Chennai, March 19
With just a year to go for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the DMK-government today refrained from imposing fresh taxes in the budget even as it announced several sops, including hike in sugarcane procurement price to Rs 2,000 per tonne, abolition of tuition fee till postgraduate courses in arts and science colleges, and free iodised salt for pregnant women.

Coming out with a farmer-friendly budget, state Finance Minister K Anbazhagan said the government would pay an additional price of Rs 100 per tonne for sugarcane procurement and the total procurement price would go up from Rs 1,550 to Rs 2,000 per tonne inclusive of transport charges and incentives. The government also increased the allocation for crop loan from Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore. Paddy procurement price would also be increased from Rs 1,050 per quintal to Rs 1,100 per quintal, he said.

Continuing with its populist schemes for women, the DMK government announced that the amount of Rs 15,000 provided to poor women for their marriages would be increased to Rs 25,000. Pregnant women would be provided iodised salt free of cost and 50,000 women's self help groups would be set up this year.

In another step that will find favour with women, the government reduced sales taxes on unbranded coffee, masala powder, ghee, vanaspati oil, unbranded bakery products, branded pickles, dry grapes and wet grinders.Presenting a Rs 3,396.45 deficit budget, the minister said the total revenue receipts were estimated at Rs 63,091.74 crore and the total expenditure was expected to be Rs 66,488.19 crores.

While refraining from levying new taxes, he announced tax exemptions for imported sugar, zari used for silk weaving, ice bars used by fishermen, powder of pepper, cumin seed, unbranded footwear, unbranded steel furniture and plastic goods.