A majority of states have recommended that the Centre increase their share in tax revenue distribution to 50 per cent, Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, said on Wednesday.Currently, states receive 41 per cent of the divisible tax pool, while the remaining 59 per cent is retained by the Centre. Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Panagariya said, “The previous finance commission had set the (tax revenue) share at 41 per cent for states and 59 per cent for Centre. That’s how it is now.”He noted that more than 22 out of the 28 states have recommended raising the states’ share to 50 per cent. “Like most other state governments, UP has also asked for the share to be raised to 50 per cent from the present 41 per cent,” Panagariya said.The Finance Commission is currently conducting state-wise consultations as part of its mandate. The visit to Uttar Pradesh marked the conclusion of its consultations with states, although meetings with some central ministries are expected to continue.When asked whether the Commission would recommend a 50 per cent share for states in its final report, Panagariya declined to commit. “Practically speaking, I can’t tell you (the press) what the commission will do because I also don’t know it yet as it’s a decision of full membership of the commission. What I can speculate though is it is not going to be 50 per cent because that would be too large a jump and such a large jump upsets too many cards,” he said, quoted PTI.Panagariya also observed that, historically, the recommendations made by Finance Commissions have been accepted in full by the government.The 16th Finance Commission was constituted on December 31, 2023, under Article 280 of the Constitution. It is tasked with recommending the distribution of tax revenues between the Centre and the states for the five-year period from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2031. The Commission is expected to submit its report by October 31, 2025.