NEW DELHI: In order to revive Delhi economy which has been deeply impacted due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Delhi government will consult experts in the field of public finance to study ways in which to increase the government’s revenue.
Delhi’s Finance Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday directed the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC) to prepare a detailed study to improve the revenue base in Delhi by taking help from leading experts in the field of public finance.
The government has also constituted a team headed by DDC vice-chairman Jasmine Shah to figure out ways to speed up the economy by helping businesses run. “The Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi will perform a rigorous study on the improvement of the revenue base of Delhi. We will involve the field experts to perform this study” said Jasmine Shah, vice chairman, DDC.
The findings of the study will be submitted to the finance minister in two months. The Aam Aadmi Party government has taken a few steps to increase its revenue through taxes. Recently, it decided to issue notices to more than 10,000 companies which have defaulted on their taxes. “Delhi has among the highest per capita incomes in the country but holds 19th position in terms of own tax revenue to GSDP ratio.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has put a huge strain on government revenues in the NCT of Delhi and therefore all-out efforts need to be made towards revenue augmentation” said Sisodia. The national capital was one of the first cities in the country which started opening up after the coronavirus triggered lockdown.