(PTI)
Amid an uproar over higher fuel rates, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said the inclusion of petroleum products under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will bring the products under a rational tax mechanism. Speaking to reporters at the Raipur airport this evening, he said the prices of petrol and diesel are linked with the international market and they fluctuate as per the global prices.
Whenever there is hike in crude petroleum rates in the international market, it leads to an increase in fuel prices in the Indian market, Pradhan said while replying to a query on taxes and cess imposed on petrol and diesel. Pradhan said his Ministry wanted the petroleum products to be included under the purview of GST and that several requests and suggestions have already been made to the GST Council. The state governments are gradually making up their mind in this direction. Pradhan said the states had an apprehension of losses earlier, but now that the GST is giving benefits, a consensus is building in this direction slowly. “The inclusion of petroleum products under GST will bring it into a rational tax mechanism,” he added.
