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India received the highest number of regressive tax recommendations from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) between 2022 and 2024, according to an analysis by Oxfam. The analysis, released ahead of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington, has flagged that the global body is applying "double standard" by giving largely progressive advice to wealthy countries while suggesting regressive measures for others that are "likely to exacerbate inequality". The report said 59 per cent of the IMF's tax advice to low- and lower-middle-income countries was regressive, while 52 per cent of its recommendations to high-income countries were progressive. A regressive tax refers to a uniform taxation system which burdens those in lower income groups more than high earners. In contrast, a tax levied in proportion to one's income is termed progressive. Oxfam examined 1,049 tax recommendations made by the IMF to 125 countries between 2022 and 2024 and found that only 30 recommendations,
The reimposed windfall export taxes on diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) will not apply to Reliance Industries Ltd's SEZ refinery due to judicial rulings, a senior official said on Thursday. Effective March 26, the government revised fuel levies, reintroducing export duties of Rs 21.50 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.50 per litre on ATF, while keeping petrol exports exempt. The move coincided with a Rs 10 per litre cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel. Initially, it was not clear if exports from Reliance's special economic zone (SEZ) refinery - one of the largest contributors to India's refined product exports - would retain exemptions similar to those under the 2022 windfall tax regime. "As per judicial prouncements on this issue, the special additional excise duty and additional excise duty are not applicable on SEZ refineries," Jainendra Singh Kandhari, Joint Secretary in the Tax Research Unit (TRU-1) of the Department of Revenue, said at a media briefing. The government .
CBIC Chairman Vivek Chaturvedi on Friday said the government will review the special additional excise duty or windfall tax on diesel and ATF every fortnight. The move to levy special additional excise duty (SAED) is to ensure domestic availability of diesel and ATF, Chaturvedi said, while briefing the media. The revenue gain from SAED is estimated at Rs 1,500 crore in the first fortnight, he added. The government on Thursday imposed an export duty of Rs 21.5 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.5 per litre on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to discourage exports and improve domestic supply. The SAED is a levy first introduced in July 2022 to curb windfall gains by refiners following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was withdrawn in December 2024. Besides, 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. Revenue loss due to the excise duty