In our series of discussion about Budget 2021 we must understand that Budget is not only about changes in Direct and Indirect Tax. Finance Bill contains other amendments as well relating to different laws.
One such amendment is increase in prices of petrol and diesel by introducing a new cess which is as under:
“(1) There shall be levied and collected, in accordance with the provisions of this section, for the purposes of the Union, an additional duty of excise, to be called Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess, on the goods specified in the Seventh Schedule (hereinafter referred to as scheduled goods), being the goods manufactured or produced, at the rates specified in column (3) of the said Schedule, for the purposes of financing the agriculture infrastructure and other development expenditure.
(2) The Central Government may, after due appropriation made by Parliament by law in this behalf, utilise such sums of money of the Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess levied under this section for the purposes specified in sub-section (1), as it may consider necessary.
(3) The cess leviable under sub-section (1), chargeable on the scheduled goods, shall be in addition to any other duties of excise chargeable on such goods under the Central Excise Act, 1944 or any other law for the time being in force.
(4) The provisions of the Central Excise Act, 1944 and the rules and the regulations made thereunder, including those relating to assessment, non-levy, short-levy, refund, exemptions, interest, appeals, offences, and penalties shall, as far as may be, apply in relation to the levy and collection of the cess leviable under this section in respect of scheduled goods as they apply in relation to the levy and collection of duties of excise on such goods under the said Act or the rules or regulations, as the case maybe.”
Thus as mentioned above a new agriculture and development cess under Excise duty shall be levied on various goods which includes petrol and diesel and the rate at which such cess shall be levied is as under:
Motor spirit commonly known as petrol Rs. 2.50 per litre
High speed diesel Rs. 4.00 per litre.
Hence, this will increase the petrol and diesel prices directly and hence at many places the prices of petrol and diesel shall increase to almost Rs. 100/ litre or even more than that.
