Tripura has set a revenue target of Rs 3,000 crore this fiscal, state Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said on Saturday.

He said the state’s tax collection has doubled after introducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“Initially, there were doubts about GST introduction in the country. People even faced difficulties after the new tax regime kicked off, but over the years, all the bottlenecks have been addressed. Our tax collection has more than doubled under the GST regime,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a GST program at Town Hall.

He said the tax collection, which was around Rs 1,300 crore before the GST rollout, increased to Rs 2,765 crore in the last fiscal.

“Now we have set a target of over Rs 3,000 crore for the 2023-24 FY. We are trying to connect new taxpayers who remain outside the GST ambit. In a state like Tripura, GST means a lot to carry out development work and welfare activities,” he said.

Roy said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working for the welfare of the poor by using the money generated from tax collection. “Over 80 crore households have been getting free rice since Covid hit the country. Farmers are receiving financial assistance and free electricity. All these have been possible because of record-breaking GST collection,” he said.

In Tripura, the government has increased the social pension of the downtrodden from Rs 700 to Rs 2,000 per month. (PTI)