Cut excise duty on CNG till gas is included in GST: Kirit Parikh panel

The Union government should moderate the excise duty it levies on CNG till such time that the environment-friendly natural gas is included in the one-nation-one-tax GST regime, Kirit Parikh Committee has recommended.

Natural gas is currently outside the ambit of GST, and existing legacy taxes -- central excise duty, state VAT and central sales tax -- continue to be applicable on the fuel.

While the central government does not levy excise duty on natural gas when sold in gaseous form, it charges a 14 per cent tax on compressed natural gas (CNG). States levy VAT as high as 24.5 per cent on gas.

The Parikh Committee, which was formed to recommend fair price of gas to the end consumer and a "market-oriented, transparent and reliable pricing regime", in its report to the Oil Ministry last week suggested that "gas should be brought under the GST regime".

"The committee recognise that this requires consensus among the states," it said.

"To obtain this, if need be the states may be ...