Hardeep Puri says Maharashtra govt's collected Rs 79, 412 cr as fuel taxes

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday morning questioned the Maharashtra government's decision to not reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel in order to provide relief to people. Puri stressed his stand by highlighting that the State government is expected to collect Rs 33,000 crore as fuel taxes this year.

"The truth hurts, but facts speak for themselves. Maharashtra Government has collected Rs 79,412 crore as fuel taxes since 2018 and is expected to collect Rs 33,000 crore this year. (Adding up to a whopping Rs 1,12,757 crore). Why did it not reduce VAT on petrol and diesel to provide relief to people?," tweeted the Union Minister today. This comes a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray slammed the Centre by saying that the state government cannot be held responsible for the spike in fuel prices.

Thackeray said to reporters on Wednesday after attending a meeting with the Prime Minister virtually, "Today, in the price of one litre of diesel in Mumbai, Rs 24.38 is for the Centre and Rs 22.37 is for the state. In petrol price, 31.58 paise is central tax and 32.55 paise state tax. Therefore, it is not a fact that petrol and diesel have become more expensive due to the state." The Maharashtra Chief Minister added, "Maharashtra collects the highest GST of 15 per cent in the country. Combining both direct taxes and GST, Maharashtra is the number one state in the country."

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a COVID-19 review meeting with Chief Ministers of all States and Union Territories. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel were amongst those present in the meeting. In the meeting, Prime Minister Modi appealed to the States ruled by non-BJP parties to reduce tax on fuel. He said prices of fuel were higher in many opposition-ruled states and urged them to reduce Value Added Tax in "national interest" and as a part of "cooperative federalism" to benefit the common man.