State to ask Centre to review move on ST

He said that in the Jan 10 meeting, the State would recommend that essential commodities like life-saving drugs, pasteurised milk, branded bread, spices, chilly, turmeric, tamarind, processed salt, kerosene, cattle feed, agricultural implements priced below Rs 2,000 and plastic bags should be exempted from sales tax and there should be a reduction on sales tax on other items.

Patil said that while all the states implemented the unifrom tax rates from Janaury 1, the Union Territories were still to do so and the State would recommend exemption and reduction in order to avoid future discrepancies. He saidthat the State would also demand a standard nomeclature all across Maharashtra so that it is easy to codify the items.

Earlier, under the uniform tax rates, sales tax of items which were earlier exempted were charged with four per cent and eight per cent in case of life-saving drugs under the uniform floor prices. Patil has asked the Indian Merchants Chamber to submit a detailed note on items requiring adjustment in the floor rates of sales tax and the justification of such adjustments.