CHENNAI: Finance Minister N Marie Wilson said on Monday that the state’s borrowing fell nearly 19% in August 2026, compared to the same month last year. He said that this could be attributed to increased revenue mobilisation and measures to plug leakages.
Answering queries of reporters in Chennai, Wilson said the state’s net borrowing stood at around Rs 30,021 crore in August 2026, representing a decline of 19.04% from the level recorded in August 2025. There would be further decline, he added.
Wilson said the reduction in borrowing was being achieved alongside an increase in revenue. He said the state’s own tax revenue —including GST, taxes on sales, and land revenue — rose from Rs 96,567 crore in August 2025 to around Rs 1,09,104 crore in August 2026, an increase of 13%.
Similarly, total revenue receipts increased from Rs 1,08,460 crore in August 2025 to Rs 1,17,790 crore in August 2026, showing a growth of about 8.6%, he said. “The figures do not lie. These records are available transparently,” Wilson said, asserting that the government was moving towards stronger revenue mobilisation in the coming days while reducing its borrowing.
He attributed the revenue increase to what he described as a cleaner, more transparent tax administration system and plugging leakages. He said the government had taken steps to reduce corruption in areas of registration and tax collection.
“Our Chief Minister has said that we must have a clean and transparent government. Therefore, from now on, I will definitely disclose the figures every month,” he said. When asked about We the Leaders founder K Annamalai’s criticism of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over his recent London visit to attract investments at a time when the United Kingdom is showing relatively lower economic growth than India, the finance minister said, “I consider him a mature politician. It is inappropriate for him to make such a statement.”
He added that the scenario of attracting investments currently resembles a war front. “Even Rs 1 is an investment. How can you disregard it? You cannot say I don’t want that one or two rupees,” he added.