PANAJI: The government had announced some bold measures in the budget for the year 2009-10 in order to enhance revenue base to reduce deficit and also limit borrowing from the market, but failed to implement its additional resource mobilisation announcements, which would have helped it in raising revenue to the tune of nearly Rs 500 crore.

“Had the government been able to raise the amount it had envisaged in its budget proposals the state’s deficit would have come down substantially leading to reduced borrowings from the market,” said a senior official in the government adding that these additional funds would have helped the state implement some of its schemes in a much better way.
He said that despite opposition the government was able to push through some of the proposals which enabled the government to collect a fair amount of revenue. He went on to add that some of the proposals that were implemented were groundwater extraction charge, library cess, entry fee on casinos, etc but the major proposals like professional tax, land replenishment cum green environment charge, etc remained unimplemented.
The Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat while presenting the budget for the previous financial year as Finance Minister had announced Goa State Tax on Professionals, Trade, Callings and Employment, through which the government had intended to collect to the tune of Rs 65 crore but somehow the proposal did not go through and efforts by the government to bring an act for the purpose did not materialise.
Through the Land Replenishment cum Green Environment Charge from the mining industry, to make good the loss suffered by the state and its people over the years, the government had proposed to collect whopping revenue to the tune of Rs 375 crore per year. It had intended to levy the charge of Rs 30 per tonne of the mining reject
Another proposal that would have brought substantial income to the state government was entry toll on vehicles, through which the government would have got an income of Rs 20 crore per year.
The Chief Minister said that while the government has already initiated steps to implement collection of professional tax by introducing a bill in the state assembly, the other two major proposal through which government would have gained substantial revenue have been “caught up” in legal wrangles.
Mr Kamat further said that since mining was more of a central subject the state government had little powers to levy taxes, charges etc and as such the government was in touch with the central authorities to find a solution to the issue. He also said that the issue of entry on vehicle tax proposed by him also has to be sorted out before it was implemented.
He said that despite the hurdles faced by his government on these three vital issues that would have fetched substantial revenue to the state exchequer it did well on other fronts in collecting revenues.