Directions : Each question given below consists of a statement, followed by…
2021
Directions : Each question given below consists of a statement, followed by three or four arguments numbered I, II, III and IV. You have to decide which of the arguments is/are ‘strong’ argument(s) and which is/are ‘weak’ argument(s) and accordingly choose your answer from the alternatives given below each question.
Statements: Should all the indirect taxes in India be combined into a single tax on all commodities?
Arguments: I. Yes. This will considerably simplify the tax collection mechanism and the cost of collecting tax will also reduce.
II. Yes. The manufacturers and traders will be benefited by this which in turn will boost tax collection.
III. No. No other country has adopted such system.
- A.
None is strong
- B.
Only I and III are strong
- C.
Only II is strong
- D.
Only II and III are strong
- E.
None of these
Attempted by 4 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: E
Concept
A ‘strong’ argument is one that is both directly related to the statement and substantial — it rests on a real, weighty consequence or sound reasoning. A ‘weak’ argument is one that is trivial, irrelevant, based on an unverified assumption, or relies on imitation ("others do/don't do it") rather than on the merit of the proposal itself.
Application
Evaluate each argument against the statement "Should all indirect taxes be merged into a single tax on all commodities?":
Argument I — Merging the taxes simplifies the collection mechanism and lowers the cost of collection. This is a direct, concrete administrative benefit of a unified tax and is exactly the rationale on which such reform stands, so it is a substantial and relevant argument.
Argument II — "Manufacturers and traders will benefit, which will in turn boost tax collection." The chain here is loose: a benefit to traders does not by itself establish that overall tax collection will rise, and the claim is asserted rather than reasoned. It is a vague, unsubstantiated argument.
Argument III — "No other country has adopted such a system." This is an appeal to imitation, not to merit; whether others have done it says nothing about whether it is good for India. It is also factually unsound, as many countries operate unified value-added tax systems. Hence it is weak.
Cross-check
Only Argument I qualifies as strong; II and III are weak. Now match this to the offered alternatives: "None is strong", "Only I and III are strong", "Only II is strong", and "Only II and III are strong". None of these states "Only I is strong". Because the correct combination (I alone) is absent from the listed alternatives, the right choice is "None of these".