Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Niranjan Patnaik on Wednesday alleged that both the BJP and the BJD Governments have tortured Odia people by doubling taxes on petrol and diesel during the last four years.
“While the international crude price in terms of Indian rupee has gone down by around 10 per cent during the last four-and-a-half years, both Central and Odisha Governments have levied more and more taxes on petroleum products,” said Patnaik.
He said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is fooling people of Odisha and the country saying the fuel prices have raised due to increase in crude oil price in the international market, which is not true at all.
The base price of a litre of petrol was Rs 48.79 without taxes on April 2 2014. Now, it is around Rs 39 per liter. Diesel base price is more or less unchanged; but both the products are heavily taxed by Central and Odisha Governments, which has become a huge burden for common people, he said.
He said the rise in fuel and petrol prices have adversely impacted agriculture and transport sectors, which give highest employments in the State.
Patnaik said while the Central Government was levying a tax of Rs 9.47 on a litre of petrol in 2014, the State Government was collecting VAT of Rs.11.17.
Now, the Union Government levies Rs.17.98 and the State imposes VAT of Rs 14.77 on a litre of petrol. In 2014, the Centre was levying Rs 3.56 on a litre of diesel and now it is levying more than Rs 16. The State Government is now levying 26 per cent VAT on petrol and diesel, which was 23 per cent in 2014.
“Raising prices of fuel is sheer betrayal to people. So, both the Unoin and State Government should be ready to face the ire of annadatas in the upcoming general elections,” warned Patnaik.
