NAGPUR, Dec. 14 -- The revision of Goods and Services Tax (GST) slabs two months ago is expected to cost Maharashtra around Rs.15,000 crore annually, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Saturday, underlining the fiscal pressure on the cash-strapped state government. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur, Pawar said the government was tapping additional revenue from sectors such as excise and mining to offset the losses. He acknowledged that the state's finances were under strain due to various welfare schemes announced ahead of last year's assembly elections, but maintained that the Mahayuti government was managing to strike a balance. In September, the Centre overhauled the GST structure by consolidating multiple slabs into a simplified two-slab system of 5% and 18%, lowering taxes on several essential goods and consumer durables. The changes will lead to a drop in tax generation in Maharashtra, too. The state government expects to collect an estimated Rs.1.76 lakh crore from GST in FY 2025-26, compared with Rs.1.55 lakh crore the previous year. To bridge the gap, Pawar stated that the state government plans to introduce minor changes to excise duties and rules to increase revenue. P5...