KOCHI: Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac will launch the Mission Ernakulam 2016-17 project on Tuesday in Kochi which is aimed ensuring collection of the complete tax revenue from Ernakulam district to the kitty of the state government in the coming financial year. The inaugural function will be held at Kacherippady Ashirbha-van at 10 am. The Finance Minister has called a meeting of sales tax officials also in this connection. Ernakulam has been selected for the pilot project since the district accounts for half of the sales tax from across the state. A release from the office of the Finance Minister said that the project does not mean imposing any additional tax burden but ensuring flow of all tax amounts already imposed, to the state exchequer.
Ernakulam accounts for Rs 18,681 cr in the state tax revenue of Rs 38,628 cr. Until October, Ernaku-lam could collect Rs 8434 cr and Mattancherry Rs 848 cr and in the remaining months, both divisions have to mop up Rs 6,725 cr and Rs 610 cr respectively through self-assessment. Ernakulam and Mattan-cherry have to collect Rs 1,850 cr and Rs 213 cr respectively in additional demand but both have been able to collect only Rs 28 cr and Rs 25 cr respectively. Various studies indicate that 25-35 percent of Kerala’s tax revenue remains not collected.
