Commercial tax portfolio comes under Finance

VIJAYAWADA:  In a significant development, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has effected a minor reshuffle of the portfolios of his Cabinet. In the process, the commercial taxes portfolio of Deputy Chief Minister K Narayana Swamy was allocated to Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy. Narayana Swamy will now hold only the Excise portfolio while Buggana will handle the finance and planning, legislative affairs in addition to the newly allocated commercial taxes.

Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma issued a GO pertaining to the allocation of the commercial taxes portfolio to Buggana Rajendranath. Sources said the government wants to have more synergy between the resource generating departments and the finance department for the smooth functioning of the administration.In July, the State government transferred two important portfolios from the revenue department to the finance department. 

Apart from the commercial taxes department, the government then transferred the stamps and registration which comes under revenue department, to the finance department. Stamps and registration was under the revenue department, the portfolio which was held by another Deputy Chief Minister Dharmana Krishna Das. The orders were reversed later on administrative grounds.

With the reallocation of the portfolio, all the related Heads of Departments and autonomous organisations like Commissioner of Commercial Taxes are attached to the Finance Department, sources said.The reallocation of portfolios comes at a time when there were reports of a possible rejig in the entire Cabinet itself. 

Jagan, who earlier announced that he would go for a rejig after two-and-half years, is said to be in the process of choosing a new team for the next two-and-half years. Only a few seniors might retain their place in the reshuffled Cabinet and Buggana’s is one among them, sources said.