JOIN USTamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday said the Union Budget lacks flavour as it does not have any specific announcements of schemes which would have enthused different segments including the states.
“It (Budget) also does not speak of the status of implementation of many schemes announced last year and the year before,” Jayalalithaa said.
Stating that the people had still higher expectations, which have not been met, she said “It is unfortunate that the Finance minister has not eschewed the tendency to levy cesses and surcharges on various items of central taxes which are not shareable with the states”.
Jayalalithaa also opposed the proposal to treat assignment of spectrum usage as a service and not as a sale of intangible goods which also eats into the tax base of state governments, while enhancing the base of the Government of India.
Reiterating her opposing stance in the area of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy, she said “the proposal to permit 100% FDI for marketing food products produced in India, appears to be a backdoor entry for FDI in retail.”
Expressing concern over the proposal to privatise the road transport sector through a central legislation by amending the Motor Vehicles Act, Jayalalithaa said “we have been consistently opposed to encroachment of powers of state governments by this proposed Legislation”.