Minister for Finance Thangam Thennarasu. | Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu has urged the Union government to address issues such as revenue losses to the States under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, release pending dues under various schemes, and announce a support package to mitigate the impact of the U.S. tariff increases on the State’s economy. Speaking at the pre-Union Budget consultation meeting chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Saturday, Mr. Thennarasu, who represented Tamil Nadu along with Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) T. Udhayachandran and Deputy Secretary (Budget) Pratik Tayal, said the State had already spent about ₹9,500 crore in advance payment towards the Union government’s share for Chennai Metro Rail Phase II, though the project was approved in October 2024. He said the amount continued to be reflected as part of the State’s borrowings, adversely affecting Tamil Nadu’s debt-GSDP ratio and permissible borrowing limit. He sought appropriate accounting entries in line with the Cabinet approval. He also urged the Centre to …