Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu urges Centre to rework GST compensation

VIJAYAWADA: Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Friday urged the Centre to rework GST compensation with correct revenue figures submitted by the State.Raising the issue during the Goods and Services Tax Council meeting held in New Delhi on Friday, Yanamala said that the Centre had disbursed compensation to the States for the bi-monthly period of July-August 2017 only in the last week of September. Stating that the compensation received by Andhra Pradesh did not match with the estimation made by the State, he said, “While the State government estimated that it would get `176 crore, the Centre distributed only `116 crore.’’

He also underscored the need for continuation of e-waybill system for transportation of goods. Following the removal of checkposts after GST implementation, there is scope for misappropriation in the way of transporting goods and to check the same, it is better to continue the e-waybill system to allow the officials to conduct inspections, he said.

Saying that the issue of slashing GST on State government works did not come for discussion during the GST Council meeting, the Finance Minister said that he reiterated the requests to exempt commodities including dried tamarind, fried grams, dry fish, fishnets, cotton hank yarn, goods sold by Girijan Corporation from the GST ambit and reduction of tax on bio-diesel, hybrid cars, tractors, granite slabs and Napa tiles.