Karimnagar: BJP asks TRS government to reduce VAT on petrol

Karimnagar: BJP district president Gangadi Krishna Reddy demanded the TRS government to reduce the value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel to control the prices of petroleum products.

He said with the Central government is reducing the prices of petrol products, most of the States in the country have reduced the tax and the prices were under control in those States. He demanded the State government to disclose Central share and State accounts on petrol and excise taxes.

The BJP workers on Tuesday staged a protest at Karimnagar Court Chowrasta demanding immediate reduction of VAT on petrol and diesel by the State government following a call of BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

Krishna Reddy speaking on the occasion accused the Chief Minister KCR of covering up the facts and making false statements on the petrol and diesel prices issue. He demanded that the TRS government to explain the people the actual figures on the shares of petroleum products.

He said the State was the biggest beneficiary of the Central and state governments' stake in taxes on petroleum products. While the central excise duty on petrol was Rs 32.90, the State's share was Rs 27.56, the Central share on diesel was Rs 31.80 and the State's share was Rs 21.67.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had increased the State's tax share on petroleum products from 30 per cent to 42 per cent, which would benefit the State governments in terms of tax. The Centre thus gets only Rs 19 on petrol taxes, while the states get Rs 41.50.

The BJP leader questioned as to why the TRS government was not reducing VAT when the tax revenue on petrol was the highest for the state of Telangana. KCR was not willing to control petrol prices in Telangana, he alleged.

BJP district vice president Saini Mallesam, district spokesperson Jana Patla Swamy, OBC Morcha state secretary Ennam Prakash, its state executive members Dharmaram Venkataswamy were present on the occasion.