Saturday, March 12, 2005

THE CODE

Due to mass repurcussions among the group on the copyrights of the code, the code which was in disply in this blog has been removed. After due legal procedures, it will be posted later. Sorry for the inconvenience. You can very well share our project experience in the below blog. Thank you

Adaptive Spam Filter

We made a promise and we render it. This was how we felt after finishing the crucial module in our much-hyped project on Network spam filter. After getting the project code from the consultant, we felt as if we have been screwed, front and back. Then we decided, enough is enough and things should be taken in our own hands. And we started desperately, with no feasibility studies, no time, no assistanship, but with a lot of determination and will power. Be it when chief-programmer Kannan was making demoralising comments about the project feasibilty or when the stupid C language didnt understand our language we tried and tried again. And eventually when I almost made the module work i was escalated that it would be done. But when minutes after, Kannan called me and said that he had indeed finished the module, I , no no, we felt as if we have given birth to a child. Metaphors apart, we felt really really happy and confident. Now the majot module has be done, the state-of-the-art adaptive spam filter, we are confident we could do anything in C. But a major problem still poses for us in linking this module with the existing code, getting the mails from the buffer and making a front end interface with the Linux machine. Nevertheless, we know we can do it, no matter what is required of us. This episode has given a great confidence us and made us belive to belive in ourselves. And indeed, I agree with the speech, no no, sermon given my pratheeba during the first review sessions. She too has been screwed by her project consultant and she too is venturing into self project. Well, with the arsenal she has in her group, it would be a piece of cake eventually. And I would also like to make a point here guys, do your own project just for the heck of it. As Mr. Arummozhi sir said..."guys you know whats the best part of the project is, when you do ur project, u learn a lot. You just wreck ur brain to get the answers. When u do dun it, u miss the fun of it". It is guys it is. We had a gala time doing our project together thanks to the hospitality of Kannan. Its still early to talk abt our project though but its really essential to understand the underlying principle, "dun allow others to keep in ur wife and project". Well thats too much anyway, but thats how it is.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

VAT - whats there for the consumers?

This is the latest buzz word in the Indian business scenario. VAT stands for value added tax. I would like to throw some light on what is VAT. The VAT payable on an asset is usually determined by the first use of that asset. The VAT Capital Goods Scheme adjusts the VAT due in some circumstances if the use of an asset changes. All these taxes viz, entry tax, purchase tax and turnover tax is burdened on the consumers. But because of VAT, now each and every member in the supply chain has to pay their corresponding tax based on their output. This ensures that the tax is equally shared by all the members in the supply chain. So VAT is a tax levied on a firm as a percentage of its value added, to avoid the multiplying effect of taxes as the product passes through different stages of production. The tax is based on the difference between the value of the output and the value of the inputs used to produce it. The aim is to tax a firm only for the value added by it to the inputs it is using for manufacturing its output. In principle, although the tax is levied on the value added at each stage of production, it is intended to tax only the final consumer. For producers, the VAT they pay on the inputs they buy from other companies is recouped when they sell their own output. I hope you are cleared about how VAT works. Now what we have to see is that whether the VAT system will work in India.
VAT basically replaces state taxes in the forms of sales tax, entry tax,purchase tax and turnover tax. The basic difference being that sales tax has a single-point levy, while VAT has a multiple-point entry. While sales tax is origin-based (sellers pay tax), in VAT consumers pay tax. Sales tax does not offer input tax credit, VAT facilitates input tax credit, meaning you can credit the tax paid on purchase of raw material as it would be offset against other taxes one is liable to pay. In sales tax, assessment is book-based that will be checked by tax officials; in VAT it is self-assessment and the dealer's self-assessment would be audited. While there are incentive schemes in sales tax, VAT has no incentive schemes. In this multiple system of taxation, the tax is passed on from the manufacturer to the wholesalers who then transfer it to retailers and then finally to customers. Businesses will not bear the burden as it is finally transferred to the customers. Exports are also zero-rated; goods for export will not be taxed. There could be losses initially. The Centre has said that the state governments would be compensated if found incurring losses. Under VAT, the government must also ensure that false invoices are not made by the traders as this could lead to a major scam. This is very much pronounced in India where the retail market is largely unorganised and also the attitude of the consumers who do not press for a bill on their product. VAT has been implemented in 130 countries around the world. It was first implemented in 1954. It is a proven system that is globally accepted. Australia also joined the VAT regime last year. All these countries have proved that VAT pays off in the long run.
Retailers are against VAT because till now they could evade tax as there were loopholes in the system. In the new system, there is no way they can evade tax. But I believe that retailers should think about it in the larger perspective, that their businesses will grow and sooner or later they too will join the big league of traders. It will turn out to be beneficial to them in the long run. The input tax credit, which forms the core of VAT, enables dealers to claim credit of the tax paid or payable on the purchase of any goods made from a dealer registered in the state.
The input tax credit can also be carried forward to the next year. The manufacturing sector will benefit the most from VAT especially the auto industry because it depends on various ancillary units for spare parts. But we have to keep one thing in our mind. Whatever may be the negative results of the VAT at the adolescent stage, it should be given a long run and the traders and the consumers should give a chance to the VAT to prove its full potential, in India ofcourse.

Thursday, January 20, 2005

The Spirit Of Sacrifice

Today being the Holy day of the Bakrid, I feel that its a apt time to tell something on it. People think the fest is a barbaric activity which kills animals for the feast. I would like to clarify that with the little informations i know.First a bit history. This occasion is celebrated on the day when Ibrahim sa-al-was ready to sacrifice his only son. To witness this holy sacrifice Allah has made the sacrifice of a goat, cow or a camel on this day. This is to prove that His followers are ready to sacrifice for Him. It is not a barbaric activity as it being told around. The basic rule of Islam is the man is ruler of this world. Everything in this world is created by Him is to assist the mankind. Yes its quite contradictory to all the scientific belives but cience cannot prove everything and there is a great power behind every creation and thats Him. And this sacrifice is to make man remind that he is obliged to the God. And to share it with the others and to give it to needy people. It just promotes peace, harmony and understanding unlike what "others" say about it.