Avdhut Singh

Maharashtra's #Solar Tax Move: A Blow to Consumers 1. The Maharashtra government is preparing to levy an #electricity duty on solar consumers — a segment that chose clean energy to escape rising power costs. 2. Solar consumers are already burdened with Grid Support Charges (GSC), now collected across all categories with systems exceeding 10 KW. 3. GSC is being collected at ₹1.96 per unit from LT customers and ₹1.42 per unit from HT customers, adding directly to electricity bills. 4. A new percentage-based electricity duty structure is being formulated, which could further multiply the financial burden on rooftop solar users. 5. Electricity duty will be levied on both self-consumed (self-generation) and exported power under net-metering — leaving no relief for any solar usage. 6. Even 'Behind-the-Meter' consumers — those using solar power entirely for themselves without exporting anything — will not be spared. 7. Solar consumers' electricity bills have already risen substantially due to previous policy changes, and this new duty would be the final blow. Govt of Maharashtra have costliest rates for electricity in the country. 8. Amendments to Time-of-Day (ToD) regulations have changed peak hours, causing a significant increase in industrial electricity bills. 9. The state government previously hiked the tax on electricity sales by 9.90 paise per unit, further squeezing consumers financially. 10. This move discourages investment in rooftop solar, undermining India's broader renewable energy adoption goals. 11. Large-scale consumers and industries already face a significant financial burden due to the order to collect GSC charges. 12. The proposed duty could force ordinary citizens to abandon solar energy entirely — reversing years of green energy progress. 13. The cumulative effect of GSC + electricity duty + ToD changes creates a triple financial hit on solar consumers simultaneously. 14. By taxing exported #power under net-metering, the government effectively penalises consumers for contributing surplus clean energy to the grid. 15. These policy moves signal a systematic rollback of incentives that originally motivated consumers to invest in solar infrastructure. 16. Consumers who made long-term capital investments in solar panels based on earlier policy assurances now face a betrayal of those promises. 17. Industrial units using solar systems face disproportionate impact, as the combined duty burden may make solar economically unviable for them. 18. Energy expert Sudhir Budhe has raised serious concerns, pointing out that all members of the committee are government officials — raising clear conflict-of-interest issues, as those who stand to benefit from the outcome cannot be expected to make impartial decisions. 19. The government has refused to announce specific names, only vaguely referring to "inclusion of experts," and critics have strongly argued the committee should have comprised truly independent members — making it a body that lacks credibility, transparency, and public accountability from the very outset. Source: Lokmat Times