to fund education programs.

how about 1% for environmental impact that the cars create. how about using more gradual discentives on cars so that our urban areas can breathe again. how about huge tax benefits for using public transport, how about more benefits for going green in urban areas.

even if the car taxes come to couple of percentage points, the car guys can easily pass on the cost to the consumer who invaribaly are the neo rich segment of india benefiting from india's 'developedment'.

as usual our auto guys expressed disappointment. but devil may care less. cars are the classic symbols nowadays in india, to pamper to the new rich. you have got the multi lakh innovas, city, etc driving by huge numbers.

time has to come to tell the cars guys, that they have pay the share in causing road congestion and pollution and like the hindu aritcle says let's give the urban roads back to people and let's start with the neo rich car guys.

for cars do not represent india's development, it is clean air, clean drinking water, good quality education, viable and sexy public transport, good health systems that define the nation in which there are a billion people to be taken care for and the least among them are miniscule car guys who occupy majority of the roads and gobble up huge public resources.