The Kerala high court on Monday asked the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council why petroleum products can’t come under the GST and directed it to file a reply in ten days.
Hearing public interest litigation (PIL), a division bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly directed the GST Council to explain reasons for not including petrol and diesel within the ambit of GST.
The PIL was filed by Kerala Pradesh Gandhi Darshanvadi, a voluntary organization. Its counsel Arun B Varghese contended that the price of petrol and diesel vary in different states according to the tax levied by them and sought a uniform tax regime for petroleum products. The petition also cited that though the Union and state governments plead helplessness in this citing, petroleum marketing companies enthusiastically participated in the reduction of fuel price before elections.
