Tue Apr 01 07:22:23 UTC 2025: ## Kerala Opposition Leader Slams Government’s New Tax Regime as “April Fool’s Day Hoax”

**Thiruvananthapuram, April 1, 2025** – Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, has strongly criticized the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s new tax regime, calling it an “April Fool’s Day hoax.” The regime, which came into effect on Tuesday, includes significant hikes in land tax and levies on contract carriages and electric vehicles.

Satheesan, in a Facebook post, accused the LDF government of exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis through its poor fiscal management and lax tax administration, which he claims has driven the state into debt. He stated that the new taxes represent an attempt to force the public to bear the burden of the government’s mismanagement, amounting to an additional ₹336 crore in resource mobilization.

The Opposition leader highlighted a range of issues stemming from the government’s financial policies, including a depleted state treasury, unpaid public works contractors leading to stalled projects, and a decline in traditional industries like coir, cashew, and fisheries. He further criticized the failure of the government’s market intervention program to control inflation, resulting in empty Supplyco shelves and medicine shortages in government hospitals. The Karunya health scheme, he added, remains underfunded and largely ineffective.

Satheesan also accused the government of bankrupting public utilities, particularly the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), citing the annulment of a cost-effective power purchase contract established by the previous government as a prime example of mismanagement favoring private players. He further referenced the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) findings of inflated prices paid for medicines and protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mounting social welfare pension backlog and the alleged exploitation of ASHA workers, who are reportedly struggling for minimum wages, were also cited as examples of government failures.

Read More