Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi yesterday presented a deficit Budget of Rs 3,138.54 crore for 2004-05 with additional tax proposals on a number of items including petrol and diesel. | |
| Presenting this year's Budget in the state Assembly here, Gogoi said the Budget included the additional expenditure of Rs 1,010 crore on account of past liabilities. |
| |
| He hiked salestax on petrol from 20 to 25 per cent and diesel from 12 to 15 per cent, respectively, and imposed entry tax of 4 per cent on crude oil brought to the state. |
| |
| Considering the difficulties faced by the tea industry, he announced reduction of agricultural income tax to 35 per cent from the existing 45 per cent on income above Rs 1 lakh. |
| |
| To encourage tea machinery manufacturers and facilitate modernisation of the tea factories, Gogoi reduced sales tax rate on tea machinery from the present 8 to 4 per cent. |
| |
| Noting that the government was facing a 'very critical financial situation', he said during the current year, the total debt servicing liabilities as per the Budget estimates was Rs 3,742 crore out of which Rs 2,027 crore was on account of interest payments. |
| |
| The entire opposition members including the AGP and Bharatiya Janata Party earlier walked out of the House to protest against the refusal of the government to form a House committee to probe the multi-crore crude oil scam and were absent during the Budget presentation. |
| |
|
| |
