Andhra Pradesh: Vijayasai Reddy urges centre for special status to stare and withdraw GST on TTD

YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy said that the share of taxes coming to the state from the centre has been decreasing. Speaking during the debate on the Finance Bill, he said that the share of central taxes that Andhra Pradesh had to receive are gradually declining. He said that the method of determining the share of taxes on the basis of population should be changed and opined that justice would be done if Andhra Pradesh was given special status. He urged centre to give special status to Andhra Pradesh as promised in the AP Reorganisation Act.

Vijayasai Reddy said the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam steel plant was not the right decision and it was not good for the company to believe in mobilizing government resources. "Despite protests by Vizag steel plant employees that the government should mobilize resources through alternative means, the Center has not moved," MP said.

He said that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant was achieved through many sacrifices and remained in profit until 2015 and opined that plant is likely to turn a profit again if the loans are converted into shares. "The centre should alot mines to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant," said Vijayasai Reddy.

Vijayasai Reddy demanded that the BJP government, which claims to be a representative of Hindutva, withdraw taxes on temples as the Tirumala Tirupati temple pays Rs. 120 crore in GST every year. He said that GST is also being levied on rooms where devotees are staying and opined that Tirumala Tirupati Temple is not a commercial institution and there are no activities to make profits. He said that the devotees are only for the service of God and recalled that there is no tax burden on TTD before the GST system. "The central government should now withdraw GST on Tirumala, " Vijayasai Reddy asserted.