The Empowered Group of State Finance Ministers after a meeting has indicated that the Centre's failure to compensate states on Central Sales Tax (CST) among other pending issues would delay the rolling out of indirect tax reforms - Goods and Services Tax (GST). The Group chaired by Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi expressed its displeasure and said that there is little chance of GST rollout by April 1, 2012, following a discord between the Centre and states over several issues. 'All the states are angry as still we have not received compensation, while Centre continues to deduct CST.'
‘We will meet Finance Minister (Pranab Mukherjee). We will seek time... I appeal to the Union Finance Minister that when a congenial atmosphere is being created for GST, this (CST compensation) should not become a bone of contention between the Centre and states,’ Modi said.
The empowered group also expressed disagreement with the Centre's proposal to include natural gas and LNG in the declared goods list. Barring Tamil Nadu, all states opposed inclusion of the two items in the declared list in a bid to cap the value added tax on these items to 5 per cent. The group said that it would tantamount to encroachment of autonomy of the states hence states want this subject to be left to them to levy.
The empowered group had also made its stand clear on taxing the Aviation Turbine Fuel last year that it should be out of GST. Goods like cereals, coal and coke, cotton, crude oil, sugar, textiles, jute, iron and steel, tobacco products, oil seeds, pulses, LPG have been declared as goods of special importance or declared goods. States cannot levy more than 4 per cent tax on these items. On natural gas and LNG, many states charge as high as 12 per cent tax.
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