GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today presented a Rs 33,687.43 crore interim Budget for the first six months of 2016-17 financial year urging the Centre for more support to tide over the state’s financial crisis.
“To defray the obligatory and other necessary expenses, I seek Vote-on-Account on the demand for grants for an aggregate amount of Rs 33,68,743.21 lakh for the period from 1st of April, 2016 to 30th September, 2016,” Gogoi said during his presentation speech in the assembly.
Gogoi, who is also the Finance Minister, presented the interim Budget as the five-year term of his government will expire on May 15 and Assembly polls are due in the coming few months.
The Chief Minister informed that the provisional collection of sales tax till December 2015 stood at Rs 6,190.74 crore as against Rs 5,783.87 crore in the same period last fiscal.
“VAT collection of the department during 2014-15 was Rs 6,859.24 crore as against Rs 6,288.54 crore during 2013-14 showing an increase of Rs 570.70 crore,” he added.
In the current fiscal up to November, the excise collection stood at Rs 463.66 crore, in addition to Rs 275.45 crore collected as VAT, a rise of 13.84 per cent over the same period last fiscal.
@Agency report.
