By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : For the first time, Kerala will play host to a meeting of empowered committee of state finance ministers here May 6.
“This is for the first time that this meeting is being held outside Delhi. As of now, 10 state finance ministers have confirmed their participation and more are expected. Top officials from the finance departments from every state are also participating,” said Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac to reporters here Friday.
The basic theme of the day-long meeting would be a discussion on the “goods and services tax”.
“This is going to be an interaction only and no memoranda or drafts are going to be prepared. The highlight is that representatives of almost all political parties would be there as finance ministers from states,” said Isaac.
Along with this, the state government, along with the state planning board and the newly started Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT), is organising a two-day national seminar May 7-8 on Centre-State Financial Relations in the context of the 13th Finance Commission.
The speakers include eminent economists like Amiya Kumar Bagchi and Abhijit Sen.