Need sustained and strategic efforts to meet revenue targets: Finance Minister

09 Jun 2011 Evaluate

The slow economic expansion had made Finance Minister to change his optimistic tune on the growth of economy for the current fiscal year and he has raised concerns over the missing the revenue collection target due to slow economic growth. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee expects economy to grow by 8.75% as against the budget estimate of 9%.

At the annual conference of chief commissions Director Generals of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Pranab Mukherjee said, “For realizing the revenue target of Rs 3, 92,908 crore for 2011-12, you would need a growth of nearly 15 per cent. The task before you is very challenging and will require sustained and strategic efforts throughout the financial year”.

The experts and analysts see Finance Minister’s comment on the revenue as the formal admission by the government that it had a doubts on being able to meet its tax collection targets, which may in turn have unplanned effects on the raft of the other macro-economic figures. The government have budgeted an 18.5% growth in gross revenue for this financial year. This includes a 17.4% growth in the indirect tax collection and 19.4% rise in direct tax collection. These targets were set with the assumption of 9% growth in current financial year. But due to increased global commodity prices and high inflation had posed a great risk in achieving this target.

However, Finance minister said, the economy might not be able to achieve the 9% growth projected in the Budget, but with “hard work” it would surely be possible to grow at 8.75 % with a variation of 0.25 per cent. Although, high interest rate and inflationary pressure had started hampering India’s economic expansion and the situation would be more vulnerable, if central bank follow its trend of hiking the policy rate to bring inflation in comfort zone of 4 to 5%.

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