West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta called for stronger revenue collection and changes to the state's tax administration at a Kolkata symposium on September 26, 2026. Speaking at the West Bengal Revenue Service Officers' Association's programme on financing development, he said the government was working to improve tax buoyancy and close revenue leaks. His remarks linked municipal property-tax collections with the wider effort to strengthen state finances.
Dasgupta alleged that earlier selective or tax-free treatment of rare earth minerals, coal and sand had cost the state revenue, according to the Times of India's account of his speech. He also criticised delays in business permissions, citing a restaurant applicant having to wait about eighteen months for clearances from departments including fire and excise. He said the government was likely to take a policy decision on municipal property-tax collection.
Akashvani's report described Dasgupta warning about the financial position of municipalities other than Kolkata and Bidhannagar. Higher Education and Technical Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay told the same gathering that the state needed to strengthen its own-tax receipts, particularly State GST. He called for more investment and business activity, a wider taxpayer base and measures addressing the burden of subsidies and loans on the treasury, while referring to the administration's first budget.
The discussion also covered the use of existing public assets and coordination between tax authorities. Chief adviser Subrata Gupta said infrastructure was being underused because of shortcomings in planning and decisions, Akashvani reported. During an interaction with the ministers, State GST officials raised the need for better Centre-state coordination in assessment and collection. They attributed earlier losses to inadequate coordination and sought improvements in the way those responsibilities were carried out.
