No plan to slap new cess on fuels: Thakur

The Centre doesn’t intend to impose any new cess on petroleum products, minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, even as calls for a cut in fuel taxes have grown only shriller since prices of petrol and diesel hit record levels in February.

Asked if the government has any plan to bring petroleum products under the ambit of the goods and services tax (GST) regime, Thakur said any such move will require the GST Council’s recommendation. “So far, the GST Council has not made any recommendation for inclusion of petrol and diesel under GST,” he said.