The Congress on Saturday demanded that the benefit of a sharp fall in the international crude oil prices immediately be passed on to consumers and attacked the Narendra Modi government for increasing the excise duty on petrol and diesel to ensure that retail prices did not come down.
Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken told presspersons at a press conference that the government should reduce the rates of petrol, diesel and LPG by at least 35-40%. “The Modi-Shah government has looted the people by increasing excise duties and huge taxes on petroleum products and did not bring this under GST despite the consistent demand of Congress,” Mr. Maken said after the Centre hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by a steep ₹3 per litre each that will fetch an additional revenue ₹39,000 crore.
The Congress leader said the party would democratically protest both inside and outside Parliament as the government has not repeated its 2014-15 act of not passing on the gains arising from slump in crude prices.
Rise in taxes
Mr. Maken said the incidence of excise duty on petrol had risen to ₹22.98 a litre and that on diesel to ₹18.83.
“The tax on petrol was ₹9.48 a litre when the Modi government took office in 2014 and that on diesel was ₹3.56 a litre,” he said.
