Jharkhand BJP chief demands VAT reduction on petroleum products in opposition-ruled states
New Delhi, May 22: A day after the Centre reduced excise duty on fuels, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP and Jharkhand BJP president Deepak Prakash demanded that opposition ruled states should reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products.
Speaking to the media, Prakash said, "In the opposition ruled states, there's no reduction in VAT on Petroleum products. Previously when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reduced the prices of petrol and diesel, even then seven Opposition ruled states including Jharkhand, did not reduce VAT.
Slamming the Jharkhand government, Prakash said that the state was doing "politics" over the matter.
"I want to ask Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government that VAT should be reduced immediately on petrol and diesel so that the people of the state can feel some relief. But rather than reducing VAT on Petrol-diesel, the state government is doing politics over it. People of the state are watching this," he stated.
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The Centre announced a reduction in excise duty on petrol by Rs 8 per litre and on diesel by Rs 6 per litre earlier on Saturday, in a significant move aimed at providing relief to people reeling from high fuel prices.
Taking to Twitter, Union Finance Minister Sitharman made the announcement and said that the move will have a revenue implication of around Rs 1 lakh crore per year. Finance Minister Sitharman, who made several other announcements aimed at curbing inflation said subsidies will be provided on cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme.
She urged states to also reduce VAT on petroleum products to give relief to the common man.
The Centre had similarly reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel in November last year on the eve of Diwali. The government had reduced excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 a litre and diesel by Rs 10 a litre.
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-PTC News
