Kerala hosted a one-day conclave of non-BJP-ruled State Finance Ministers in Thiruvananthapuram today. The conclave, attended by ministers from Telangana, Karnataka, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu, focused on ideas regarding the 16th Finance Commission and other issues pertaining to fiscal relations between the Union and State governments.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, inaugurating the conclave, said that the State had demanded, in its memorandum to the 15th Finance Commission, that the share of taxes distributed to the States be raised to 50 percent of the net proceeds. He also asked for a balanced distribution of taxes among states, especially considering the varied levels of per capita income and development across the country.
