per capita income of Tamil Nadu in 2021-22 was 1.55 lakh per annum and it
increased to 1.67 lakh per annum. This was 1.67 times and 1.69 times when
compared to per capita income of India at 92,583 in 2021-22 and was 98,374
in 2022-23 at constant

The estimated per capita income across the southern state of Tamil Nadu in
India stood at around 275 thousand Indian rupees in the financial year 2023.

Tamil Nadu is a leading global hub for agri-commodities, metals and
minerals. The major minerals mined in Tamil Nadu are limestone, bauxite,
gypsum, lignite (brown coal), magnesite, and iron ore. Tamil Nadu is the
second wealthiest state by GDP and is the most industrialised state in
India.

As an overview, India's per capita net national income or NNI was around
Rs. 98,374 in 2022-23.

Per capita income is the mean income computed for every man, woman, and
child in a particular group including those living in group quarters. It is
derived by dividing the aggregate income of a particular group by the total
population in that group. This measure is rounded to the nearest whole
dollar.
Is TN really a golden state?  There is a say “poy sonna vaaykku bhojanam
kidaikadhu ( lied mouth will not get the food)  TN lied and also blames
central      KR IRS  13424

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rangarajan T.N.C. <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2024 at 00:18
Subject: Fw: Article by my colleague
To:




----- Forwarded message -----
*From:* Sekar Kumaraswamy <[email protected]>


TAX AND FUNDS ALLOCATION - “ DOES THE SOUTH WANE AND NORTH BLOAT
———————————————————————

Famous words of the late Annadurai, the ‘ erudite’ ( Arignar) Anna , the
founder of DMK. “ தெற்கு தேய்கிறது , வடக்கு வளர்கிறது”. Literally meaning
that the south is waning and the north is bloating . The south is
discriminated and the north is favoured is the imputation. . In CNA s
shortsighted view the SOUTH is all that is below the Vindhyas ( viz the 4
states) , and those above it, including the impoverished north east , is
the NORTH. CNA had no fraternal feeling for all those in this NORTH who did
not share common linguistic identity with those in the Ganges belt . That
concept was a tapered and rehashed version of the core divisive thought of
DMK which it had to renounce, its original claim of Dravida Nadu , an
independent and sovereign south India, not just Tamil Nadu . Don’t bother
that these four states were as divergent interse as they were with the rest
of the country . It did not cut reasoning . He simply saw the other three
as vassal states of Tamil Nadu , as their languages were believed to have
mothered by Tamil . So they naturally form part of a dream Dravida Nadu on
a pre historical pan Dravidian identity, according to his wisdom. So the
luny tunes of discrimination are not of recent origin but one we have
constantly heard for the last 75 years. It becomes shriller each time DMK
sees a threat to its rule .In recent times after the US educated PTR became
FM, it got muscular traction with data being granularly taken down to” 28
paise return for every 1 rupee paid as taxes. “ type of argument and
contrasting it with Bihar and UP which get more than 1.

The govt and FM have responded with one dominant reasoning. All devolution
of taxes are as per Finance commission recommendations. No scope for GOI to
unilaterally change the allocation mode.

It certainly nullifies the argument that the devolution is driven by an
adhoc and capricious method. It is based consistently on a time honoured
system . Accepted . Does it however address the issue that the devolution
formula itself is not pregnant with parameters that favour one state more
and , what is more , reward inefficiency . So the devolution in its
entirety needs to be looked whether there is inequity in the formula
itself.

Before it is attempted , recap of some basic postulates and facts.

@ Taxes are collected by both the centre and the state. States taxes go
entirely to the respective state. Devolution concept applies only to the
central pool of taxes. To be fair to NDA , since 2014 the share of states
has increased by a very significant 10 to 42% .

@ This allocation is determined by a constitutional body , the finance
commission . Setup once in 5 years , it comes out with the recommendations
on the structure , after extensive discussions with many including states,
and is operative for the next 5 years. These recommendations identify first
the quantum ( say 30 or 42%) that is to be earmarked for distribution and
once the pool is identified , it prescribes a formula for distribution
among states based on a weightage . Originally it was entirely population
based. So states like UP got much more based on population weight itself .
Over the years this got evolved where the weightage for population got
reduced substantially and rewards for efficiency and , income variations,
were added on . The present formula is

       Population 15%
       Area. 15%
       Forests Ecology 10%
       Demography. 12.5 %
       Taxation efforts. 2.5 %
       Income Variance . 45%

 @ The weightage given to income variance, the difference between mean per
capita income of the country and that of the state carries the heaviest
load. So population in absolute terms is gradually yielding to the income
composition. Looking objectively some states like Haryana Which are less
populated but relatively rich suffer the most.

 @ whether the tax collections accounted by each state can be considered as
appertaining and exclusive to that of that states’ alone? No. A business
unit based in the state having a pan indian operations collects taxes from
the whole country based on its sales and remits it through its central
account at the state where it is located. Karnataka which has many leading
PSUs on books appears to pay more but in reality it’s corpus is that of the
whole nation.

@ In Unified country with complete fungibility of labour , capital and
resources, the economic output of a state is not entirely of the state
alone and includes that of migrant capital, labour and levy uniform
resources . Take steel , coal and oil. None of the states other than Bihar
, JHARKAND , Orissa can claim any of the above raw material resources . But
for industry they are critical. Freight being a distance variable has to be
logically can not be uniform . In enforcing freight equalisation and
uniformity in rates throughout the country, the differential freight was
absorbed by producers . The opportunity loss in GDP was a humongous amount
forsaken by these states. If they claim it today from an historical
cumulative amount from all consumers in other states , it will lead to a
financial cripple. If these dravidians were incharge of these states , I
can take a bet that they will go on shrill tunes on the discrimination.

@ What does the central govt do with its 58 % . Plus all those surcharges
on it , customs duty etc. which are not in divisible pool.It has a huge
responsibility of the entire country’s administration , security, defence
and capital investment and gross capital formation for roads , ports,
airports, PSUs, infrastructure etc. Centre has no exclusive geographic
domain outside the states and the investment made in an airport at BLORE
coming from centre is actually an allocation of the state. Not part of
devolution. Has any notional allocation has been made ? . Take social
sector deployment. Ten crore gas connections, millions of houses , water
connectivity, power plants, feeding 80 crore for 3 years now. Here again
allocations notionally to states have to be reckoned but not done to get an
idea of what is returned.

@ Over and above this devolutions , funds are released on designated
projects like MNREGA, newly accepted projects like metro , and for calamity
under both state calamity fund and national calamity besides from PM
national relief fund.

So in substance , the contribution of the state is not entirely
apportionable to the state nor the full real allocations are captured. So
the entire data that is flashed is incomplete and a fractured view and not
reflective of the whole picture.

There is another interesting fact which seem to have missed everybody’s
attention. The flow of monetary resources from organised but non govt
sector. Best illustration is that of our TN s credit deposit ratio. This
represents how much banks have lent in the state vis a vis what they have
gathered as deposit. It is not difficult to perceive that a bank can only
lend a portion of its deposits quantum . Normally between 65 to 70% .
Others need to be allocated to reserves like CRR and SLR. Can any body
guess what is TNs , consistently, decades after decade. It is above 100 %!
Now 112%. What is that of UP ? It is about 55%. It was languishing at 45
till last 10 years . Bihar ? 52% . Panipuri sellers and menial labourers
from Bihar seem to funding TN . Dayanidhi Maran who spoke disparagingly
about Biharis may note. His SpiceJet debt has not been funded entirely by
his brethren from TN . This is an advantage on key element of an economic
factor of production conveniently forgotten

What does these states themselves do on the constitutionally mandated state
SFC recommendations to their municipal bodies ? I have a doubt whether they
distribute at all in regular intervals in conformity of the laws . Just as
centre is required to do vis a vis states . As per the constitutional
amendment no 74. a system of devolution is mandated based on population .
What a metropolitan Blore contributes is not spent on blore only , but a
part of it in a backward dist like Gulbarga. What If the mahanagarapalik
sees blood and claim that what is contributed by Bangalore metro is to be
spent on Bangalore only. You can absurdly insist that is contributed by the
high society Lavelle Road area is not spent in kalsipalyam. Not that it
will improve bangalores civic standards but certainly open up more scope
for misappropriation. So this whole demand that a region should get back
100 % of its total tax contribution is basically flawed financially and
reveals an avaricious self centricity , greed and selfishness of the
shameful kind which is not implementable even in a micro version of
governance.Even in a family , some one weak gets more care.

Which are the states voluble in this crusade? All have one common factor.
Their recent huge social commitments , like the freebies, inconsistent with
their budget .Or have mismanagement. Why this problem should snowball into
a major issue now . The load of these freebies which they are unable to
bear. The irony is that the GOIs social benefits budget has increased
manifold , expenditures which should have borne by state govts to a major
extent. Still political adventurism has imposed additional and economically
untenable claims on the budget.

Is there no scope for better method. Certainly there is. The weightage of
population that has come down significantly over these 60 years. So are
factors like demography which are efficiency related But the weightage of
45 % on income disparity needs to be fine tuned. But that should emerge out
dispassionate , depolitical assessment . Central to this endeavour is a
belief that the less endowed in income need a compassionate hand anyway. A
gradually tapered allocation with more discretionary allocation on
empowerment outside the devolution framework needs to worked out. It is not
beyond solution . We need mind and national disposition to achieve it.

One advice to TN and regrettably in recent times , Karnataka. Please be
aware that you have immensely benefited by being an entity in this common
nation identity. I read somewhere that the great Dr Rammanohar Lohia , the
socialist, was pointed out the losses that units in Bihar , Orissa and West
Bengal suffer in this freight equalisation. He just dismissed it with
disdain saying like a true nationalist that what is the loss of Bihar etc
is actually gain of a fellow Indian in south. That was the enlightened view
of a nationalist , an acerbic critic of the govt and an adversary of the
govt, when resources and income were compressed in national interest and a
legitimate income was forgone by some state which was poor . That is
national interest . Siddaramaiah is of socialist origin and he can not be
uninfluenced by the views of the father of such movement in India.

Hope some good sense will prevail.

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit 
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZooUbKgeMMdBmT5gNNPDMPGUargCd-ZgLt-zHprKaR4bmQ%40mail.gmail.com.

Reply via email to