Budget 2023: FM Nirmala Sitharaman On MSMEs And Ease Of Doing Business From 11 am today all eyes were on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who was presenting the last budget of the second term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

By Kabir Singh Bhandari

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

From 11 am today all eyes were on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who was presenting the last budget of the second term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Although many would consider the highlight of the budget to be increasing the rebate limit for individual taxpayers from INR 5 lakh to INR 7 lakh a year, several interesting announcements were made as far as MSMEs and ease of doing business is concerned.

SEE VIDEO: Interesting Facts About Past Budgets

During her budget speech, the FM said that "MSMEs are growth engines of our economy. Micro enterprises with turnover up to INR 2 crore and certain professionals with turnover of up to INR 50 lakh can avail the benefit of presumptive taxation. I propose to provide enhanced limits of INR 3 crore and INR 75 lakh respectively, to the tax payers whose cash receipts are no more than 5 per cent."

"To support MSMEs in timely receipt of payments, I propose to allow deduction for expenditure incurred on payments made to them only when payment is actually made," she added.

There were a lot of updates on the ease of doing business too. Over 39,000 compliances were reduced while more than 3,400 legal provisions were decriminalised for improving the ease of doing business. "If MSMEs fail to execute the contract, 95 per cent of performance security will be returned to the small businesses as part of Vivad Se Vishwas," said Sitharaman.

She also proposed to use the PAN card as the common identifier for all digital systems at government agencies. This shall help in simplifying the KYC process and also reduce the burden on the Income Tax Department and other government agencies in handling documents of the PAN cardholders.

"For the business establishments required to have a permanent account number, the PAN will be used as a common identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies," the FM had said.

Kabir Singh Bhandari

Former Senior Assistant Editor

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Branding

Creating a Brand: How To Build a Brand From Scratch

Every business needs good branding to succeed. Discover the basics and key tips to building a successful brand in this detailed guide.

Innovation

It's Time to Rethink Research and Development. Here's What Must Change.

R&D can't live in a lab anymore. Today's leaders fuse science, strategy, sustainability and people to turn discovery into real-world value.

Marketing

How to Better Manage Your Sales Process

Get your priorities in order, and watch sales roll in.

Business News

AI Agents Can Help Businesses Be '10 Times More Productive,' According to a Nvidia VP. Here's What They Are and How Much They Cost.

In a new interview with Entrepreneur, Nvidia's Vice President of AI Software, Kari Briski, explains how AI agents will "transform" the way we work — and sooner than you think.

Starting a Business

Passion-Driven vs. Purpose-Driven Businesses — What's the Difference, and Why Does It Matter?

Passion and purpose are both powerful forces in entrepreneurship, but they are not the same.