NOT Easy to Do Business
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# | Submitted | User | IP address | It was | Sector / Industry | State / UT | City | Response-time of officials | Number of documents to be submitted | Availability of information about the process | Overall Rating | It was an attempt to | Other | The problem was | Other cause | Details of experience | Advice for others | Share my story with | Name | Contact no | Email(asc) | Privacy Policy | Contact me | Display it |
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63 | 14 Dec 2016 - 16:11 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Easy to Do Business | Media | Delhi | Gurgaon | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | Register the business |
For me, the only real problem was to find the appropriate CA to do my work for me. I never intended to do the running around, so finding a CA was the primary step for me. He tried to explain the procedure to me, but I told him not to bother - I just asked him which documents were required from my side, and how many copies of it would he require. My whole procedure was finished within a week, and I had no issues because I hired a CA who could be trusted. |
Get a good CA, and conducting business won't be a problem. Yes, the CA might be a little costly, but most comforts are. If you want to save on time and want a hassle-free start, that is the only way out. | Keep it Anonymous | - | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | ||||
65 | 14 Dec 2016 - 17:12 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | IT | Delhi | Gurgaon | 4/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 3/5 | Register the business | Can’t find information |
I set up an IT firm earlier this year. My company was a small one, and we worked out of our house in Gurgaon, so we just had to register the company. The whole process for the category I was applying under was a digitised process, so I was pleasantly surprised. However, I did have to go to the office to submit my documents - I didn't understand why couldn't that procedure be digitised as well! One could easily scan and submit the required PDF files. However, my main issue was the lack of availability of information. If someone has to start a business, a simple Google search should be helpful and enough. I couldn't find any information myself, so I had to call up another friend who had set up a similar business couple of years ago. However, from what he told me, the process has become much simpler, so kudos to the government on cutting the red tape - I just wish they would have advertised it better! |
Ask someone who has already registered business in the field, they should be able to help you out, or hire a lawyer who will make the process easier for you. | Senior Department Officials | Shyam Mohan | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | |||
67 | 15 Dec 2016 - 12:55 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Hospitality | Delhi | New Delhi | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Other | Time taken to register and get licenses was longer | We have a restaurant in Vijay Nagar. It was pretty much easy for us to set up this business since we had the capital. We have a shop on the ground floor and we have a house above the shop in the same building. Back then the process wasn't online. Now my son says that the process of getting a food license and registering process of Delhi has gone online. It took almost a month for us to register the business and getting license to serve food. But my guess is getting permissions would have been more difficult if we would serve alcohol. | Start a business where you have no competition or likely to have less competition. If you are in the food business and you maintain hygiene then it is likely that customers will come irrespective of the price you charge. Have patience and faith if you want to start a business. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | NA | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Keep me updated about responses to my report and experience. | Yes | |
68 | 15 Dec 2016 - 13:19 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Farming | Maharashtra | Mumbai | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Other | Documentation was a headache | My experience was not good. I have a farming related activity in Mumbai. Even in a city like Mumbai - city of dreams where people have so many aspirations, doing business is not that easy. Documentation was a big headache. Every time I had to submit some new documents. I had to bribe under the table to get my business registered. | I don't know what advice to give to others. I am new to the business. The only advice is get all your documents in place. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | 9145510501 | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Keep me updated about responses to my report and experience. | Yes | |
70 | 15 Dec 2016 - 16:11 | Prashant | 49.204.110.82 | Not Easy to Do Business | Sports | Delhi | Gurgaon | 3/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 |
Register property Get permits and licenses under environmental laws |
Other | Laziness on the part of officers |
I opened a sports shop in Gurgaon, which unfortunately did not work. However, my experience was mostly a pleasant one. Unlike most people, I chose not to hire a CA, mostly because I couldn't afford to spend so much money on something that I thought could be done alone. Unfortunately, I was made to run around a fair bit on my first day. It was quite taxing, and just when I thought there could be some progress, they broke for lunch. Now, there is some sort of an unwritten rule at these government offices- lunch breaks shall last for about double the time they are supposed to last. The stipulated break was from 1 pm to 2 pm, but I couldn't spot anyone at the office till about 2:45 pm, and the counter only opened at 3 pm. So much for efficiency. I ultimately got my work completed a week or so later, but not without lots of effort and running around from my side. |
Patience is utmost needed, really. Carry copies. Don't bribe. | Senior Department Officials | Anurav | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | ||
73 | 16 Dec 2016 - 09:04 | Prashant | 49.204.110.82 | Not Easy to Do Business | Restaurant | Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | Register property | Corrupt officials who asked for bribes |
My whole issue was not while setting up the actual business, but while conducting it here. I run a restaurant, and officials often come and ask for bribes. What would you do if a food inspector comes to your restaurant and demands a bribe for the inspection? If you don't comply he will file a report which claims he found 10 cockroaches at your facility, and shut you down until an investigation is completed. You don't have a choice. If you don't pay a bribe, you can't do business in India. Government officers won't even let you register your company or get basic approvals to function! |
Corruption is rife and necessary. Be prepared to bribe someone or the other. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | |||
74 | 16 Dec 2016 - 11:39 | Prashant | 49.204.110.82 | Not Easy to Do Business | IT | Maharashtra | Mumbai | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | Register the business | Corrupt officials who asked for bribes |
1) Bribe to complete registration of proprietorship. Didn't have to give bribe for registration of private limited company thankfully. 2) No clarity on taxes. For example, when you pay someone for a service, you have to cut 10% TDS. Now, if that person is Amazon and they are a MNC with offices in India and you pay them for their servers - do you deduct TDS? Amazon wants full payment. I talked to a dozen CAs and even a friend of mine in Indian Revenue Service, all of them had no clue. But they suggested me to pay the TDS just to be safe. So I had to pay Amazon the full amount and then 10% on top of that to Dear Govt of India. 100s of scenarios like this with no clarity. 3) Investment laws are a mess. Angel investments go straight into books of account as income and are taxed. God help you if you ever receive a FDI, I finally returned the money to the investor (it was 5 lakhs), as the amount of running around I had to do was not worth it for that small amount. 4) Terrible legal system- it's effectively a joke. An acquisition for one of my products fell through because the acquirer didn't want to make disputes subject to Indian jurisdiction in the contract because, in his own words, "the Indian legal system isn't held in very high regard here (Australia)" 5) High cost of doing businesses. My gateway charges a 5% premium (so 3%+5%) for Indian businesses, because of the increased costs of operation. So, while an American company can charge only 3%, I have to settle for 8%. So many other small little things - it's like death by a thousand cuts. |
It's a tough road, starting and conducting business in India. Be prepared for a lot of hardships. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | |||
75 | 16 Dec 2016 - 12:06 | Prashant | 49.204.110.82 | Not Easy to Do Business | Steel | Delhi | Gurgaon | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | Register the business | Submitting the same document to different departments |
Government offices are a massive, massive pain to deal with. Even a bigger pain is dealing with the officials. Huge lines, obscure offices, forms that sometimes exist and sometimes don't, always angry and lethargic staff. My co-founder and I spent an entire day collecting random forms, but in the end gave up and paid 5k to a clerk who got the job done within an hour. |
Avoid spending your time and grey matter on running around, and hire somebody to do it for you. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | |||
76 | 16 Dec 2016 - 12:25 | Prashant | 49.204.110.82 | Not Easy to Do Business | Investment | Delhi | New Delhi | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | Other | Investment was troublesome | Confusing laws that say different things |
As an NRI, I invested 5 lakhs in 2005 in an infrastructure fund in 2005. Due to US compliance, it was very cumbersome to keep it functional. I was in India for the last two months and was not able to liquidate it due to one excuse or the other- first it was getting documents from all corners, and then demonetisation. Excuse 1. Signature does not match. Excuse 2. Your application does not mention what type of bank account you have. (A cancelled copy of the cheque was attached, and it clearly stated it is a savings account) Excuse 3. ID not attached. (Copy of PAN number was filed with the application) So my money is stuck for another year at least. |
Don't invest in Indian companies. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | ||
77 | 16 Dec 2016 - 13:51 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Manufacturing SME | Delhi | Noida | 2/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 |
Register the business Pay taxes |
Confusing laws that say different things |
There are various problems if one wants to start their own business in India. Firstly, the confusion of requirements to start business. Unless you contact a broker or a CA, you cannot get required certificates done. Secondly, taxation. There are whole lot of tax procedures which are too complicated. VAT, CST, Income tax, TDS- the list is endless. There are too many loopholes and too many things to take care of. Every month, the tax clerk comes to our office and takes 300 rupees just to ensure we are compliant and in no trouble, and gives his signature on our monthly VAT returns. If we dont pay him, it would atleast take 2 days of our time to get things done properly. |
Hire a good CA or a broker. Bribes are commonplace; don't be surprised if you're asked for one. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes |