Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Aug 28: After Goa asked for its due of Rs 1,018 crore from the Rs 11,000 crore in the centre's Goods and Services Tax (GST) cess, the GST council, on Thursday August 27 met for a crucial deliberation owed to states for the shortfall in collections.

The centre offered two option for the states to receive the dues of GST shortfall and delayed compensation. Panchayats minister Mauvin Godinho participated in the meeting.

All the states are given seven days to decide between the two options of borrowing less and getting the compensation later and borrowing more now and repaying the loans using the cess collected after 2022, when compensation stops.

Godinho said that the Goa's pending dues are less as compared to states like Maharastra and the centre can afford to compensate. "Our plea was simple. Bigger states like Maharashtra have pending dues of Rs 22,000 crore and more, but Goa's dues are just 5 percent of this. The centre has Rs 11,000 crore as compensation cess in its kitty and it can afford to compensate smaller states like Goa," the panchayat's minister said.