GST from 1 July: Union Minister Piyush Goyal says no possibility of power tariff hike post new tax regime

New Delhi: Power Minister Piyush Goyal sees no possibility of increase in power tariff across the country post GST, saying industry associations have not sought its deferment. The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is set for 1 July kick-off, will usher in a new system under which there will be one tax on commodities and services across the country. [caption id=“attachment_3735201” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal. PIB[/caption] “I don’t see any possibility of spike in power tariff due to implementation of GST. There could be one or two paise variation (per unit of electricity),” Goyal told reporters after his meeting with the industry covering power, coal, mines and renewable energy sectors. Goyal added that there are a couple of issues raised, which will be put forth at the next meeting of the GST Council. One of them pertains to the issue of tax on product made up of fly ash, a by-product at coal-based thermal power plants. The industry association, Goyal said, has not sought postponement of the GST implementation and all are content with the new framework. The power ministry will make an analysis on the basis of tax collection before and after implementation of GST to find out if the new tax rates are “inordinately” high or not.