‘‘Centre can’t refund state level duties’

Government is working on a mechanism to refund state-level taxes to despondent exporters that may include adjusting the duties against states’ outlays, commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath said. “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,” he said. Nath said either states should refund the taxes or the Centre would adjust it against assistance extended to them.

Nath also said, “States have to attract investments by good governance. The business community is sometimes too Central Government-centric. We have to ensure that state governments are sensitised in the process,” he said.