IBNLive Chat: 'FBT on ESOPs unnecessary'

NO FBT, PLEASE: Dr Anil Gupta, COO, Aditi Technologies, wants FBT to be scrapped this Budget.

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Keywords: ESOPs, FBT

As Union Budget nears, all eyes are set on the Finance Minister. What lies in store for the software industry in Chidambaram's 7th Budget?

Will the US recession have an impact on the Indian scene? Will there be any special measures for R&D?

To find out all the answers, IBNLive.com organised an online chat with Dr Anil Gupta, COO, Aditi Technologies.

Here we reproduce the full text of his chat.

Srinivas: What is Aditi Technologies' stand towards going Green? Today all major IT organizations are directing energies going green. Any comments on the initiatives taken by your organization?

Dr Anil Gupta: Srinivas, I love this question. Aditi is a highly socially conscious company. I would love to form a coalition of IT industry to lead efforts to go green. We have already started initiatives to cut down energy usage, but are yet to launch a major campaign. You can be sure we will do something in this area.

DS: What would be the key catalyst for Indian companies to have more focus on R&D? What would be those technologies? And lastly, what would be the typical ROI in years for R&D activities?

Dr Anil Gupta: Indian companies are putting more focus on R&D. We can see this in the automotive sector; in pharmaceuticals, and in other areas. R&D ROI does take time, but is an excellent long-term way to improve competitiveness. We will continue to see greater R&D focus in India.

Aditi: For any company to grow Infrastructure and facilities are very important & contribute significantly to the company's growth. If the IT department of the company is not upto the mark , then the company will not be able to deliver world-class products considering the time constraint. What is your take on this?

Dr Anil Gupta: I agree. This is a good point.

Srinivas: With the assumption that STPI is withdrawn, the shadow looming over shall hit the bottomline of every organization. Is there a strong lobby from the IT Sector to the Government on its extension?

Dr Anil Gupta: I believe that NASSCOM is doing a good job of expressing the concerns of the IT industry to the government.

SS: What is your view on 10A/10B? Do you think this will be extended in some form or the other? Or, will it just disappear next year?

Dr Anil Gupta: There may be an extension for small and medium companies.

Puneet120: I think nowadays where the world economy is very volatile, companies like Aditi should consider some secondary markets like Australia and other eastern nations. The Government should also optimise the policies according to that. Any comments?

Dr Anil Gupta: Yes, companies should diversity. Always a good idea. But I don't think the government needs to play a role.

KKP: R&D is the key for sustaining in the longer run. Do you see/expect anything specific in the Budget which would help R&D in India to be promoted further (specific consideration for R&D)? If yes, can you highlight what expectation would you be keeping from FM?