The Centre is violating the spirit of the Constitution by usurping the powers of States, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal has said.
The Minister was speaking on Çentre-State relationships and Kerala development at the 58th State conference of the Kerala NGO Union. With the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the right and power of States to collect taxes were curtailed.
The State's own revenue had been limited to a few sources, Mr. Balagopal said. He accused the Congress-led opposition in the State of attempting to scuttle development initiatives out of political rivalry instead of standing united to claim the State's rights. The State government was targeting development across all sectors, which would help increase the State's income, he said. Kerala NGO Union president M.V. Sasidharan presided. General secretary M.A. Ajith Kumar also spoke.
