The Impressive TimesNEW DELHI, July 19 , 2024 : Ahead of the Union budget, Delhi Finance Minister Atishi has demanded the Centre to allocate Rs 10,000 crore, which is less than 5 per cent of its Rs 2.07 lakh crore income tax contribution made by Delhi last year, for developing infrastructure in the national capital.
She said while Maharashtra government gets Rs 54,000 crore in return of Rs 5 lakh crore income tax paid by Mumbai to the Centre and Karnataka government gets Rs 33,000 crore share in taxes against Rs 2 lakh crore income tax contributed by Bangalore, Delhi does not get even Re 1 from the Rs 2.32 lakh crore taxes contributed by it to the Centre last year.
Addressing media persons here today, Delhi Finance Minister Atishi said the budget of the central government, which is for the whole country, is going to be presented on July 23. Last year in 2023-24, the central government had kept a budget of Rs 45 lakh crore for spending across the country. That money comes to the central government from the state governments through taxes that we pay, and it is the responsibility of the governments to spend our tax money for our development.
She said the people of Delhi also pay income tax, the people of Delhi pay their GST in their purchases and sales. So, after working hard, the people of Delhi expect that the development of our state takes place accordingly. A part of the tax of the people of Delhi goes to the Delhi government, which includes the state’s GST component, VAT, etc. Last year, the people of Delhi gave Rs 35,000 crore tax to the Delhi government. The Delhi government, Arvind Kejriwal’s government spent this Rs 35,000 on the people of Delhi. It was spent on providing 24-hour electricity to the people of Delhi, free electricity to the people of Delhi, water network to reach unauthorized colonies, good education to the children of Delhi, Mohalla clinics, free treatment, thousands of electric buses that have come to Delhi, Mohalla buses that are coming and on building new flyovers. So, the Rs 35000 crore tax that the people of Delhi gave to the Delhi government was spent on the people of Delhi, on the development of Delhi.
“But the people of Delhi pay tax not only to the Delhi government but also to the central government. Delhi in fact is one of the highest income-tax payers to the central government in the entire country. Last year, the people of Delhi paid Rs 2.07 lakh crore in income tax to the central government. Apart from this, Delhi people also have a share in GST which goes to the central government. It amounted to Rs 25000 crore last year. So, in total, the people of Delhi paid Rs 2.32 lakh crore tax to the central government. Out of this Rs 2.32 lakh crore, the central government gave ‘zero’ money to Delhi. The people of Delhi did not get even Rupee 1 from the tax of Rs 2.32 lakh crore given to the Central government,” she said.
Giving examples of other states where the Centre has been generous, the Delhi Finance Minster said the city of Mumbai gives Rs 5 lakh crores of income tax to the Central Government and in return, Maharashtra gets Rs 54000 crores as share in taxes from the Centre. Similarly, people of Bangalore pay almost as much income tax as Delhi. Income tax of Rs 2 lakh crore from Bangalore also goes to the central government. In return, Karnataka government gets Rs 33,000 crore share in taxes, that is, over 10%. “People of Delhi also pay Rs 2 lakh crore income tax and on top of that they pay Rs 25,000 crore Central GST. While Maharashtra government gets Rs 54,000 crore, Karnataka government gets Rs 33,000 crore share in taxes, but Delhi does not even get Re 1 from that Rs 2.32 lakh crore which goes to the Centre,” she said.
Atishi said but in this year’s budget, Delhiites demand that Delhi should get its due. “When the people of Delhi work hard and pay taxes honestly, then why don’t we get our tax money for the development of our city? If Delhi gets its rightful due, then the speed at which the Delhi government is carrying out development in Delhi can increase. We can build better and faster road infrastructure and flyover infrastructure in Delhi. We can invest more in the power sector, transport sector, we can invest in making Delhi beautiful. Delhiites are not begging; Delhiites are demanding their rights,” she said.
While appreciating the role of a developed state like Delhi in the federal structure, Atishi demanded Delhi’s due from the Centre. She said we are also not saying that we should get back all the money we pay in taxes. We also know that a big city like Delhi contributes to the economic development of the entire country, so it is right that in a city which is not as developed as Delhi, where there are no economic opportunities like Delhi, some of Delhi’s money should also go to different parts of the country. “But what kind of justice is this that the people of Delhi give Rs 2 lakh crore income tax and Rs 25000 crore GST share to the Centre, but we Delhiites do not get even ₹1 from it,” she said.
The Delhi Finance Minister said this discrimination does not happen in any other part of the world. “Do you think that the US government would just take money from New York and say that we will not give you even ₹1, do you think that the Japanese government in Tokyo would say that whatever money you earn, we will keep all that money but we will not give even ₹1 to Tokyo city, do you think that the UK government would say that whatever tax comes from London, the government of England will keep it and will not sped even a single penny on London city. I can tell you with confidence that such injustice is not done with any city in the world, with any state, as is happening with Delhi,” she said.
Drawing a parallel with the injustice meted out to the people of India during the British regime, Atishi said, “This injustice used to happen with India when the British ruled India. When the British ruled India, whatever tax they collected from India, whether it was from our farmers or our artisans, not even a single rupee of it came to India, all that money went to London, all that money went into the hands of the British. The same injustice, the same atrocity is happening with Delhi today that the people of Delhi are paying Rs 2 lakh crore income tax, but we are not getting even a single rupee from it. The Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled central government is keeping all the money and is giving Delhi step-motherly treatment,” she said.
The Delhi Finance Minister said this time the people of Delhi are demanding from the central government that out of the Rs 2 lakh crore income tax that we pay, Delhi should get Rs 10,000 crore. “This Rs 10,000 crore is only 0.25% of the entire budget of the central government; secondly, this is only 5% of the contribution made by Delhi in income tax,” she said.
Atishi said it is the large heartedness of Delhiites that we are demanding that 95% of the income tax we pay should be spent on the development of the entire country, but 5% of the tax paid by Delhiites should be given for the development of Delhi. “Spend the 95% of it on building good highways, good schools, good hospitals in the country. Delhi should get Rs 10000 crore this year for its infrastructure development,” she concluded.
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