NE demands 10% of total share of taxes

AGARTALA: North-eastern states together have demanded 10 per cent of the total share of taxes from the 13th Finance Commission, Tripura Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury said on Friday.

He said the finance ministers of the north-eastern states, along with the finance ministers of other states, met 13th Finance Commission Chairman Vijay Kelkar in Delhi on September 16 last and demanded 50 per cent of the total share of taxes instead of the present 30.5%.

Besides, the seven north-eastern states have also demanded 10 per cent of the total share of taxes in view of the region's backwardness.

After the Centre announced the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report, all the states have also set up pay commissions or pay review committees and demanded that the Centre share 50 per cent of the burden to pay new pay scale to the government employees, Chowdhury said.

"We (Northeast) have demanded the total money required to implement the pay commissions for the respective states of the region considering the status of the north-eastern states as special category states," he said.