TN budget to be presented on Friday amid high public expectation

Expectations over the budget have increased among state people, especially industrial partners as it happens close on the heels of Thiyaga Rajan releasing a white paper on the state’s finances. 

That Thiyaga Rajan has proposed progressive tax reforms has increased the public expectation. Whether the state government would hike the property and vehicle tax, which the minister said was long overdue, apart from electricity and bus tariff would be known on Friday when the minister unveils their financial policy for the remainder of the fiscal. People are also eager to know if chief minister M K Stalin accepts his finance minister’s proposal to migrate to targeted delivery of welfare schemes to reduce expenditure, which would be a seismic shift from the party’s policy of universal delivery of welfare schemes. The answers to the tax and welfare distribution reform would also pass a verdict on whether the white paper was a political move or a concerted effort to inform people about the state of financial affairs of Tamil Nadu. 

The budget session would also help people understand if the ruling party would fulfill its poll promises like distributing Rs 1,000 assistance to home makers and reducing the tax on petrol. 

Politically, the ruling party is also expected to pass resolutions against the three farm laws and demand the scrapping or exempting Tamil Nadu from NEET.