Reduce fuel taxes: Kamal Nath to MP govt

Bhopal: Former CM Kamal Nath on Tuesday said the state govt must immediately reduce taxes on petrol and diesel so that people of MP do not have to buy the country’s most expensive fuel. He said people in the state pay more than Rs 30 per litre as taxes on petrol and more than Rs 20 per litre on diesel. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Congress veteran demanded that the Mohan Yadav govt must reduce Rs 10 per litre on fuel.

LOP Umang Singhar asked for relief of Rs 12 to Rs 15 per litre of fuel. “Bhopal is among the most expensive cities in the country with petrol,” Singhar said on Tuesday. “Petrol in Delhi costs approximately Rs 98.67 per litre, while the same petrol in Bhopal is being sold for Rs 110.70 per litre. This means that the people of Madhya Pradesh are paying approximately Rs 12 more per litre than in Delhi,” he said.

Kamal Nath said, “Petrol and diesel prices have been hiked again within a week. Fuel has become costlier by 90 paise per litre since Tuesday. The govt is citing international reasons for the increase in petroleum prices. However, the truth is that for the people of MP, state govt taxes are the biggest reason for the price hike, rather than external factors. In MP, the price of petrol is on average Rs 13 and diesel is Rs 4 per liter higher than in Uttar Pradesh.”

He said the Mohan Yadav govt charges 29% VAT + Rs 2.5 + 1% cess on petrol, while on diesel, it charges 19% VAT + Rs 1.5 + 1% cess.

“People of Madhya Pradesh are paying more than Rs 30 on petrol and Rs 20 on diesel as taxes to the state government. This tax has no connection with international conditions,” Kamal Nath said.

“As a result, a litre of petrol in Bhopal has become Rs 110.75 and diesel Rs 95.91. The new rates of petrol per litre in Indore-Jabalpur is Rs 110.79, in Gwalior Rs 110.69, and in Ujjain Rs 111.27. Diesel will be available in Ujjain for Rs 96.40. It will be available in Bhopal for Rs 95.91, in Indore for Rs 95.97, in Jabalpur for Rs 95.98, and in Gwalior for Rs 95.86,” the former Union minister for commerce said.