By PTI
MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said the state government was against any move to encroach upon the state’s rights to levy taxes and would put forth its view in the GST Council meeting on Friday.
He was replying to questions that the GST Council meeting, scheduled in Lucknow on Friday, might consider taxing petrol, diesel and other petroleum products under the single national GST regime, a move that may require huge compromises by both central and state governments on the revenues they collect from taxing these products.
Pawar, who holds charge of Maharashtra’s finance department, told reporters here that said the Centre was free to levy taxes, but “what is under the state’s jurisdiction should not be touched”. “If there is any move to do so, the state government will put forth its view in tomorrow’s GST Council meeting,” he said.
Pawar said the central government should abide by all assurances made in Parliament when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) law of ‘one nation one tax’ was enacted. “We are yet to get Rs 30,000 crore to 32,000 crore of our share of the GST refund. Apart from Excise and stamp duty, the largest pool of revenue for the state government is from the GST. Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government highlighted the state’s issues regarding finances during discussions with the NITI Aayog members,” he said.
