Amid the ongoing tussle between non-BJP states and the Centre over the tax devolution mechanism, Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal on Saturday expressed concerns saying there has been a reduction in the percentage of funds that the soutern is getting from the Centre.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Finance Minister KN Balagopal said, “Look at the percentage of the money given to other states and then look at what is given to Kerala. The funds collected by the Union (government) increased 11 times during this period but the increase in tax to Kerala is only 8.8 times which means there is a sharp decline. So the reduction is huge and that is why states like Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, and West Bengal are raising this issue.”
Kerala Finance Minister further stated that the state government is facing a shortage of funds to meet the expenditure for its social schemes.
“We are facing the problem of giving minimum