Gujarat govt presents vote-on-account sans changes in tax policy

The Gujarat government today presented vote-on-account of Rs 40,000 crore for the first four months of financial year 2014-15, without levying any new tax or giving any benefits to the people.

The Interim Budget speech delivered by Finance Minister Nitin Patel highlighted achievements of the last 13 years of the BJP rule in the state under the PM nominee Narendra Modi, comparing that with the performance of the Centre ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The state government is presenting vote-on-account budget with interim plan allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for April to July 2014, due to the impending polls, Finance Minister Nitin Patel said.

The state government did not propose any new tax or give relief from taxes on any front.

"The budget does not include new items or services. The vote on account has provisions for expenditure of recurrent nature and existing plan schemes," Patel said, adding that all the new schemes will be included in the full budget that is to be presented after the elections.

Patel presented a detailed account of works done under Modi government in the last decade "to make Gujarat a progressive state".

"In the last decade our government has been presenting annual budgets under the leadership of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and through the budget that we have been able to implement our vision for speedy and inclusive development of the state," he said.

"The GSDP at the 2004-05 prices of Gujarat has increased annually at the rate of 10.17 per cent, which is highest among the large states in the country. During the same period, the national annual average growth rate was 7.8 per cent," he added.