Sushil Modi rules out bringing petrol, diesel under GST
New Delhi, June 29: GST Council Member and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi on Friday outright ruled out bringing petroleum products under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in near future, citing loss of revenue both to central and state governments.
He added there was no consensus in the GST Council on the issue yet and if such a decision was effected in a hurry, both the Central and the state governments would incur huge revenue losses.
Modi, the Bihar Finance Minister, added that even if petroleum products are brought under GST, there is no guarantee that they would attract a tax rate within 28 per cent and states may levy additional taxes for want of more revenue.
His statement comes days after NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar told IANS in an interview that petrol and diesel can't be brought under GST any time soon since the total state and Central taxes on petrol put together are around 90 per cent right now.
He had said that no state will be willing to take a cut so huge and opening a new slab under GST would be an enormous exercise.
However, Modi said the Council could positively consider bringing in natural gas and aviation turbine fuel within the purview of GST.
Addressing a National Conclave on "GST - Growing Stronger Together" here, he said the GST slab of 28 per cent for certain products could be brought down only once the revenues stabilize at about Rs one lakh crore per month, a statement said.
The average monthly collection under GST stood at Rs 89,885 crore during 2017-18.
"Similarly, a three slab GST could also be possible at any rate between 12 per cent and 18 per cent once the monthly revenue collections move towards stability which will take time," he added.
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Maharashtra polls: Rahul Gandhi's bag checked, Congress leader questions authorities
Amravati(PTI): Poll authorities on Saturday checked the bag of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Dhamangaon Railway in Maharashtra's Amravati district.
He was here to address a public rally for the November 20 assembly polls.
Gandhi's bag was checked after his helicopter landed at the helipad in Dhamangaon Railway, which is among the eight assembly seats in Amravati district.
Former state minister and Congress' Teosa MLA Yashomati Thakur, speaking to reporters, questioned the action of the poll authorities and asked why they were not checking bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The checking of bags of leaders, a practice of the poll authorities to enforce the model code of conduct, came to the fore in the state's election campaign after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray was subjected to it in Yavatmal.
Thackeray not only shot a video of the procedure but also chided the poll authorities on not checking bags of Modi, Shah, Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
However, videos that surfaced subsequently showed bags of Shah, Shinde, Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar etc being checked by poll authorities.
