The Hindu : Front Page : Isaac warns contractors

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Friday, Mar 14, 2008
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Isaac warns contractors

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has asked contractors not to take the government for granted simply because it is taking a liberal stand on settling their arrears.

Replying to the discussion on the supplementary demands for grants in the Assembly on Thursday, Dr. Isaac said the contractors were upping the ante and coming up with undue demands seeing the government taking the initiative to settle the arrears. When he assumed office, the arrears were for 24 months. He had brought it down to 18-19 months and proposed to pay more money if fund became available later this month.

Dr. Isaac also defended the amnesty scheme announced by him in the budget and said he had only followed on what had been done in most other States. However, there were no takers for it because it was not attractive.

As things stood, it would take at least 10 years to settle the tax cases and that too with a 50 per cent winning chance for the government. Therefore, it was thought prudent to go in for the amnesty scheme, the Finance Minister explained.

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