GST Council forms state FMs panel to look into sugar cess proposal

The GST Council today decided to refer to a five-member committee of state finance ministers the proposal of levying cess on sugar as the Centre seeks to raise additional resources for providing production subsidy worth Rs 1,540 crore to cane farmers. The proposals of cess comes in the wake of huge losses suffered by mills as ex-factory prices have fallen to Rs 26-28 per kg as against the production cost of Rs 35 per kg plus.