Centre slashed Rs 332 crores from Kerala's GST share; minister KN Balagopal slams Centre 

PALAKKAD: Finance Minister KN Balagopal said that the Centre has slashed Rs 332 crore from the GST share of Kerala for the month of November. Balagopal also alleged that the Centre was not treating the states equally.

"Usually, the state receives this fund on the 28th. Kerala expected Rs 1450 crores. The deduction of Rs 332 crore is actually like dropping a bomb. This has further worsened the financial condition of the state. The state has written to the Centre against this. We do not understand on what basis was Rs 332 crore deducted. We don't have any idea how it was calculated. There have been many disputes regarding the amount of money allocated to the state government in the GST share," the minister said.

"The central government is not treating the states equally. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in the tax share due to the state. Kerala is the state that faced the highest deduction. If there was a deficit of Rs 18 thousand crores last year, it will be Rs 21,000 crores this year," he added.