MUMBAI: CNBC-TV 18 has a special feast for it audience on Budget 2004. The latest launch- Tightrope 2004 - is a 300 hours of programming on Budget 2004.

The programme is divided in two phases. Phase I will be a run up to the Union Budget 2004 and the second will analyse the Budget.

As part of its buildup towards the Union Budget 2004, CNBC-TV18 will host six pre-budget round tables held across the country.

The roundtable on taxation was held in Mumbai on 25 June 2004. The discussion was based on 'How will the government use tax to fill its coffers'. The Mumbai roundtable will be televised on CNBC TV 18 next week. An in-depth analysis on the issues related to the raising of standard deduction in personal taxation, double taxation treaty, service tax and VAT were discussed at the roundtable, says a company release.

Present at the tax roundtable in Mumbai were Ernst & Young chairman Jairaj Purandare, Bharat S Raut & Co partner Bharat Raut, tax consultant H P Ranina, Crawford & Bailey senior partner Dadi Engineer, PriceWaterhouseCoopers ED Prashant Deshpande and Ambit Finance director Dinesh Kanabar.

According to the release, more than 125 CEOs, numerous Indian and international experts will be part of this year's programming line up for Budget 2004 on CNBC-TV18.

Says Television-18 ltd CEO Haresh Chawla, CEO, "A series of pre budget events and programming as well as the most comprehensive budget day and post budget coverage has been created under the Tightrope 2004 umbrella for CNBC TV18's budget foray."

The Tightrope 2004 aims to bring out the various conflicting issues that the FM will need to address. The Mumbai roundtable had opinion leaders and taxation specialists speaking about the budget implications on tax both - direct and indirect tax.