As part of a debate in the Economic Times, Amit Mitra of FICCI, makes the case for why corporate taxes are too high in India. The average tax rate globally stands at 25.9% in 2008 while that of India stands at 33.9%. This figure includes a 10% surcharge and a 3% education cess. In other words, corporate tax rate in India is almost eight percentage points higher than that of the global average. And this, without adding the impact of Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) and Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) levied on corporates. Furthermore, the global average tax rate has been coming down over the years. In 2006 it was 27.2%, down to 26.8% in 2007. Unfortunately, India has moved in the opposition direction. The DDT was raised from 12.5% to 15%, education cess from 2% to 3% and ESOPS were subjected to FBT. Even for MAT companies, the rate has gone up and its base widened. ...A look at the tax rates of other countries does reveal that Indian companies are charged higher tax rates. For instance, the c...