Demand to Delhi: return a quarter of tax Mumbai contributes………Shweta Desai
Civic leaders say Mumbai contributes so much to the countrys coffers that it is time the Centre paid back the city. The BMC plans to ask the Centre to return 25 per cent from its contribution as special funds, and feels this is the right time to ask, with Maharashtra celebrating 50 years of statehood.
Corporators said the demand is an old one but getting a resolution passed now will be significant. If the Centre turns down the demand, we can tell Mumbaikars that even in the states golden jubilee year it was denied special funding, Mayor Shraddha Jadhav said.
If the demand is accepted, Sena corporators said, it will set a trend that will have to be followed annually.
The city has made and continues to make a huge financial contribution but the Centre has never been considerate. We want it to make a special note of Mumbai in this special year and release more funds, a leader said.
A special meeting has been called on April 26 to discuss the demand and pass a resolution. If approved by the state government, the resolution will be forwarded to the Centre.
Mumbai contributes around 40 to 60 per cent of the countrys total income tax and a large chunk of other taxes too but, Jadhav said, it gets hardly any significant funds in return. She found it unjust that the Centre contributes generously to the development of various states but is reluctant to give funds for Mumbai.
A number of projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission are yet to be sanctioned, she said.
Jadhav said there are no specific plans on how the funds will be used, if they arrive. But there are so many projects that the special fund will find a use, she said.
Leader of the Opposition Rajhans Singh, however, was doubtful whether the funds would be used properly. Singh, also a Congress MLA, said the party, in power in the state, will support the demand for funds, but added: The Sena has not managed to solve infrastructure problems including water in its last three terms. Even if we get the 25 per cent funds, hardly any development work will be done.
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Demand-to-Delhi–return-a-quarter-of-tax-Mumbai-contributes/605431