The correct answer is (b) Kaldor.
Nicholas Kaldor was a British economist who is best known for his work on taxation and economic development. He was a strong advocate of progressive taxation, and he argued that an expenditure tax would be a more efficient and equitable way to raise revenue than income tax.
In 1956, Kaldor published a paper in which he proposed that India should adopt an expenditure tax. He argued that an expenditure tax would be more equitable than income tax because it would tax people on their actual spending, rather than on their income. He also argued that an expenditure tax would be more efficient because it would discourage people from saving and investing.
Kaldor’s proposal was not implemented at the time, but it has been revived in recent years as a way to address India’s fiscal deficit. In 2017, the Indian government appointed a committee to study the feasibility of introducing an expenditure tax. The committee’s report, which was released in 2018, recommended that the government should introduce an expenditure tax on a pilot basis.
The report argued that an expenditure tax would be a more efficient and equitable way to raise revenue than income tax. It also argued that an expenditure tax would help to reduce India’s fiscal deficit.
The government has not yet announced whether it will implement the committee’s recommendations. However, the report has generated a lot of interest, and it is likely that the government will continue to study the issue of expenditure taxation in the future.
The other options are incorrect because:
- (a) Kalecki was a Polish economist who is best known for his work on macroeconomics. He did not propose an expenditure tax.
- (c) R.J. Chelliah was an Indian economist who is best known for his work on fiscal policy. He did not propose an expenditure tax.
- (d) Gautam Mathur is an Indian economist who is best known for his work on poverty and inequality. He did not propose an expenditure tax.