Finance Minister defends windfall tax on crude oil and exports of refined petroleum products

06 Sep 2022 Evaluate

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has defended the windfall tax on domestically produced crude oil and additional tax on exports of refined petroleum products, saying the levy has been imposed in full consultation with the industry. From July 1, the government has imposed a windfall tax on domestically produced crude and additional tax on refined products like petrol, diesel and aviation fuel. The move was expected to garner an additional tax of Rs 66,000 crore this fiscal, though the amount would vary depending on the price of crude and export prices of refined products.

The minister stated that from July, the tax on per litre of petrol and ATF export was Rs 6 each and on diesel it was Rs 13. Additionally, a Rs 23,250 per tonne tax was levied on crude oil produced domestically. Accordingly, when crude prices fell later in July, government reduced the tax rates. At the fourth fortnightly review on August 31, government raised windfall profit tax on diesel export to Rs 13.5 a litre from Rs 7 and that on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to Rs 9 from Rs 2 from September 1. Alongside, tax on domestically-produced crude too was hiked to Rs 13,300 per tonne from Rs 13,000.

Talking on whether the government is planning to increase the tax-GDP ratio, which is only about 10 per cent now, she said widening the tax base is an issue that needs lot of consultation and analysis, though increasing number of income tax filings gives some clue on the possibility of widening it. But, she said the government wants to ensure that as and when it is done, it looks reasonable and is tech-driven. The minister also credited the massive increase in tax collection to the introduction of technology for assessment and refunds. She added that increase in tax collection is not due to raising any tax rates, but because of introduction of technology, including the faceless assessment system. 

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