The government should bring natural gas under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a gas-based economy and raising the share of the environment-friendly fuel in India’s energy basket, an industry body that represents the likes of Reliance Industries as well state-owned firms, has said.
Natural gas is currently outside the ambit of GST, and existing legacy taxes — central excise duty, state VAT, central sales tax — continue to be applicable on the fuel. In its pre-Budget memorandum to the finance ministry, Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI), which boasts of members from across the oil and gas spectrum, also demanded rationalization of GST on transportation of natural gas through pipeline as well as on re-gasification of imported LNG to help bring down cost of the environment friendly fuel.
The Prime Minister has set a target of raising the share of natural gas in the country’s primary energy basket to 15 per cent by 2030, from 6.2 per cent currently. Greater use of natural gas will cut fuel cost as well as bring down carbon emissions, helping the nation meet its COP-26 commitments.
“Non-inclusion of natural gas under the GST regime is having adverse impact on natural gas prices due to stranding of taxes in the hands of gas producers/suppliers and is also impacting natural gas-based industries due to stranding of legacy taxes paid on it,” FIPI said.
VAT rate on natural gas is very high in some states — Andhra Pradesh levies 24.5 per cent tax, Uttar Pradesh 14.5 per cent, Gujarat 15 per cent and Madhya Pradesh 14 per cent. Inclusion of natural gas under GST is required to provide uniform taxation and to encourage free trade of it across the country without any tax anomalies. “This is one of the key prerequisites for the development of gas exchange in the country,” it said.
FIPI said non-inclusion of basic petroleum products such as crude oil, natural gas, petrol, diesel and ATF under the newly introduced GST regime is affecting the sector adversely.