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The ‘Carbon Tax Package’: An Appraisal of its Efficiency in India’s Clean Energy Future

Ipshita Chaturvedi

DOI https://doi.org/10.21552/cclr/2016/4/6



The Indian Clean Environment Cess (formerly, the Clean Energy Cess), levied since 2010 and increased from Rs 50 a tonne to Rs 400 a tonne, has been frequently referred to as ‘India’s carbon tax’. Levied on coal and coal derivatives (lignite and peat), the Cess is aimed at promoting clean energy initiatives and research and development. In addition to the Cess, the excise duty imposed on petrol and diesel has been referred to as an implicit carbon tax in India. This article primarily examines the fragmented green tax regime in India, consisting of the Cess, the excise on petrol and diesel, and other tax initiatives in the country, to understand what kind of environmental tax policy India currently has. It argues that, while the Cess is desirable in the absence of any fossil fuel taxes or charges in the country, there are certain elemental dysfunctionalities in the way it is levied, as well as its coverage. The article also identifies problem areas in the way the other ‘green taxes’ are levied in the current ‘carbon tax’ regime, and offers certain solutions/recommendations since the failure to address policy gaps will have a long term impact on the future of clean energy and energy security in India.

Ipshita Chaturvedi is the founding partner of Athena Law and Policy, a legal consultancy advising commercial parties and government agencies on issues of international environmental law and natural resources management. She is an alumna of the University of Melbourne and the National University of Juridical Sciences, India. For correspondence: <mailto:ipshita.c@athenalp.com>. DOI: 10.21552/cclr/2016/4/6

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