STATES, NOT CENTRE, SHOULD REFUND DUTIES, SAYS NATH

The government is working on a mechanism to refund state-level taxes, which may include adjusting the duties against states’ outlays, to despondent exporters, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said today. “While we have to see that taxes are not exported, the Centre cannot refund state-level levies and taxes. We are working on a mechanism to give exporters some amount of benefit by refunding what has been paid by the producers,” he said on the sidelines of a PHD (Punjab-Haryana-Delhi) Chamber function here. Nath said either states should refund the taxes or the Centre would adjust it against the assistance extended to them. A level playing field has to be ensured for exporters, he said, adding that taxes should be refunded to them and the burden should not be transferred.-www.business-standard.com