## **Siddaramaiah Invites 8 CMs to Discuss Fiscal Federalism, Unfair Tax Devolution** Responding to the federal government's recent budget, Siddaramaiah, Karnataka's chief minister, has invited his counterparts from seven other states to a conference in Bengaluru on March 12 to deliberate on fiscal federalism and explore rectifying the uneven distribution of tax revenues. Siddaramaiah has mentioned that the conference will center around promoting uniform standards for GST compensation and the devolution of taxes, which is currently seen as skewed towards the federal government. He further added that he has sent letters to Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu CM M. K. Stalin, Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao, and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. He mentioned he is expecting a positive response from fellow CMs. Siddaramaiah has long been a vocal critic of what he considers to be the federal government's inequitable distribution of tax revenues. He has previously stated that if the current system is not reformed, it will harm states financially and make it difficult for them to provide essential services to their citizens. The conference is expected to issue a joint statement outlining the states' demands for a more equitable system of fiscal federalism. The statement will then be presented to the federal government. The outcome of the conference is highly anticipated by state governments across India, as it could have a significant impact on their financial autonomy and ability to meet the needs of their citizens.
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