PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is slated to present the State government's budget for 2023-24 in the upcoming session of the Goa Legislative Assembly from March 27 to 31, will be hard pressed to balance between a plethora of demands and sops put forth by industry and the State's needs to generate revenue.
Sawant has been showered with demands, the most common put forth by associations and representative bodies of almost every business sector being 'avoid new taxes' and some even asking for abolition of some levies.
The demands have come up during his budget related interactions and consultations with most of the business associations and bodies.
The Chief Minister has meanwhile said the budget will spell out measures to increase government revenues and will be "all-industry" encompassing. There will also be measures to attract private investment in newer sectors to generate employment, he added.
Meanwhile, industry representatives who have met Sawant and formally presented their suggestions have urged him to refrain from any new taxation even as reforms in various sectors have been sought.
Tax rationalisation besides reduction of tax rates for gas and high-end liquor and wholesale abolition of stamp duty were some of the demands presented to the Chief Minister by the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
De Sousa met Sawant and formally placed the demands before him where he also discussed improvement in Goa's mass transportation system.
Another prominent business association which presented a formal to-do list to the chief minister is Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) which delivered a 20-pointer letter to Sawant suggesting improvement of tourism-related activity.
TTAG president, Nilesh Shah said, the letter speaks of how provisions can be made in the budget and tourism improved generally.
Like the GCCI, the TTAG has also stressed on the need for an integrated transport system to be developed which will connect Goa's cities and also the country side. Other demands include a holistic 'entertainment policy' besides a tax waiver for charter flights.
