No hike in tax on common man this Budget: Parrikar

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today announced that common people will be spared from hike in taxes in the forthcoming Budget and his government would rather seek to bolster revenue collection by exploring untapped resources.
Parrkiar will be presenting Budget (2013-14) in state Legislative Assembly on March 18.
Dismissing the speculations that increase in taxes is in the offing as the state has been reeling under the ban on mining, Parrikar said, "We are not going to increase the tax".
The chief minister said it was the intention of the state government to plug the revenue losses through additional resource mobilisation that includes tapping the unexplored.

"The state government has already began mobilising the additional resources by tapping those sources which were left unattended by the erstwhile Congress government", he said.
Parrikar said the state government had already collected Rs 293 crore as stamp duty from miners and expecting additional Rs 400 crore.

"Stamp duty was never paid by miners as the erstwhile Congress government allowed them to continue with their leases", he said, adding the BJP government has started collecting stamp duty with retrospective effect from 2007, and will continue it for next 20 years.
Without elaborating, Parrikar said the state government has zeroed in on some areas that are untapped for "resource mobilisation".

"I can't share details with you..They are part of my budget", he added.
The chief minister said similar recoveries were due in various other departments, which will account for generation of additional resources.