Union Minister Advocates for Inclusion of Petrol and Diesel under GST

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri advocates for including petrol and diesel under GST, needing unanimous state support. Despite support from the Finance Minister, the decision remains challenging due to state-level tax issues and lack of consensus among state governments.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday expressed support for including petrol and diesel under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), emphasizing that the move requires unanimous backing from all states. Puri made these remarks during a lecture on 'strategy and measures for enhancing India's energy security in the coming decades,' organized by the Pune International Centre.

Puri highlighted that he has long advocated for this inclusion and noted that the Finance Minister has also endorsed bringing fuel under GST on multiple occasions. However, he pointed out that the process demands consensus from the GST council, which operates on unanimity, and agreement from state chief ministers.

He remarked that despite BJP-ruled states reducing their VAT, non-BJP states are hesitant to relinquish additional VAT, making the likelihood of such a decision uncertain. The Kerala High Court had also suggested that the GST council should consider this issue, Puri added.

(With inputs from agencies.)