Thiruvananthapuram: Finance minister Thomas Isaac said on Thursday that steps for the pay revision of government employees will be completed in a time bound manner. Arrears of 2 instalments of DA will be disbursed in cash along with the salary for the month of April.
Amnesty for tax arrears
As per accounts, around Rs 9,957 cr is in arrears. Out of this, Rs 3, 000 cr has been classified as non-collectable. The amnesty scheme will be applicable to arrears relating to period up to March 31, 2005 for Kerala General Sales Tax Act; arrears relating to the period up to June 30, 2017 under Kerala Value Added Tax Act, Kerala Tax on Luxuries Act and Kerala Surcharge on Taxes Act, Central Sales Tax Act; and arrears relating to the period up to March 31, 2017 under Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act. Those opting for the amnesty need to pay principal amount only. Interested persons need to opt for the scheme on or before Sept. 30, 2019.
Vehicles to cost more: The FM hopes to net an additional Rs 200 cr by one time tax of one percent for vehicles used for private purpose.
Construction woes: The one percent flood-cess on goods coming in the GST bracket of 12, 18 and 28 percentage is expected to increase price of most goods in the state. Construction sector struggling to come out of the flood devastation is likely to be the worst hit as prices of cement, granite and plywood will move up.
