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Chandigarh, November 30
Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said here today that they might approach the Supreme Court if the Centre failed to release the GST compensation to the state. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had last week expressed shock over the delay in the release of Rs 4,100 crore to the state.
The compensation for the months of August and September is yet to be paid. Manpreet, along with the Finance Ministers of West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi and Rajasthan, is to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the issue next week.
“We will demand either give us the GST compensation or form a dispute resolution mechanism on the issue. Otherwise, the states have the option to approach the Supreme Court,” Manpreet told the media. He asserted that the disbursement of compensation to states by the Centre could not be denied. “We are not beggars,” he remarked, adding there was a delay despite an assurance by the Centre. “Rs 4,100 crore is not a small amount. Around Rs 2,000 crore per month is our salary bill,” he said.
Asked about the low growth in state’s internal resources, he blamed the recession in the country. “Not only Punjab, tax mobilisation of the Union Government is low too. We are matching the national growth. Against other states’ 4 per cent GST collection, Punjab’s growth in mobilisation has been at 10 per cent.”
Manpreet blamed the previous SAD-BJP government for agreeing to subsuming of 23 per cent of revenue coming from taxes on foodgrain for the GST implementation.
The Punjab minister said their priority was to pay salaries to state government employees. — PTI
‘We are not beggars’
Along with WB, Kerala, Delhi and Rajasthan counterparts, Finance Minister Manpreet Badal to meet Sitharaman over the issue next week.