Author: admin_gst

Govt cuts excise duty on petrol, diesel; slaps windfall tax on fuel exports
GST
Dated:- 27-3-2026
PTI
New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The government has slashed excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre, averting a pump price hike that had become necessary because of soaring global oil prices.

The cut in special additional excise duty on petrol from Rs 13 a litre to Rs 3 and the same on diesel from Rs 10 per litre to nil, will lead to an estimated revenue loss of Rs 1.75 lakh crore.

Alongside, the government brought back duties on export of diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF), according to a notification issued late on Thursday.

The government also imposed an export duty of Rs 21.5 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.5 per litre on aviation turbine fuel (ATF), reinstating a levy first introduced in July 2022 to curb windfall gains by refiners following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and later withdrawn in December 2024.

However, unlike last time, there is no wi

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xcise duty, Rs 4 agriculture infrastructure and development cess, and Rs 2 road and infrastructure cess).

Considering 175 billion litres of auto fuel sales annually (115 billion litres of diesel and 60 billion litres of petrol), the impact of the duty cut will be Rs 1.75 lakh crore annually.

The excise duty cut follows record losses that oil companies suffered from the surge in international oil prices. Prices of crude oil, the raw material for making petrol and diesel, have surged almost 50 per cent this month as the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation disrupts global supply.

Despite oil prices rising above USD 100 per barrel, retail pump rates had remained on freeze. This had led to oil companies incurring record losses which had even started impacting their working capital.

To ease the pain, the government cut excise duty. The reduction will be adjusted against the Rs 24 a litre required increase in petrol and Rs 30 per litre hike in diesel

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recoveries stand at approximately Rs 26 per litre on petrol and Rs 81.90 per litre on diesel. The combined daily under-recovery being absorbed by OMCs is approximately Rs 2,400 crore,” an oil ministry statement said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a post on X said the reduction in excise duty “will provide protection to consumers from rise in prices”.

The government, she said, has always ensured that citizens are protected from vagaries of supply and costs of essential goods.

“Further, duties have been imposed on exports of diesel at Rs 21.5 per litre and on ATF at Rs 29.5 per litre. This will ensure adequate availability of these products for domestic consumption,” she added.

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said international crude prices have gone through the roof in the last one month from around USD 70 dollars per barrel to around USD 122.

“Consequently, petrol and diesel prices for consumers have gone up all over the world. Prices have increased by arou

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Excise duty cuts on petrol, diesel will ensure stability, ease burden on citizens: Goa CM
GST
Dated:- 27-3-2026
PTI
Panaji, Mar 27 (PTI) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday welcomed the Central government's decision to slash excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre each, stating that the timely intervention will ensure fuel stability and provide relief to citizens.

The government, in a notification on Thursday, stated that the special additional excise duty on pe

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Govt cuts excise duty on petrol, diesel; windfall tax on fuel export back
GST
Dated:- 27-3-2026
PTI
New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The government has slashed excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre each, a move aimed at shielding domestic consumers from a surge in global oil prices triggered by the Middle East conflict, at an estimated revenue cost of Rs 1.75 lakh crore.

Alongside, the government brought back duties on export of diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

Special additional excise duty on petrol has been cut from Rs 13 a litre to Rs 3 and the same on diesel from Rs 10 per litre to nil, according to a notification issued late on Thursday.

Alongside, the government imposed an export duty of Rs 21.5 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.5 per litre on aviation turbine fuel (ATF), reinstating a levy first introduced in July 2022 to curb windfall gains by refiners following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and later withdrawn in December 2024.

However, unli

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nd Tehran's sweeping retaliation disrupts global supply.

Despite oil prices rising above USD 100 per barrel, retail pump rates had remained on freeze. This had led to oil companies incurring record losses which had even started impacting their working capital.

To ease the pain, the government cut excise duty. The reduction will be adjusted against the Rs 24 a litre required increase in petrol and Rs 30 per litre hike in diesel rates warranted due to the rise in international oil prices.

Rating agency ICRA, in a note on Thursday, had said if the average crude oil price goes up to USD 100-105 per barrel, fuel retailers would incur a loss of Rs 11 per litre on petrol and Rs 14 per litre on diesel, respectively.

International oil prices touched USD 119 per barrel earlier this month on the intensifying Iran war, before pulling back to around USD 100 a barrel.

The first signs of stress came when Nayara Energy, the country's largest private fuel retailer, raised petrol pri

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om around USD 70 dollars per barrel to around USD 122.

“Consequently, petrol and diesel prices for consumers have gone up all over the world. Prices have increased by around 30-50 per cent in Southeast Asian countries, 30 per cent in North American countries, 20 per cent in Europe and 50 per cent in African countries,” he said, adding that the government had two choices either increase prices drastically or bear the brunt on its finances.

In keeping with the commitment of the last four years since the conflict in Russia-Ukraine started, the government decided to take a hit on its own finances again to safeguard the Indian citizens.

“The government has taken a huge hit on its taxation revenues to ensure very high losses of oil companies (approximately Rs 24 per litre for petrol and Rs 30 a litre for diesel) at this time of sky high international prices are reduced,” he said.

“At the same time, export tax has been levied as international prices of petrol and diesel have

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Govt slashes excise duty on petrol to Rs 3/litre, exempts diesel to shield consumers from global crude price rise
GST
Dated:- 27-3-2026
PTI
New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The government has slashed excise duty on petrol to Rs 3 a litre and exempted diesel from the duty as it seeks to shield consumers from the impact of rising global crude prices amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Global crude prices have risen by almost 50 per cent since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering sweeping retaliation from Tehran.

In a notification issued late on March 26, the Finance Ministry cut excise duty to Rs 3 a litre, from Rs 13 a litre earlier, while the levy on diesel has been sla

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ep retail sale prices stable at existing levels, giving oil companies more headroom to collect additional revenue to compensate for refining losses.

International oil prices touched USD 119 per barrel earlier this month on the intensifying Iran war, before pulling back to around USD 100 a barrel.

India imports 88 per cent of its crude oil needs and roughly half of its natural gas requirement. These mostly come via the Strait of Hormuz.

Following the US and Israeli attacks on Iranian government, military and nuclear facilities, Iran warned shipping away from the strait, and insurers withdrew coverage, effectively halting tanker movements.

Nayara Energy, which operates 6,967 of India's 102,075 petrol pumps, has decided to pass on

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Govt slashes excise duty on petrol to Rs 3/litre, exempts diesel
GST
Dated:- 27-3-2026
PTI
New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The government has slashed excise duty on petrol to Rs 3 a litre and exempted diesel fully from it to help oil marketing companies like HPCL, BPCL and IOC deal with the rising global crude prices amid the war in the Middle East.

The Finance ministry, in a notification dated March 26, cut excise duty on petrol to Rs 3 a litre, from Rs 13 a litre earlier, while the levy on diesel has been slashed to nil from Rs 10 earlier.

The duty cuts are effective immediately, the ministry said.

Fuel marketing companies in India have been under strain as retail petrol and diesel prices remained frozen despite a nearly 5

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se mostly come via the Strait of Hormuz.

As conflict intensified, Iran blocked the strait, and insurers withdrew coverage, effectively halting tanker movements.

Nayara Energy, which operates 6,967 of India's 102,075 petrol pumps, has decided to pass on part of the increase in input costs to consumers. Petrol at Nayara pumps now costs Rs 100.71 a litre and diesel costs Rs 91.31 per litre.

Jio-bp, the fuel retailing joint venture of Reliance Industries and BP Plc that owns 2,185 outlets, has, however, so far not raised prices despite incurring heavy losses on the sale of petrol and diesel.

State-owned fuel retailers, who control about 90 per cent of the market, continue to keep rates frozen. PTI JD ANZ VN VN

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Completed auction sale fixes pre-GST tax liability; later GST cannot replace contractual tax terms for timber purchase.
Case-Laws
GST
Completed auction sales of timber before 1 July 2017 remained governed by the contractual terms and the pre-GST tax regime. The High Court held that the sale was completed on the auction dates, so the purchaser's tax liability became fixed then under the accepted contract terms requiring payment of the sale price along with Forest Development Tax and Sales Tax in force at that time. The later GST regime did not substitute that liability, because the extended payment period did not postpone completion of sale and Section 64-A of the Sale of Goods Act was excluded by the contract's contrary intention. The purchaser was therefore bound to pay the balance amount, pre-GST taxes, and contractual interest; the petition was dismissed.
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Section 74 demands express allegations of fraud or suppression; vague notices cannot sustain proceedings and orders were set aside.
Case-Laws
GST
Section 74 proceedings require a clear and express allegation of fraud, wilful misstatement, suppression of facts or intention to evade tax in the show cause notice or order. Mere disclosure of unreported transactions during inspection is insufficient, and the assessee must be specifically put on notice of the offending conduct. Where tax had already been paid before notice and the notice and impugned order contained no such allegation, the proceedings under Section 74 were unsustainable. The impugned orders were set aside and the matter remanded, with liberty to proceed afresh under Section 73 or issue a fresh notice under Section 74 if warranted.
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Section 74 notices need disclosed fraud grounds; absence of hearing and reasons also vitiated GST adjudication.
Case-Laws
GST
HC held that show cause notices issued under Section 74 were invalid because they did not disclose the jurisdictional facts required to invoke fraud, wilful misstatement, suppression of facts, or the basis for alleging tax evasion. The notices were therefore quashed, with liberty to issue fresh proceedings if legally permissible. The Court also found that the adjudication orders were passed without granting a hearing and without recording the relevant facts or reasons, contrary to Section 75. Those orders and the consequential DRC-07 summaries were set aside, and the writ petitions were allowed.
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Bona fide GST return corrections cannot be rejected merely because earlier disclosures are being amended; notice quashed.
Case-Laws
GST
Bona fide correction of GST return particulars and invoice classification errors cannot be denied merely because the taxpayer seeks to amend an earlier disclosure. The High Court treated the issue as covered by prior decisions and held that the sole basis of the show-cause notice, namely refusal to accept the corrected returns, was unsustainable. As that foundation failed, the notice and all consequential proceedings could not survive. The Court quashed the notice and directed acceptance of the corrected returns, with further action to proceed in accordance with law.
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GST appeal pre-deposit adjustment must be examined under the portal manual and the VVF (India) principle
Case-Laws
GST
Portal-based GST appeal compliance required the appellate authority to examine whether an earlier deposit could be adjusted as the pre-deposit for appeals against de novo assessment orders. The High Court directed consideration of the taxpayer's representation in light of the GST portal appeal manual, including the need for approval from the competent authority, and with reference to the Supreme Court ruling in VVF (India) Limited. The writ petitions were disposed of with a direction to decide the request for recognition of the amount already deposited for appeal purposes.
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GST benefit pass-through and ticket pricing: tribunal upheld profiteering, included maintenance charge, but refused penalty prospectively.
Case-Laws
GST
Section 171 was applied to hold that any GST rate reduction must be passed on through a commensurate reduction in the consumer price, and the Tribunal found that cinema ticket prices were not reduced after the tax cut while the base price was increased. The State regulatory ceiling was treated as only a maximum price cap, not a bar on lowering prices, and the claim of cost escalation failed for want of proof. The maintenance charge collected with the ticket was held to form part of the ticket value for GST and anti-profiteering computation. The profiteered amount was directed to be deposited in the Consumer Welfare Funds with interest, but penalty was declined because the penal provision had not yet come into force.
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Wrong statutory basis for waiver rejection led to quashing and remand for fresh consideration after hearing the taxpayer.
Case-Laws
GST
Rejection of the waiver application under Section 128A(1) could not stand because it was based on an incorrect statutory premise: the authority treated the underlying assessment as one under Section 74, whereas the record showed it had been passed under Section 73 and this was confirmed by the respondent. The Court therefore quashed the impugned order and remitted the matter for fresh consideration after hearing the petitioner. Any dispute about whether the petitioner had made sufficient payment was left open for reconsideration on remand, and the authority was left free to proceed in accordance with law if full payment had not in fact been made.
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Provisional release of goods and conveyance allowed during revision, subject to indemnity bond and undertaking for revenue protection.
Case-Laws
GST
The HC directed provisional release of goods and conveyance during pending revisional proceedings after noting that the first appellate authority had already modified the confiscation order and imposed liability under Section 129(1)(a), which the petitioner had satisfied. Because the revision had not yet resulted in a final order reviving action under Section 130, release was allowed but subject to revenue protection. The petitioner was required to furnish an indemnity bond and remain bound by the undertaking already filed, while the revenue retained liberty to enforce the revisional outcome. The merits of the revision were left open for the revisional authority.
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Anti-profiteering in real estate: project-wise ITC benefit had to be passed on to homebuyers, with GST and interest added.
Case-Laws
GST
In a real estate anti-profiteering matter, the Tribunal applied a project-wise, area-based method to quantify the benefit of GST input tax credit and upheld the DGAP's computation on the basis that post-GST credit savings had to be passed on to homebuyers. It rejected attempts to restrict the benefit to goods-related credit or to notionally adjust unavailed pre-GST service credit, and treated the respondent's verified statements as admissions that profiteering had occurred. The amount of profiteering was upheld with GST on the excess realisation, and interest was also directed from the date of payment of the last instalment by each buyer.
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Natural justice requires personal hearing before ex parte GST assessment based on portal service can be sustained.
Case-Laws
GST
Service of GST notices through the common portal after cancellation of registration was treated as effective for the proceedings discussed, but the Court found that an ex parte assessment made without giving the taxpayer the hearing required under Section 75(4) and the principles of natural justice could not stand. The assessment order and consequential recovery proceedings were quashed. The department was left free to recommence the matter in accordance with law after obtaining the taxpayer's reply to the show-cause notice and granting a personal hearing.
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Bona fide GSTR-1 errors and input tax credit relief under section 16(5) cannot be denied without hearing the taxpayer.
Case-Laws
GST
The HC held that bona fide errors in GSTR-1, including a wrong tax-rate entry and incorrect mention of a credit note, can be corrected, and the taxpayer must be given an opportunity under Rule 88C to explain the mismatch before liability is fastened. The impugned order was set aside because the authority acted without calling for an explanation on the GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B discrepancy. The Court further held that denial of input tax credit for FY 2018-19 was unsustainable after insertion of section 16(5), which overrides section 16(4) for the relevant periods; the taxpayer was therefore entitled to claim the credit within the extended statutory window.
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GST appeal limitation cannot be bypassed through writ jurisdiction; conditional liberty granted to file appeal on deposit.
Case-Laws
GST
The High Court declined to interfere in writ jurisdiction because the petitioner had an alternative statutory appeal under Section 107 and had filed the writ long after the appeal limitation expired. Relying on the principle that the statutory limitation for appeal under the GST Act cannot be extended, the Court held that the time bar could not be bypassed through writ proceedings. However, considering that the petitioner might have a case on merits, it granted conditional liberty to file an appeal before the appellate authority within the time fixed, subject to deposit of 25% of the disputed tax with credit for any amount already recovered, and directed that such appeal be decided on merits without reference to limitation.
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Premature writ petition under GST pre-deposit notice disposed with directions on tribunal stay application and recovery notice
Case-Laws
GST
A High Court disposed of the writ petition as premature and directed the Deputy Commissioner of State Tax to pass an order on the impugned notice within one week, since a hearing on the notice had already been concluded. The Court noted that the petitioner could move an interim stay application before the GST Tribunal after the portal became available for such filings. It further directed that any contemplated recovery must be preceded by 10 days' prior notice, and kept all contentions open.
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Penalty under GST section 73 not sustained, while delayed tax interest must be recomputed after adjusting excess payment.
Case-Laws
GST
Penalty under section 73 of the GST Act was found unjustified on the facts placed before the HC, and the petitioner was left free to make a proper representation on that issue. At the same time, once the tax liability was admitted, interest on belated payment remained payable under section 50(1). Because the order itself recorded an excess tax payment and there was doubt about the calculation, the interest had to be recomputed after adjusting the excess amount already paid. The matter was remitted for fresh determination of the correct interest payable, and only the balance, if any, could be demanded.
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Bank guarantee continuation for release of goods refused where taxpayer compliance record provided sufficient security
Case-Laws
GST
The High Court set aside endorsements refusing cancellation of a bank guarantee taken as security for release of goods and conveyance, holding that the guarantee was meant only to secure revenue if the confiscation order was ultimately upheld. On the petitioners' uncontroverted compliance record and absence of other confiscation proceedings, the Court treated them as prima facie bona fide taxpayers and found that their conduct itself provided adequate assurance for compliance with any final order. It therefore found no justification to keep the bank guarantee alive while other disputes remained pending, directed return of the guarantees, and stated that the direction was confined to the peculiar facts and would not operate as precedent.
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Electronic credit ledger blocking under Rule 86A cannot create a negative balance; available credit alone may be restricted.
Case-Laws
GST
Rule 86A of the GST Rules permits only a temporary restriction on debit of input tax credit actually available in the electronic credit ledger; it does not authorise the Commissioner or an authorised officer to create a negative balance or block credit beyond the amount standing to the taxpayer's credit. Following earlier High Court precedent and aligned decisions of other High Courts, the Court held that availability of credit is a condition precedent for invoking the rule. The negative blocking of the taxpayer's electronic credit ledger was therefore unsustainable, though the authorities were left free to pursue other lawful recovery through statutory remedies.
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Mandatory pre-deposit under GST appeal rules must be complied with once the appellate forum is functional.
Case-Laws
GST
A writ petition was entertained only to the limited extent that no statutory appellate forum was then available, but the Court held that this did not permit bypassing the GST Act's appeal conditions. Once the GSTAT became functional and the appeal period was notified, the aggrieved party had to pursue the statutory remedy before that forum. The mandatory pre-deposit under Section 112(8) was required to be strictly complied with, and writ jurisdiction could not be used to secure relaxation from that requirement. The petitioner was directed to make the deposit and file the appeal within the notified timeline, with the merits of the appellate order left open.
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Bail in CGST fraud cases granted where no extraordinary circumstances justified denial and custody had continued without antecedents.
Case-Laws
GST
Bail was granted in CGST prosecution for alleged fraudulent input tax credit offences under Section 132(1)(b), (c), (f) and (i) because no extraordinary circumstances were shown to justify continued custody. The Court noted that the offences were triable by a Magistrate and carried a maximum punishment of five years, the accused had been in custody since 28.11.2025, no similar criminal antecedents were placed on record, and the Union of India produced no material warranting denial of bail. Relying on Vineet Jain and Satender Kumar Antil, the Court held that bail should follow without prejudice to merits and directed release on conditions.
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Jurisdictional filing defect treated as procedural error; rejected statutory appeal restored and sent to the competent appellate authority.
Case-Laws
GST
The HC held that rejection of the statutory appeal on jurisdictional grounds was a departmental mistake where the office lacked a system to transmit the appeal to the correct appellate authority. Treating the defect as procedural rather than substantive, the Court set aside the impugned appellate order without examining the merits of the underlying dispute. The appeal was restored and directed to be transmitted to the competent appellate authority for consideration in accordance with law.
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After Zomato, Swiggy hikes platform fee by 17 pc to Rs 17.58 per order
GST
Dated:- 24-3-2026
PTI
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) Food delivery platform Swiggy has hiked the platform fee it charges users to Rs 17.58 per order, its app showed on Tuesday, days after rival Zomato increased the charges.

Swiggy had last hiked its platform fee in September last year.

The company has now raised it to Rs 17.58 per order inclusive of GST, whereas rival Zomato charges Rs 14.90 on a pre-GST basi

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