Why lower corporate taxes haven’t spurred private investment | AI With Sanket

Naina Lal Kidwai, chairperson of the India Sanitation Coalition and former FICCI president, argued that India’s tax policy faces a “tough balancing act”: keep rates competitive to attract investment, but raise enough revenue to fund public services, warning that if rates are uncompetitive, “you lose both the wealthy and the corporate” to offshore destinations. The Federal spoke to Kidwai on Budget 2026 expectations, the widening gap between personal income tax and corporate tax contributions, pressure on the rupee, and why demand, jobs, and exports still dominate India Inc’s priorities.