Jaisalmer: Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, chaired the meeting on pre-budget consultation with states and Union Territories for the upcoming Union Budget 2025-26 in Jaisalmer on December 20.
Union Minister for State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary along with Chief Ministers of Goa, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya and Odisha attended the meeting, the Ministry of Finance informed in a post on its X handle.
Key discussion points included:
- Special Packages for Fiscally Stressed States: Punjab and Kerala requested special financial packages to address their fiscal challenges, emphasizing the need for greater borrowing flexibility and debt management support.
- Increased Allocation for Long-Term Loans: State finance ministers requested the central government increase allocations for 50-year interest-free loans to support long-term infrastructure and capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects.
- Land Acquisition Costs: A call was made for the central government to assume a larger share of land acquisition costs, particularly for infrastructure projects, to alleviate the burden on state budgets.
The GST Council might bring a cheer for food delivery apps such as Zomato and Swiggy as reports suggest that they might be receiving a cut in payable Goods and Services Tax. Sources reveal that the council might slash the GST on food delivery charges to 5 percent. Currently, the tax slab that it falls under is 18 per cent.
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