[Goanet] Goa of Our Dreams: Living Within a China Wall (Arun Sinha)
For planning purposes, Goa does have to be viewed as an open system not as a hermetically closed one. For this it is necessary to draw up a statement of exchange transactions between Goa and the rest of the world (esp the Centre). A kind of Balance of Transactions. On the outgoing side you could have export receipts, tourism receipts, direct and indirect tax generation etc. On the incoming side the share of taxes, Finance and Planning Commission allocations, other budgetary allocations etc as well as things like energy supply and so on. It would clearly show whether Goa was dependent or a net contributor. If it is the latter then Goa would be within its rights to thump tables to get its fair share of commensurate benefits.[Self] According to some newspaper reports, in 2006-07, Goa's Central Excise was Rs 725 crores; Customs Duty was Rs 522 crores; and Income Tax stood at Rs 1458 crores. The funds generated under these heads total approximately Rs 2700 crores. Goa's share in taxes was placed at Rs 300 crores. Central grants under Plan head was Rs 88 crores; Plan budget of the state is Rs 1500 crores of which half was in the form of loan which required onerous servicing. On the face of it, the gap between income and outgo is nearly Rs 1000 crores. The state's own tax collection (from CST, VAT, luxury tax, entry tax etc) is about Rs 1000 crores annually. (Goa charges a stiff 25% or more on aviation turbine fuel ATF a substantial source of funds given the exploding growth of traffic at Dabolim). Meanwhile, notionally, annual foreign exchange receipts from tourism add up to about Rs 1000 crores and from iron ore exports Rs 4600 crores (though this is not confirmed by the CSE report on mining elsewhere on goanet). Remittances from NRGs are unknown though India as a whole is a top recipient of foreign exchange under this head (of remittances). It is not known how the state can take credit for these amounts in an era of no foreign exchange shortages. But the effects of the first two on the environment are very real and the third may be too due to construction activities which tourism also contributes to. Lastly, Goa does not generate any electricity except in a marginal way. It has to depend on the national grid for its requirements of about 400 MW which may not be sufficient nowadays to the tune of about 50 MW. Though electricity is comparatively cheap (for consumers) the less said about its quality (due to poor TD, theft etc) the better. We will pursue the open systems perspective on Goa (triggered by the Arun Sinha column) as and when more information becomes available.
[Goanet] Goa of Our Dreams: Living Within a China Wall (Arun Sinha)
Meanwhile, notionally, annual foreign exchange receipts from tourism add upto about Rs 1000 crores and from iron ore exports Rs 4600 crores (thoughthis is not confirmed by the CSE report on mining elsewhere on goanet). Remittances from NRGs are unknown though India as a whole is a top recipientof foreign exchange under this head (of remittances). It is not known howthe state can take credit for these amounts in an era of no foreign exchangeshortages. [Self] It is erroneous to simply add foreign exchange receipts (from tourism, iron ore exports etc) to the sums remitted to the centre by way of taxes as the Goa's Finance Minister has done last year to claim that The state contributes Rs 10,000 crores to the central kitty. Foreign exchange receipts have to be viewed as a perecentage of national totals on the respective accounts. We do not know what Goa's iron ore exports are as a percentage of India's iron ore exports. Maybe Mervyn Lobo can enlighten us on this particular score. The picture regarding foreign exchange receipts from toursim is a bit muddled to say the least. INDIA TODAY, April 7, 2008 cites some figures which are confusing. It says Fifteen percent of India's total foreign exchange earnings from tourism come from Goa. It does not say what the total for India is. On a TV program I picked up the figure of $12 billion from 5 million foreign tourists to India. Fifteen percent of that is a whopping $1.8 billion, about Rs 7500 crores. Meanwhile INDIA TODAY says Goa tourism industry has contributed $300 million (Rs 120 crores, which is a mistake as it should be Rs 1200 crores!) as foreign exchange in 2006. Where is $1.8 billion and where is $300 million. The latter is more likely to be the correct figure. This gives a percentage of only 2.5 vis a vis the national total of $12 billion! So Goa tourism is a negligble part of the country's foreign tourist market. This is in sharp contrast to claims heard as recently as 2 years ago that Goa was among the hotspots of the world. Not only is this dubious but it seems the average spend of 400,000 foreign tourists in Goa may be only about $750! This is one third of the national average ($12 billion divided by 5 million). Those who complain that Goa is getting mainly down market foreign tourists may be right. The position regarding domestic (Indian) tourists is quite different. According to a recent TOI story, Goa is #1 among Indian tourists, along with Ooty and Shimla. But this is irrelevant to the foreign exchange picture we are focusing on. The bottom line: Goa may be a marginal foreign tourist destination and it is an exaggeration to claim that it is a big economic contributor to the nation on this score
Re: [Goanet] Goa of Our Dreams: Living Within a China Wall (Arun Sinha)
Philip Thomas forgot to provide the link to this article, so here it is: http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=062420 Although I am one with them with a banner in their procession—because my Mandovi was robbed from me—I am still confused about what saving Goa means. Does it mean freezing Goa, as it exists today? Does it mean stopping all human activities that cause browning and overcrowding of Goa? No industry, no commerce, no tourism, no airports, no flights, no railways, no highways—a China-Walled island of sparse population and a great landscape? Please read this article, it is a very important perspective. Perhaps I feel that way because it reflects my own and possibly that of Philip Thomas. selma --- On Mon, 6/23/08, Philip Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Philip Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Goanet] Goa of Our Dreams: Living Within a China Wall (Arun Sinha)
Re: [Goanet] Goa of Our Dreams: Living Within a China Wall (Arun Sinha)
I couldn't help reading this article over and over again. How the crystal clear lucid thoughts of this non-Goan, have articulated exactly the problem facing Goa. When I read the posts of such non-Goans as Sinha and Thomas Philip, I ask myself why is it that only non-Goans have this vision for Goa. Is it because their kaleidoscope of thought is so much broader? Their lens so much clearer. I've also found the non-Goans on this forum like the Sen Guptas and the Gadgils to be the least xenophobic. It is only us Goans who talk about Niz Goenkarponn and Goenkar rogott and think it is a badge of honour. That includes me, who is not immune to good old fashioned jingoism so easily aroused by emotion but which generally dies with the cold light of rationalisation. When I read this, I wish for more and more such intelligent, articulate people to come from whichever part of the world and settle in Goa. Goa needs you. selma --- On Tue, 6/24/08, Carvalho [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Although I am one with them with a banner in their procession—because my Mandovi was robbed from me—I am still confused about what saving Goa means. Does it mean freezing Goa, as it exists today? Does it mean stopping all human activities that cause browning and overcrowding of Goa?
[Goanet] Goa of Our Dreams: Living Within a China Wall (Arun Sinha)
Goa was always dependent on other regions for food, other needs and employment. Today we are many times more dependent. For planning purposes, Goa does have to be viewed as an open system not as a hermetically closed one. For this it is necessary to draw up a statement of exchange transactions between Goa and the rest of the world (esp the Centre). A kind of Balance of Transactions. On the outgoing side you could have export receipts, tourism receipts, direct and indirect tax generation etc. On the incoming side the share of taxes, Finance and Planning Commission allocations, other budgetary allocations etc as well as things like energy supply and so on. It would clearly show whether Goa was dependent or a net contributor. If it is the latter then Goa would be within its rights to thump tables to get its fair share of commensurate benefits.
