New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) committee headed by party general secretary Rajnath Singh to finalise the report on the Kelkar committee recommendations on direct and indirect taxes has sought an extension of four days to complete the task.

The committee, which was to have given the report to party president M Venkaiah Naidu on January 11 has sought extension for finalising its report by another four days and is expected to give it to party president either on January 17 or 18, BJP general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters.

The committee had rejected Kelkar recommendations on personal income tax and small saving interest rates and strongly favoured retention of tax benefits for housing loans and pensioners. It, however, favoured most of the proposals on indirect taxes.

On another sensitive issue of taxing agricultural income, the party felt it was not totally averse to the idea, but a political consensus was needed as it was a complex and controversial issue. Besides, it also required amendments to the Constitution as agriculture is a state subject.

PTI