Strengthening Haryana’s own revenue system will be achieved by expanding the tax base, improving compliance, curbing revenue leakages and making effective use of modern technology, said Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday.
The conference was organised by the Swarna Jayanti Haryana Institute for Fiscal Management (SJHIFM) in Chandigarh. The need now is to convert this growth into sustainable revenue capacity. He clarified that this target will not be achieved by increasing tax rates.
Saini was addressing the inaugural session of a national conference organised to analyse and strengthen ‘Haryana’s Own Tax Revenue System’ for Viksit Haryana 2047. He said that Haryana accounts for less than 4% of the country’s total GST taxpayers, but contributes around 7.7% of the country’s total GST collection. Saini said that Haryana’s own tax revenue is currently below 7% of its GSDP compared with the state’s economic potential. A target has been set to raise it to 10% by 2030 and 15% by 2047.
The CM said that the objective of a strong revenue system is not merely to mobilise more revenue, but to use it to provide better roads, schools, hospitals and public services, thereby improving the lives of the people. He said it is the government’s priority to ensure that taxpayers have clear information about rules and procedures and that tax compliance is simple and transparent for them. “Instead, emphasis will be placed on improving the efficiency, coverage and productivity of the existing revenue system, expanding the tax base, encouraging compliance and preventing revenue leakages,” Saini added.
