Bengaluru entrepreneur says ₹4 crore in taxes made him quit ‘building in India’ dream; vows to leave in 2026
At a time when the tendency for Indian businessmen to choose to settle abroad is increasing, an entrepreneur from Bengaluru shared that he will leave India due to the taxation rules of the country, which he claims is suspicious of its taxpayers.
Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Rohit Shroff said in a post on LinkedIn that he paid approx. ₹4 crore in taxes in terms of GST and income tax “to a country that by default views its most compliant contributors with suspicion”.
He complained that tax-compliant citizens were being targeted in India without providing any evidence to support his claim.
“In India, only 4-5% of the population pays income tax. But when notices are sent, clarifications are made and scrutiny intensifies, the same small group continues to be targeted. Those who are compliant. Those who are already in the system,” Shroff said.
He described this review as “constant and layered”, with GST teams and income tax officials spearheading the process even as compliant businesses did not get any approval or benefits.
“They hire teams to file GST every month, TDS every quarter and income tax every year. Fighting the system costs more than bowing to it, so most of them don’t resist. They pay, respond and move on,” Shroff wrote.
“At some point a reasonable question arises: what’s the point?” he asked, and quickly said the answer lies in incentives.
Rohit Shroff, a partner at content marketing platform Aflog Group, claimed that India’s tax system has won the trust of the majority, leaving behind the minority group who are “commercially minded, build formally and pay consistently”.
“People like us are thinly dispersed across the country, they are politically unimportant and therefore easy to ignore or infer,” he said.
Will the entrepreneur leave India?
Rohit Shroff said that the reason why Indians leave India is not because they hate the country.
“Indians are not lacking in talent. They run big businesses in the UAE, the US and much of the world. When they leave, it is not because they hate the country. It is because the system does not reward growth. It punishes it. It slows it down,” he said.
The entrepreneur from Bengaluru said he has completed his dream of “building in India” and wants to move by 2026 to start his business elsewhere.
“It hurts to say this, but at some point self-preservation is more important than slogans. This has nothing to do with patriotism. It has to do with reality. The system is flawed. There is no real improvement and there is no real ease of doing business here.”
‘It’s not about me, it’s about systematic abuse’
When live mint When he reached out to Rohit Shroff, he clarified that his post was not about leaving India, but about the alleged ‘systemic’ tax abuse in the country.
“This is not about the fact that I pay taxes. But the systematic problem is that individuals and companies who pay taxes are viewed with suspicion. 4-5 per cent of India pays taxes and this is a systematic problem. 10 per cent of turnover gets stuck with TDS. But we are scrutinized through penalties, notices etc. The 95 per cent who do not file income tax are the masses who get benefits in return because they are the vote bank.” live mint via a LinkedIn conversation.
“This isn’t about me leaving. This is about me saying how unfair it feels for an entrepreneur,” Shroff said, adding, “This isn’t about me. This is about systematic harassment. That’s why so many people have come out and spoken out.”
Online discussion begins
Rohit Shroff’s LinkedIn post triggered a debate on the internet; While many people agreed with his views, others threw insults in the comments.
“I agree with you 1000%. As an entrepreneur the system has more ways to punish/prosecute you than ways to reward you. Every business is always seen in a dubious light and it becomes incredibly difficult to justify time and time again,” one person said.
“I came back to India in 2019 believing that the system had changed and would continue to evolve. I am sure it has not changed now. It is designed to clip your wings, not help you fly, and eventually ambition must learn to leave,” another user said.
However, a few more people disagreed with Shroff’s claims and views.
“This is complete nonsense. I have been running a business for the last 9 years. Not a single IT notification. Not a single GST notification. Why? Because I am fully compliant. I pay my taxes on time. I keep all records in order. I file returns on time. Leaving India is a personal choice and what is best for your new life. But don’t blame the country for your decision,” one person commented.
