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Kapil slams govt. on Ferrari duty waiver

August 21, 2003 19:13 IST

Dubbing it "double standard", Indian cricket icon Kapil Dev slammed the government for waiving the Rs 1.13 crore duty on the Ferrari car gifted to ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar by Fiat and called for a uniform policy for all sportspersons.

"While I am happy about Sachin getting a car, it (the duty waiver) should apply to every sportsperson. That is more important," Kapil told reporters in Bangalore on Thursday.

"Why can we not have the same system for everybody... because everybody sweats for his country. I think they (Finance Ministry) should have given a discount, as it was in their hands... a change of policy totally, I don't think it's a good point," he said.

"You can't change a policy for one person. If you change a policy, you change it for everybody.

"Suppose tomorrow Viswanathan Anand or Dhanraj Pillay or Sourav Ganguly or Amitabh Bachchan gets an aircraft as a gift, will you charge duty or not?

"If you charge duty, then this policy (of exemption for Sachin) is wrong. If you don't charge, then this policy is fair.

"You have to set a precedent, and you can set a precedent. I hope the government is in a better position to answer."

Kapil said, as a sportsperson, he is happy that Tendulkar got the car.

"I paid duty on both my cars. I feel it should not happen like this."

He recalled that two years ago, the government did not give even a "penny" as relief to golfer Amandeep Johl, who had won a Lexus car in a tournament in South Korea and ultimately he had to forfeit the car.

"This kind of double standards should not be practised," the former all-rounder said.

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Number of User Comments: 4




Sub: BCCI take note ! Kapil is saying something very important !!!

Kapil Dev has made a very important point and he needs to be congratulated for his positive and healthy ethical outlook. Cricket has a vast ...


Posted by Dr. Cajetan Coelho





Sub: Sachin's Ferrari

Kapil's outspoken comments are absoltely right. Why do some celebrities continue to enjoy extraordinary and extraneous benefits at public cost ? Role models have the ...


Posted by shashidhar





Sub: Everyone should pay duty

The government should not distinguish between any people whether celebrities or sports personalities. The rules apply to all Indian citizens and there should be no ...


Posted by Jai





Sub: ferrari duty

I agree with Kapil. There should not be double standards, no matter who you are or anything else. naren


Posted by naren




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