Fadnavis asks Maha govt to slash duties on fuel after Centre clears GST dues

Mumbai: After the Centre cleared the GST dues to states, with Maharashtra getting the largest share, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government should now slash the excise duties on fuel and provide relief to the common man.

Fuel prices are not covered under the Goods and Services Tax and every state has the right to decide excise duty rates. Maharashtra is said to have the highest rate in the country.

After the Centre cleared the GST dues on May 31, Fadnavis shared the official release from the Union government on Twitter and highlighted the fact that Maharashtra had received Rs 14,145 crore.

Earlier on April 27, the Centre and state governments had locked horns over the GST issue, when during a coronavirus-related meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers, the former had alleged that some opposition-controlled states had not passed the Centre’s excise duty cuts on to the people.

The Maharashtra government hit back at the Centre for not clearing GST dues worth Rs 26,500 crore, following which Fadnavis had pointed out that all dues are cleared by July every year and that the Centre would pay the state in installments this time as well.

The leader of the opposition on Wednesday tweeted, “The Union government has paid Rs 14,145 crore to Maharashtra, clearing its dues till May 31 this year. The government has cleared its all the dues to all the states. Will Maharashtra government now slash the fuel prices or prefer to blame the Centre for making more payment of the GST?” Whenever the state had a chance to exercise its administrative skills for good, it has always postponed, he said.

”The state government takes a lot of pride in blaming the Centre for everything. The state should immediately bring down prices of fuel by reducing the excise duty,” Fadnavis tweeted.