How the GST Council rewrote the rules of coal taxation

New Delhi: When the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council met in New Delhi for its 56th meeting, few expected coal—India’s most widely used and politically sensitive fuel—to emerge as the headline story. But the Council’s decision to overhaul how coal is taxed has set off discussions across ministries, boardrooms and power corridors. By scrapping the flat compensation cess of ₹400 per tonne and rai…