New Delhi, September 12: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday emphasised that contrary to what media reports claimed, the Centre has not sought to levy an extra 10% tax on diesel-powered cars.
According to earlier reports, Gadkari will propose the extra tax in a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday evening in an effort to cut pollution.
“There is an urgent need to clarify media allegations that claim the sale of diesel automobiles would be subject to an extra 10% GST. It is crucial to make it clear that the administration is not now actively considering any such plan. It is crucial to aggressively support cleaner and greener alternative fuels in order to meet our goals to reach Carbon Net Zero by 2070, lower air pollution levels brought on by dangerous fuels like diesel, and keep pace with the explosive boom in vehicle sales. Soon after stories citing him suggesting the aforementioned tax surfaced, he said on X (previously Twitter) that these fuels “should be import substitutes, cost-effective, indigenous, and pollution-free.” In his speech at the 63rd annual SIAM conference earlier that day, Gadkari referred to diesel as a “hazardous” fuel and said that, according to sources, the nation imports the fuel to fulfil demand.Additionally, he advised automakers to change the direction of their production to concentrate on eco-friendly fuels like ethanol and green hydrogen, a move that would help the introduction of more electric cars.
