PANJIM: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Wednesday presented an over Rs 408 crore Revenue Surplus Budget, taxing petrol, mobiles, eating out places and even scooters to make them more expensive, besides increased taxes on alcohol. Petrol prices will increase by nearly Rs 2.50 paisa per litre and settle at a shade under Rs 60.
The chief minister, who holds the finance portfolio, said his 68-page State Budget with total Budget size of Rs 13,331.44 crore, had a major thrust on employment and income generation, creation of infrastructure and boost economic growth and achieve higher Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). The Budget ensured that all welfare schemes were left untouched – and even increased – however saw no big ticket announcements besides increasing plan – read capital – expenditure by 41 per cent. Parsekar’s finances will be hugely boosted with Central assistance which is set to increase by Rs 1,054 crore, as per the recommendation of the XIV Finance Commission.
In his two-and-half hour-long multilingual budget speech, the Finance Minister announced that he would hike Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol from existing 10 per cent to 15 per cent, rationalizing that the petrol prices were still the lowest amongst all the States and said that the amount collected – around Rs 100 crore – would be utilized for the implementation of the increased number of infrastructure schemes, he said.
“However, let me assure this House that in the event that there is a drastic increase of petrol price, the decision will be reviewed accordingly, keeping the spirit of our assurance given to the people of Goa in our election manifesto of 2012,” the chief minister said. With this, the petrol price goes up by Rs 2.46 per litre. Currently, the petrol price in the State is Rs 55.24. Government had in December last hiked the VAT on petrol from 3 per cent to 10 per cent.
Parsekar’s budget with total size of Rs 13,331.44 crore as against Rs 10,540.54 crore in 2014-15, with almost 26.48 per cent rise was tabled on Wednesday, where he said the Budget has been planned keeping in mind his predecessor Manohar Parrikar’s vision and hence has not made any changes or introduced any new things. “I was not elected as Chief Minister by the people. People had given their mandate three years back to Manohar Parrikar. I am taking forward his vision,” he told media, soon after the Budget presentation.
Chief Minister said that the Budget focus on ‘sabka saath-sabka vikas’ so as to ensure that the fruits of development fully percolate down to the less privileged and vulnerable sections of society. “My government has now completed just 137 days in office since November 8, 2014 with the firm belief that the first claim on development belongs to the poor,” he said.
Stating that the government has made the social welfare initiatives much stronger, the Budget thrust was on boost to the economy by greater attention to the areas of infrastructure, sustainable mining, agriculture, tourism, water resources, education, industries, etc.
