Mitra counters FM on Bengal’s tax share surge remark
Times of India | 20 September 2025's remark that the Centre's tax devolution to Bengal had gone up 291% between 2014 and 2024 from the previous 10 years, principal chief advisor to CM Mamata Banerjee, Amit Mitra, said the rise was due to a fourfold rise in Bengal's GSDP, as a result of which the Centre obtained more tax from Bengal which in turn led to higher tax devolution.
Speaking at the 124th AGM of Merchants' Chamber of Commerce, Mitra said the Centre collected over Rs 9 lakh crore from Bengal in the past eight years and the state received the amount it did as per the finance commission's devolution principle.
According to Sitharaman, tax devolution to Bengal between 2014 and 2024 was Rs 524,333 crore, four times more than the devolution between 2004 and 2014.
Mitra said the Centre collected Rs 1.2 lakh crore as CGST, Rs 1.5 lakh crore as SGST, Rs 99,123 crore as IGST, Rs 4 lakh crore as direct tax and Rs 1.4 lakh crore as customs duty.
"The devolution ranges from 41% to 50% as per constitutional right," he added. He further said state GSDP had gone up more than fourfold from Rs 4.6 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs 18.1 lakh crore.
The former Bengal finance minister also pointed out that the uncertainty over US tariffs is damaging the economy. He said initially it looked like a 25% reciprocal tariff and then the US imposed a penal tariff of another 25% for Russian oil and dialogue between the two countries also stopped. "Now, some people are saying it may come down to 10-15% from 50%, but there is no clarity," he said.
He added that he knew of business owners thinking of moving their units from India to Vietnam. "One of my friends in Bengaluru told me he was shifting his unit to Vietnam. Similar news is coming in from Vietnam."
