IMPHAL, March 12–No new taxes were imposed in the deficit Budget presented for the next financial year in the Manipur Assembly Tuesday, reports PTI. Presenting the Budget estimates of Rs 3663.49 crore, the Chief Minister, O Ibobi Singh, who also holds the charge of Finance department, said that fresh initiatives would be made to augment revenue from existing tax and non-tax resources to fill the budgetary gap.
Also hard measures would be introduced to prune government expenditure like downsizing of the bureacracy, ban on direct recruitment and abolition of death in harness scheme, the Chief Minister said. Giving details of the Budget, Singh said that the total receipts for the year 2003-2004, excluding public account, were estimated at Rs 3443.33 crore. The State’s own tax and non-tax receipts were estimated at Rs 67.56 crore and Rs 109.65 crore respectively.
Taking into account the overall estimates of receipts and expenditure the year 2003-04 was expected to close with a deficit of Rs 452.47 crore, the Chief Minister said. He also presented a Rs 1221.16 crore vote-on-account for four months from April this year.