GST on fuel if Centre drops cess, says Tamil Nadu finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan

MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu government will reconsider brining petrol and diesel under the ambit of the goods and services tax (GST) if the Union government drops the undivided heavy cess charges on the two fuels, finance minister P T R Palanivel Thiagarajan told reporters here on Monday.

The minister made this statement in response to the statement made by his predecessor and AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam, asking the DMK government if they had changed its stand with regard to bringing fuel under GST from their tenure as the opposition and on assuming power.

Thiagarajan pointed out that the Union government is levying heavy cess of Rs 32.9 per litre petrol and Rs 31.8 on a litre of diesel, which goes undivided with the states.