Petrol Will Be Cheaper If States Cut Taxes On Fuel Instead Of Liquor: Petroleum Minister
Mumbai: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday morning questioned the Maharashtra government’s decision not to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel to provide relief to the people.
Emphasizing his stand, Puri said the state government expects to get Rs 33,000 crore as fuel tax this year.
“The truth hurts, but facts speak for themselves. Maharashtra Government has collected Rs 79,412 crore as fuel taxes since 2018 and is expected to collect Rs 33,000 crore this year. (Adding up to a whopping Rs 1,12,757 crore). Why did it not reduce VAT on petrol and diesel to provide relief to people?” tweeted the Union Minister today.
https://twitter.com/HardeepSPuri/status/1519514101554106368?s=20&t=0nBi2bS_JwFnMvxO2Cbqmg
He further said that petrol will be cheaper if the opposition-ruled states cut taxes on fuel instead of imported liquor. “Maharashtra govt imposes ₹32.15/ltr on petrol and Congress-ruled Rajasthan Rs 29.10. But the BJP-ruled Uttarakhand levies only Rs 14.51 and Uttar Pradesh Rs 16.50. Protests cannot challenge facts,” he added.
https://twitter.com/HardeepSPuri/status/1519524661817532416?s=20&t=0nBi2bS_JwFnMvxO2Cbqmg
This comes a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray slammed the Center saying the state government cannot be held responsible for the hike in fuel prices.
“Today, in the price of one litre of diesel in Mumbai, Rs 24.38 is for the Centre and Rs 22.37 is for the state. In petrol price, 31.58 paise is central tax and 32.55 paise state tax. Therefore, it is not a fact that petrol and diesel have become more expensive due to the state,” Thackeray said. Also Read: Centre Owes Maha ₹26,500 Cr, State Not Responsible For Fuel Price Hike: Uddhav Thackeray
The Maharashtra Chief Minister added, “Maharashtra collects the highest GST of 15 per cent in the country. Combining both direct taxes and GST, Maharashtra is the number one state in the country.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a COVID-19 review meeting with chief ministers of all states and union territories.
The meeting was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
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