NOT Easy to Do Business
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| # | Submitted | User(desc) | 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 | Privacy Policy | Contact me | Display it | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 16 Dec 2016 - 14:53 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Easy to Do Business | Marketing | Andhra Pradesh | Hyderabad | 3/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 3/5 | Register the business |
I own a digital marketing agency and run a small cafe in Hyderabad. We offer premium web services, branding, content creation (including promo videos, blogs, etc) and PPC management for e-commerce clients and product companies who want a premium look and feel. This is my primary business. Starting the business wasn't an issue at all. Andhra Pradesh is very conducive when it comes to start-ups, so I didn't have too much of an issue, though I did hire a CA to look after the process. Overall, didn't really have any problems. |
Keep all your documents in order, right from the time you think about starting a business- address proofs, credit records, etc. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | ||||
| 48 | 28 Nov 2016 - 15:07 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Easy to Do Business | Restaurant | Himachal Pradesh | Dharamshala | 3/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 3/5 |
Get construction permit Get water connection |
The process itself was pretty straightforward - I wasn't made to run around. Not much, anyway - except the odd extra copies of my electricity bill. I did have a little issue with how the whole process is carried out. We could certainly do with a paperless process. It's also quite amazing how incoherent the government functions. On one hand, our Prime Minister wants to take things online and go digital, and try to get everyone to use online transactions. On the other hand, these government offices have rather weak internet connections, and really outdated software- Windows 98! These offices also did not have an option to pay by card - how do we conduct business, then? Everyone seemed a little fed up with the whole ordeal, frankly. Thankfully, the officials in McLeodganj were quite helpful, and didn't make me run around. They tried to get everything done by their own deadlines, and in two weeks, I had my own restaurant up and running. A big part went to the fact that these officials wanted to see business flourish in their small town. In fact, they had come for lunch just last week! It feels good to know that among all the experiences I've heard of (and read on the Ease of Doing Business website), there still are some wheels in the system who want the car to run. |
One needs to have immense patience, really and has to be prepared to run around. Also, always carry extra copies of every document you are required to bring. | Both | Abhishek | 9167219169 | abhisheknaiir@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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 45 | 24 Nov 2016 - 15:35 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | IT | Telangana | Hyderabad | 2/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | Register the business | Confusing laws that say different things |
Bureaucrats are more often insensitive than not, and do not have the mentality of helping citizens. Rather, they have the mentality of making things as difficult as possible - they think their job is to make things more difficult for citizens. A lot of markets are controlled by guilds and associations of existing businessmen. They place a high cost of entry for new entrants, especially someone without connections in the business community. I experienced extortionate behavior by local working class people, goons, thugs and small time politicians/crooks. Bribes on the preface of "donations" for 100 different religious festivals a year are taken. There is a total lack of rule of the law and lawlessness. It is a utter failure on the part of the police and judiciary since they do not have the capacity to dispose cases in a timely manner. One needs to be careful and look out for extortionate,fraudulent and deceiving behavior by lawyers and some Charted Accountants. |
Hire a good and trustworthy lawyer/CA who has experience in dealing with bureaucrats. They are also well-versed with the processes and procedures of the laws related to a start-up. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | 77898764578 | advaygoyal52@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 | |||
| 42 | 23 Nov 2016 - 18:40 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Management Consultancy | Delhi | Hauz Khas | 4/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Can’t find information |
Coming from the UK, the whole procedure went a little quicker than I expected. We hired a lawyer who handled all of the legal work. As per the experience, the lack of information regarding how to set up a business here is terrible. In the UK, every piece of information is on the government’s website, which makes the whole procedure very simple, whereas in India, it is so difficult to understand on your own! I would count this alone as a barrier to entry. Every step had to be explained to me by the lawyer or the accountant. And I had no option but to trust my lawyer. There are many grey areas regarding taxes and you don’t know surely what you need to do. Some of our clients are international and we receive certain fees for our expertise in dollars. Hence my accountant advised me to pay certain taxes since but he said it wasn’t a rule and I wasn’t sure whether I needed to pay that tax or not. The procedure could be set up online and that way it could be much easier and less complicated for people like me to go through the procedure. |
To newer entrepreneurs, I would advise you to pick out good lawyers and accountants, and trust them. They know this system best, and work very well with it. In India, such services are quite reasonable in terms of costs – back home; the legal fees alone are too high! Lastly, I’d advise them to get all their paperwork in order before they start, which would make the registration and paperwork a lot faster. |
Both | Laura Quinn | 98107 76929 | laura.quinn@doonething.in | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Keep me updated about responses to my report and experience. | Yes | ||
| 55 | 9 Dec 2016 - 14:42 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Agriculture | Maharashtra | Sangli | 1/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 |
Register the business Acquire land Transfer property Get building plan approved Get electricity connection |
Other | Middleman, Corrupt Officials, Lack of information | Without a middle man no one can purchase land. From agents suggesting you to buy land to getting loans approved - everything requires a middle man. To collect each document on time you have to bribe the officials. It is their duty to issue the documents but you have to be flexible and bribe or else the procedure gets stuck. There is no one in these government offices to give you any sort of guidance. Even the information on court fee, stamps required etc. is not available. | Information about all the procedures should be available online and should also be displayed on boards in the government offices. The government officials are rude, sometimes confused themselves and not very approachable. You have to bear the brunt. Government officials should be polite, have the required knowledge about the processes and should be helpful. Carry all the possible documents and hire someone who is well aware of the government procedures. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | 9222292281 | arvind.vetam@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 | |
| 71 | 15 Dec 2016 - 17:21 | Prashant | 49.204.110.82 | Easy to Do Business | Software/IT | Delhi | Gurgaon | 3/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Registering an online company under sole proprietorship is the easiest way to run a business in this country. I did mine that way, and it took less than three days for it to come through. My business was up and running three days after that. | I honestly think others make a big deal out of starting a business in India. All one has to do is talk to someone who has done this before- they'll guide you. | Both | Mayank Gupta | 99876547864 | mayankgupta52@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | ||||
| 39 | 23 Nov 2016 - 18:05 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Hotel | Maharashtra | Murud Janjira | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
Register the business Get construction permit Get registration and licenses under labour laws Get electricity connection Get water connection Pay taxes Resolve the court dispute Get through bankruptcy |
Other | Getting a license to serve alcohol was a problem | It was a tough time getting licquor licensed to put up a bar in the restaurant. It was a fight we fought for so many years | Follow your instinct and do a strong market study. Don't do what everyone is doing. In our time we were the pioneers in the business in our vicinity. However today, we are facing a lot of competition | Both | Kumudini Tavsalkar | 9769564269 | tanvi.tavsalkar@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 |