Higher duty on gold was not only fueling smuggling but also causing market distortion and revenue loss, as it led to imports in non-bullion forms under various free trade agreements (FTAs) where they qualified for lower or even nil rates, Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) Chairman Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said in an interview with Soumyarendra Barik and Ravi Dutta Mishra.
Agarwal stated that tariff rationalisation is undertaken with an objective to promote domestic manufacturing and boost exports and that the roadmap to bring petroleum products under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime could start with crude oil as it would help integrate the entire petroleum sector.