AP CM YS Jagan Review Meeting With Revenue Generating Departments

AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the revenue-generating departments to ensure transparency while plugging loopholes and leakages in tax collection in order to increase state revenues. During a review meeting of revenue generating departments held here on Thursday, the Chief Minister was told that the half yearly revenue collection was encouraging at 94.47 percent of the target. 

The Chief Minister told the officials to avail the services of professional agencies to plug leakages in tax collection, if need be.
“There should be no leakages while gaining more efficiency in tax collection. If necessary, avail the services of established professional organisations and agencies for this,” he said. Tax payers should feel the flexibility and transparency of the policies, which is a must for smooth collection of taxes, he said.

Exhorting the officials to provide alternative employment opportunities to improve the living standards of people brewing hooch, he directed them to get daily reports from women police working in villages on illicit liquor and belt shops.“You need to draw and work on special action-oriented plan to stop illicit liquor manufacturing,” he stressed.  

Aiming at steps to increase revenue generation in the Stamps and Registrations Department and meet targets successfully, he constituted a special committee with senior IAS officers and directed it to submit a report in two weeks.

The committee, consisting of IAS officers MT Krishna Babu, Rajit Bhargava, Nirab Kumar Prasad and Gulzar, will submit report on steps to increase revenue generation while ensuring flexible and transparent policies for the benefit of people.
“Registration procedures should not be cumbersome. Taxpayers should feel that there is transparency and the policies are flexible,” he said and told the officials to study the registration policies and methods in vogue in other states.

Stressing on the need to create an innovative atmosphere on registrations, he asked officials to create awareness through posters at village secretariats and sub-registrar offices to inform the taxpayers of the available services. “Not only lands and other properties, people should also know the details of other services which can be registered,” he directed the officials, adding the details of complaints should be made available in the offices of sub-registrars. 

Making a special mention of the mining activity in the state, the Chief Minister asked the officials to take steps to solve the problems of mining lease-holders. “All mines which are not in operation should become operational for enhancing the state revenues. For this, you need to work to solve their problems,” he said.

Reviewing the Transport Department, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy asked officials to ensure that more vehicles are sold in the state compared to other states. “There are incidents of dealers not delivering the vehicles after collecting the money. You must initiate all possible legal action against such dealers,” he said.

Expressing satisfaction over achieving targets up to 94.47 per cent in the collection of taxes in the first half of the current financial year, officials informed about the steps being taken to increase tax collection efficiency. While the average GST collections across the country stands at 27.8 percent, AP has exceeded it by achieving 28.79 percent. The state collected Rs. 25,928 crore as against the target of Rs. 27,445 crore in the first half of the present financial year till Sept 2022.

The review meeting was attended by Deputy CM (Excise) K. Narayana Swamy, Minister for Science and Technology, Mines and Geology, Forest, Environment and Energy Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, Chief Secretary Sameer Sarma, Science and Technology Department Special CS Nirab Kumar Prasad, Finance Department Special CS SS Rawat,  Excise department Special CS Rajit Bhargava, Transport department Principal Secretary MT Krishna Babu, Rural Development Department Principal Secretary Gopala Krishna Dwivedi, Home Department Principal Secretary Harish Kumar,  Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Y. Madhusudhana Reddy, Commercial Taxes Chief Commissioner Girija Shankar and Municipal Administration  Commissioner Praveen Kumar.

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