Cong govt furnished incorrect GST details: Claims State FM

The Punjab Assembly passed two money bills on the first day of the winter session here on Tuesday, with Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema claiming that the previous Congress government had not submitted appropriate GST records and left it to the current AAP government to settle the issue.

The matter is related to a refund of Rs. 3,900 crore with the Centre. He added that, in addition to clearing the amount, the state was able to sanction Rs. 3,670 crore from the Centre.

“When the GST regime was implemented, the state had to rely on compensation. Manpreet Singh Badal, the then-finance minister, failed to furnish an accurate record to the Centre and the Comptroller and Auditor General. We received a letter stating that the state had received Rs. 3,900 crore in additional GST compensation and that it should be refunded. We went through all of the records and not only had the amount settled, but we also submitted a new claim for Rs. 5,005 crore, which the state received from the Centre.” Cheema explained.

“We recommended in the GST that if a Punjab resident purchases goods from another state, the GST collection should be directed to that state. The amendment is being made, if the customer provides the code and name of his state, the GST share amount will be paid to Punjab.”, Cheema added in his statement.

Cheema sought clarification on the Punjab Financial Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, claiming that the Bill was not intended to increase the state’s borrowing limit, as asserted by Congress MLAs.