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 a 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 organisation, though its counsel Arun B Varghese contended that prices of petrol and diesel vary in different states as tax levied by them was different and sought a uniform tax regime for petroleum products. It also cited that though the union and state governments plead helplessness in this citing petroleum marketing companies, both enthusiastically participated in the reduction of fuel price prior to elections.
