Chandigarh, February 12
The Haryana Finance Minister, Prof Sampat Singh, maintaining the tradition of the past four years, again presented a tax-free Budget for 2004-05 before the Assembly here today. But unlike past years, the people can hope that no levies or tax rates would be increased midway this year being the election year. However, the government proposes to establish 32 toll tax collection points, out of which 14 have already been set up, to repay the loan taken from HUDCO for improving roads.

He did not offer any sops to the people in view of the yearly deficit of Rs 99 crore and a total budgetary deficit plugged at Rs 438.97 crore. However, he mentioned the recently announced concessions like the merger of 50 per cent DA in the basic pay of the state employees and the increase in the minimum limit of turnover of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for registration under the value-added tax regime.

Talking about the Central assistance, Prof Sampat Singh regretted that the 11th Finance Commission had caused a loss of Rs 1100 crore to Haryana during 2000-05. The state had strongly urged the 12th Finance Commission to give weightage to factors like population, area and per capita income. Haryana had demanded a total grant of Rs 17865.22 crore during 2005-10. It included Rs 3462.79 crore for upgradation of services, Rs 6059 crore for special problems, Rs 750 crore for the calamity relief fund, Rs 2271 crore for local bodies, Rs 1538.35 crore as interest subsidy and Rs 3784.08 crore for the maintenance of capital assets.

Prof Sampat Singh proposed a plan outlay of Rs 2175 crore, 17.6 per cent higher than the revised plan outlay of the last fiscal year. He earmarked Rs 941.36 crore for power, irrigation, roads and transport, while Rs 919.87 crore is proposed for the social services, Rs 330 crore for the welfare of the old, the physically challenged persons, widows and destitutes.

Patting his team in the Finance Department, Prof Sampat Singh said as a result of prudent cash management, Haryana was the first state in the country which had not availed overdraft facility even for a day during the current year. Claiming optimum utilisation of the Central resources, he said the Planning Commission and the Union Government had commended the state's efforts towards proper utilisation of central funds at a review meeting recently.

The revenue receipts were expected to increase by Rs 1022.04 crore to Rs 10791.40 crore from Rs 9769.36 crore. The revenue expenditure is estimated at Rs 11684.02 crore, higher by Rs 1010.51 crore over the expenditure of Rs 10673.51 crore in the revised estimates of 2003-04. He said the growth in expenditure was mainly due to an increase of Rs 301.68 crore in interest payment, Rs 240.70 crore in salary and pensions and Rs 92.38 crore towards subsidy to the power sector.

Prof Sampat Singh said the revenue deficit during 2002-03 had reduced to Rs 685.11 crore from Rs 1086.43 crore in the revised estimates. The revenue deficit is likely to be reduced to Rs 904.15 crore in the revised estimates from Rs 920.28 crore in the Budget estimates. It is likely to be further reduced to Rs 892.62 crore in the Budget estimates of 2004-05. He said the revenue receipts would grow by 10.5 per cent during 2004-05 which overtakes the growth of 9.4 per cent in the revenue expenditure.