Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal has urged the Finance Ministry not to disturb the existing arrangement for levying Stowing Excise Duty (SED) on coal dispatches, under which his ministry collects the proceeds and uses it for development of mines.

The Coal Ministry expects to collect about Rs 1,100 crore per annum from SED and fears that the levy would be subsumed following implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

"In pre-Budget consultations with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal has sought an exemption to SED from being subsumed into the proposed GST in lines with exemption granted to the indirect taxes on five petroleum products," a top Coal Ministry official told PTI.

The issue was taken up by Jaiswal in his pre-Budget consultation meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on January 31.

At present, the Coal Ministry levies a Rs 20 per tonne duty on coal dispatches by firms for rehabilitation, stowing and infrastructure development of abandoned mines. The SED was doubled to Rs 20 a tonne in December, 2011, after the Cabinet raised the maximum limit to Rs 50 a tonne.

The Coal Ministry has argued that in absence of SED, it would face a resource crunch for implementation of mines conservation and development works as per provisions in Coal Mines Act, 1974.

"If these specific purpose levies are subsumed into the GST, the funds generated from these levies will become part of the central kitty... Resultantly, the availability of funds for development of renewable energy sources and for the activities related to the conservation and development of mines will become restricted," a ministry document said.

The rationale for continuing with SED without it being subsumed in the proposed GST is critically important from the environment perspective, he added.

Jaiswal made similar demands from the Finance Ministry last year too.

The Bill on GST -- which seeks to overhaul the indirect tax regime -- is currently with the Parliamentary Standing Committee.

Besides SED, the coal sector currently collects Clean Energy Cess (CEC), which is used for harnessing renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on the fossil fuels