Petrol and diesel prices go up for the first time in more than a month

The price of petrol in Delhi climbed to Rs 75.71 per litre from Rs 75.55 and diesel to Rs 67.50 a litre from Rs 67.38, according to price notification of Indian Oil Corp

 

Petrol and diesel prices were on Thursday hiked for the first time in more than a month on the back of rising international rates and weakening rupee.

The increase of 16 paisa a litre in petrol and 12 paisa per litre in diesel came after an 8-day self-imposed hiatus in rate revisions by state-oil firms in anticipation of softening international rates due to OPEC decision to raise output by 1 million barrels per day.

The price of petrol in Delhi climbed to Rs 75.71 per litre from Rs 75.55 and diesel to Rs 67.50 a litre from Rs 67.38, according to price notification of Indian Oil Corp (IOC).

The three state-owned fuel retailers, IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) had not revised petrol and diesel prices since June 26.

“We had not changed prices for a few days in anticipation (of) OPEC decision to raise production leading to softening of international rates. But the 1 million barrels of additional production, which was to kick-in from July, has been overdone by the Iran issue,” IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh told PTI.

While the OPEC last month decided to raise production, the US is piling pressure on India, China, and other buyers to end all imports of Iranian oil before a November 4 deadline in a bid to choke the Persian Gulf state’s economic lifeline with sanctions over its nuclear programme.

Singh said Iran produces around 2.3 to 2.5 million barrels per day and the world searching for alternates to replace those volumes has put pressure on the prices.

The decision to hold on to rates was taken without any elections looming around, he said, adding international prices have risen post-OPEC decision and oil companies have to “adjust retail rates accordingly”.

State-owned oil firms, who had in mid-June last year dumped 15-year practice of revising rates on 1st and 16th of every month in favour of daily price revisions, had last changed prices on June 26 when petrol price was cut by 14 paise and diesel by 10 paise.

In the preceding month, or so rates had been cut in line with dropping international rates. Prices had hit an all-time high of Rs 78.43 a litre for petrol and Rs 69.31 per litre for diesel on May 30.

ALSO READ: ‘With 28% GST on petrol and diesel, states too may levy additional taxes’

That peak had triggered demands for a reduction in excise duty but the government had ruled out any immediate cut.

The Centre currently levies a total of Rs 19.48 per litre of excise duty on petrol and Rs 15.33 per litre on diesel. On top of this, states levy Value Added Tax (VAT) – the lowest being in Andaman and Nicobar Islands where a 6 per cent sales tax is charged on both the fuel.

Mumbai has the highest VAT of 39.12 per cent on petrol, while Telangana levies the highest VAT of 26 per cent on diesel. Delhi charges a VAT of 27 per cent on petrol and 17.24 per cent on diesel.

The central government had raised excise duty on petrol by Rs 11.77 a litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in nine instalments between November 2014 and January 2016 to shore up finances as global oil prices fell, but then cut the tax just once in October last year by Rs 2 a litre.

This led to its excise collections from petro goods more than doubling in last four years – from Rs 991.84 billion in 2014-15 to Rs 2.29 trillion in 2017-18. States saw their VAT revenue from petro goods rise from Rs 1.37 trillion in 2014-15 to Rs 1.84 trillion in 2017-18.

READ MORE : FUEL PRICE HIKE 

Petrol, diesel to be cheaper in Maharashtra after 4% VAT cut

Net reduction in petrol and diesel prices will be around Rs 2.33 per litre and Rs 1.25 per litre respectively from Tuesday midnight

Petrol and diesel products will become cheaper in Maharashtra from midnight on Tuesday due to four per cent reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT), an official said in Mumbai.

The net reduction in petrol and diesel prices will be around Rs 2.33 per litre and Rs 1.25 per litre respectively, though the various cess levied by the state have not been reduced, said All India Petrol Dealers Association Spokesperson Ali Daruwala.

The move follows a communication from Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to all state governments to consider reducing state-level taxes on petrol and diesel products, which increase prices at local levels.

Mumbai Petroleum Dealers Association President Ravi Shinde said the current VAT in the state is around 26 per cent on petrol and 21 per cent on diesel, plus different cess totalling Rs 9 per litre. This leads to a hike in the prices of petrol and diesel by nearly 50 per cent for every litre in the state.

"Our demand for reduction in cess on petrol and diesel products by the state government was rejected and we were informed that it is utilised to repay farm loans waiver package announced in June," Daruwala told IANS.

With the reduction in VAT, the Maharashtra government is likely to suffer a loss of around Rs 2,500 crore.

GST: hotels, eateries overcharging you? How to get the math right

Food served at restaurants attract tax at two rates under GST - 12 per cent and 18 per cent

As consumers, we are hardly aware of the components included in the restaurant bills. Next time do check your bill to see if the proper GST or goods or services tax rate has been levied. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Tuesday clarified on rates of GST for restaurants.(economy news)

Food served at restaurants attract tax at two rates under GST - 12 per cent and 18 per cent (including both CGST (Central GST) and SGST (State GST)) - depending on whether it is an AC restaurant or whether the restaurant has the licence to serve alcohol.

Understanding your restaurant bill

If you revisit your food bill from the pre-GST fine-dine experience, you’ll find Service Tax, Service Charge, VAT being added over and above the food value.

VAT: This was the tax charged on the food portion of your bill.

Service tax: This was the tax charged on the services provided by the restaurant.

Service Charge: This is a charge applied by the restaurants and not by the government. It is not mandatory to pay the service charge, as per government rules.

However, the rates under GST are vastly different than what you would find before the tax policy change. Let us look at these changed rates below.

GST Rates on Eating Out

* Non-AC roadside eateries (non-alcohol) will charge tax at 12%. This also includes your local delivery restaurants.

* AC restaurants (both those that serve alcohol and those that don’t) will charge tax at 18%

* Non-AC eateries serving alcohol will charge 18%.

* Pre-packed food: The rate of tax on a parcel of pre-packed and pre-cooked namkin sold from restaurants will attract tax at 12 per cent. Also, in case of food parcel cooked as per order, GST rates will be applicable according to service of such food in the restaurant.

* Restaurants up to an aggregate turnover of Rs 75 lakh that opt for the composition scheme will charge GST at the rate of 5 per cent.

* Potable alcohol does not come under GST.

*Upender Gupta, GST Commissioner, explained that if food bill in a restaurant is Rs 500, Rs 1,000 is the alcohol bill, then GST should be levied only on Rs 500

The tax department has reiterated that no restaurant can charge GST at 28 per cent.

The tax department has also clarified that "the actual GST incidence will be lesser due to increased availability of input tax credit." Many input credits which were hitherto not available would be available now to be utilised against GST liability, says Sandeep Sehgal, director-tax and regulatory at Ashok Maheshwary & Associates LLP. (Read more)

GST not being charged twice over on credit card payments: Govt busts myths

Please do not recirculate such message without checking it with authority," Adhia said.

Economy news : Two days into the GST regime, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia today took to Twitter to bust "seven myths" that were doing the rounds about the new tax regime.

Adhia, the architect behind the country's largest tax reform, sought to dispel concerns that if a person makes payment of utility bills by credit cards, the he/she will be paying GST twice.

"This is completely untrue. Please do not recirculate such message without checking it with authority," Adhia said.

India ushered in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1.

A four-tier tax slab -- 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent -- has been decided with essential items like salt, unpacked food grains, healthcare services being kept zero rated.

People have been posting in social media pictures of receipts issued in grocery stores or eateries showing tax deductions as GST, instead of VAT/Service tax earlier.

Busting the myth that GST rates are higher than VAT, Adhia said, "It appears higher because excise duty and other taxes which were invisible earlier are now subsumed in GST and so visible now."

He reiterated that businesses can continue to do business under GST with provisional ID number and need not wait for Goods and Services Taxpayer identification number(GSTIN).

"Provisional ID will be your final GSTIN number. Start business," Adhia said.

He said that businesses need not generate all invoices on computer or internet alone. "Invoices can be generated manually also."

On the rumour that businesses which were earlier exempt will immediately need new registration before starting business now, Adhia said, "You can continue doing business and get registered within 30 days".

He said small retailers need not file invoice-wise details in their return forms and retailers will have to just file one return form as the two other forms will be auto populated by the computer.

"There is only 1 return with 3 parts, out of which first part filed by dealer and two other parts auto populated by computer," he said.

Adhia also said that internet is not needed all the time to do business under GST. The reality is internet would be needed only while filing monthly return of GST, he said.

In a statement, the finance ministry said the two days post GST rollouthas passed "without any major problems being reported" from the field offices.

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