EAC of Finance Commission deliberates on ways to improve tax collections

Economic Advisory Council of the Fifteenth Finance Commission on Monday discussed issues related to GST stabilisation and possible ways to improve tax collection for additional resource mobilisation.

"Advisory Council was informed about submission of the 2020-21 report and now the Commission is on its next task of preparing the report for 2021-26 period," said an official release after the fifth meeting of the Fifteenth Finance Commission.

Talking to reporters, Finance Commission Chairman N K Singh said the Commission plans to make recommendations on Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will be for the GST Council to consider.

The Fifteenth Finance Commission discussed issues related to stabilisation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), relationship between GST Council and Finance Commission, and GST compensation being paid to states.

Singh also said the Commission was planning to make medium-term revenue projections in its report.

The Council discussed the possible macro assumptions for the Commission's award period relating to real growth, inflation etc were discussed in detail.

Matters like the structural shift in inflation, relationship between the GDP deflator and consumer price inflation, and possible trajectories of movement in real activity were also discussed.

"Tax revenues and expenditure patterns emerging both at the Union and the States level. Possible way to improve tax collection for additional resource mobilisation," the release said.

The meeting held detailed deliberations on tax revenues and expenditure patterns emerging both at the Union and the states level.

Possible way to improve tax collection for additional resource mobilisation was another focus area of the meeting.

As per the release, issues related to compliance and adherence to Fiscal responsibility legislations (FRLs) enacted by respective governments. The need for bringing in fiscal transparency was underlined in the discussions.

Advisory Council members were updated by the Commission regarding the additional terms of reference extending Fifteenth Finance Commission's term till October 2020.

As per the additional terms of reference, the Commission will submit two reports- one, for the year 2020-21 and second report for the five year period of 2021-22 to 2025-26.

The council members who attndeded the meeting include M Govinda Rao, Indira Rajaraman, Sudipto Mundle, Omkar Goswami, Arvind Virmani, Surjit Bhalla and Prachi Mishra.