Mumbai, Dec 11 (IANS): With the state coffers empty, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has demanded the centre plough back its total outstandings on account of GST-IGST of over Rs 15,500 crore, an official said on Wednesday.

In a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Thackeray said this includes Goods & Services Tax compensation of Rs 8,611.76 crore and the rest arrears of Integrated Goods & Services Tax.

This, coupled with the ongoing economic slowdown, has posed serious problems for the state's finances owing to which its development programmes are suffering, the CM informed Sitharaman.

The state's communication to the Centre came barely days after Minister Jayant Patil revealed that the state's current debt burden comprises Rs.4.71 lakh crore, besides another obligation of Rs 2 lakh crore on various ongoing mega-infrastructure projects such as the Bullet Train.

Earlier, Thackeray had demanded that since Maharashtra contributed nearly half the total tax revenues to the Central exchequer, the Centre should waive (the state's contribution) for two years, which could help it wipe off all its debts in one shot.