Centre giving tax share to states like charity, says K Chandrasekhar Rao

Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said in the Assembly Thursday that the central government collects receives Rs 50,000 crore from Telangana but gives back no more than 24,000 crore and pretends to make it look like charity.

The chief minister intervened during finance minister T Harish Rao’s reply during the budget discussion in the state Assembly, and lashed out the BJP government at the Centre for goofing up on tax devolution on states.

The guiding principles on tax distribution to the states were clearly spelled out in the Constitution, the chief minister said; devolution was not charity but a constitutional right of states, which must get their rightful share of tax proceeds regardless of which party was in power at the Centre.

Telangana has received only Rs 10,000 crore from the Centre in the past five years, he said.

He said he has demanded an apology from Union home minister Amit Shah for misleading the people with false figures of tax devolution.