Nagpur: Even as common people have been hassled due to high prices of petrol and diesel, the Shivsena Government in Maharashtra played a cruel joke on the citizens. The State Government on Sunday had announced that it had reduced VAT on petrol by Rs 2.08 per litre and on diesel by Rs 1.44 per litre.
According to reports, when vehicle owners went to petrol stations on Monday morning, they were in for a shock. The prices of fuel were the same as on Sunday. The reason was clear. The MVA Government had not reduced any tax on petrol and diesel, reports said.
The reports said that Maharashtra’s Value Added Tax (VAT) collection will reduce as a result of the Central Government cutting rates of fuel. The Centre has reduced the price of petrol by Rs 8 per litre. Maharashtra levies 26% VAT on petrol and hence its VAT collection will reduce by Rs 2.08 per litre. Similarly, Centre cut diesel price by Rs 6 per litre. The State levies 24% VAT on diesel, so its collection will be reduced by Rs 1.44 per litre. The Maharashtra Government levies 25% VAT on petrol outside Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and 23% on diesel so the price reduction in Nagpur is marginally less, reports said.
The price of petrol in Nagpur on Saturday was Rs 120.27 per litre which reduced to Rs 111.08 on Sunday. It was the same on Monday. Similarly, the price of diesel on Saturday was Rs 102.76 per litre which was reduced to Rs 95.69 on Sunday. But there was no cut on Monday. There was no reduction in the prices of petrol and diesel on Monday across Maharashtra.
The Leader of Opposition in State Assembly Devendra Fadnavis blasted the MVA Government for this deceit and demanded the State Government to actually reduce VAT to bring down the price of petrol below Rs 100 per litre and diesel below Rs 90 per litre. “The MVA Government has not reduced tax on fuel by a single penny but asking the Central Government to further reduce tax. This government has no concern for the poor,” Fadnavis lamented.
