Chennai: DMK and other opposition parties have flayed the TVK govt for the sluggish pace of Tamil Nadu’s GST revenue growth.Former finance minister Thangam Thennarasu said that TN has recorded 3% GST revenue growth in Oct, while neighbouring states have achieved double-digit growth. DMK president M K Stalin said TN was in “reverse gear,” after TVK formed govt and called for immediate measures to attract investments and increase domestic production.Leaders of other parties have also criticised the govt, stating that TN’s GST revenue was way lesser than the national average of 22.9%.In a post on X, Thennarasu said Kerala recorded 23% growth in GST revenue in Oct, Andhra Pradesh 24%, Karnataka 18% and Telangana 14%, while TN managed just 3%.Thennarasu said revenue from the state’s own production continued to decline, while taxes collected on goods brought into the state contributed only a modest rise in overall tax revenue. He described this as an indicator of wider economic stagnation. Stalin also alleged that South Korean investments worth 1,614 crore, meant to come to TN, had gone to Andhra Pradesh because of the state govt’s negligence. He further charged that Guidance Tamil Nadu, the state agency responsible for attracting investments, had been neglected.Referring to chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s roadshow in Pudukkottai on Monday, Stalin said CM was focusing on the impending bypoll instead of addressing the state’s economic concerns.Echoing the same, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran also came down heavily on Vijay’s govt. Palaniswami also alleged that investments which were supposed to come to TN are going to AP. Such losses would reduce people’s purchasing power, he said. “Without improving per capita income and enhancing purchasing power, how will govt increase GST revenue,” Palaniswami asked.
