Sasmit Patra to Nirmala Sitharaman: Bring petrol, diesel under GST ambit

Bhubaneswar: Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra on Sunday urged Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to place the long-pending issue of bringing petrol and diesel under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework before the next GST Council meeting, citing rising fuel costs and inflationary pressures on households and industry.In his letter, Patra requested that the matter be taken up as a formal agenda item for “comprehensive deliberation and consensus-building” between the Centre and states. He pointed out that the Constitution envisages the eventual inclusion of petroleum products under GST, with Article 279A empowering the GST Council to recommend the date for such a move.The MP said high fuel prices are affecting common people and businesses alike, as they push up transportation costs, food prices and overall inflation. He also noted that keeping petrol and diesel outside GST has led to price differences across states due to varying VAT rates.