The Aam Aadmi Party government on Monday presented what it called a ‘tax-free’ budget, levying no new taxes and rationalising the Value Added Tax structure which will result in reduction in the cost of ready-made garments, shoes, watches, sweets and snacks ( namkeen ), and electric and hybrid vehicles.
The government has proposed uniform tax slabs for various items to rule out ambiguity, which often leads to corruption and manipulation.
“The government is committed to reducing tax arbitrage and will attempt to keep a uniform rate with neighbouring States. In several items such as sweets, namkeen , watches, ready-made garments, lower tax rate in neighbouring States was causing erosion in revenue. We have made efforts to remove such imbalances,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, presenting a Rs 46,600 crore annual budget for 2016-17, pegging the plan outlay at Rs.20,600 crore.
While VAT constitutes almost 65 per cent of the total tax revenue and collections in the current fiscal have touched Rs.20,000 crore, this is still short of the revised target of Rs.21,000 crore, which itself had been lowered from Rs.24,000 crore.
Expectedly, education, health and transport sectors got the maximum share. Education got Rs.10,690 crore, a rise of 8.68 per cent over last year. Of this, Rs.4,645 crore is for plan expenditure (23 per cent), highest among all heads.
Elaborating on its three-tier public health roadmap, the government has allotted Rs.5,250 crore, which forms 16 per cent of the total expenditure, against last year’s allocation of Rs.4,787 crore. “We will open 1,000 new Mohalla Clinics by this year-end,” he said. The transport sector emerged as another priority area with Rs.1,735 crore being allocated.
The government also earmarked Rs.1,068 crore for women’s safety, security and empowerment. Under this fund, installation of CCTVs in public transport and roads, streetlighting and setting up of working women’s hostel will be taken up. Mr. Sisodia has also proposed a Mohalla Rakshak Dal, a vigilante team to patrol areas at night in all the 70 Assembly constituencies.
