Rich Landowners Reap Billions From India Tax Loophole
Millionaire farmers are benefiting from measures intended to help poor farmers.
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Stuffed animal heads adorn the walls of Kunwar Vikram Jeet Singh’s mansion on the outskirts of Delhi, and he also owns a three-bedroom apartment in a gated condominium in the city. His children go to one of India’s most exclusive private schools. Yet Singh doesn’t pay income tax because he’s a farmer.
Singh is one of thousands of rich landowners who don’t need to pay taxes thanks to laws designed to help the hundreds of millions of poor farmers who scratch a living from India’s soil. The average Indian farmer has less than 2 acres (0.8 hectares) and most struggle to eat two meals a day. Singh’s family farm has 100 acres.