India eyes naming roads, trains after good taxpayers

Fancy having a school or a train named after you, or getting priority boarding at airports? In India, this could soon be true for people who pay their taxes in exemplary fashion. In proposals aimed at improving the Asian giant's low tax intake, the top 10 taxpayers in a district over a decade "could be recognised by naming important buildings, monuments, roads, trains, initiatives... in their name", the annual Economic Survey released on Thursday suggested. Other sweeteners could include faster boarding at airports and special "diplomatic-type" lanes at immigration counters, the government report compiled by India's chief economic advisor said. The proposals are inspired by the "nudge" theory of behavioural economics, which gently encourages people towards better economic and social behaviour, the report said. The proposals did not say what criteria would be used to judge a top taxpayer.