Reduce VAT, taxes on fuel, Congress demands Centre

Karimnagar: TPCC Working President Ponnam Prabhakar demanded the Central government to immediately reduce VAT and taxes on petrol, diesel and LPG gas prices.

On Friday, he staged a dharna against the hike in the prices of petroleum products following the All India Congress Committee call. Speaking on the occasion, he alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was looting and exploiting people by increasing petrol prices on daily basis. He pointed out that BJP leaders not only took to roads but resorted to cheap politics by sending bangles and turmeric to Congress leaders, when fuel prices went up by a paise when Congress was in power.

"Now the Modi government has collected nearly Rs 28 lakh crore of public money in the form of taxes on petrol, diesel and LPG products by price hike during its seven years in power. It proves that the BJP was running the government as a business," he criticised.

The Centre was acting inhumanly by raising petrol, diesel and LPG prices 43 times in the last 13 months, even though the whole country was in financial trouble during the Covid crisis, Prabhakar complained.

He felt that the BJP government would open its eyes by looking at the nationwide protests and reduce the taxes on petrol, diesel and LPG prices. In order to bring down the skyrocketing of essential commodities prices, the Centre must reduce the petrol prices, he

demanded.

Prabhakar noted that in 2004, petrol and diesel were available for Rs 40 when crude oil was available for 70 dollars a barrel. Now even if the price of crude oil was sold for 70 dollars a barrel, the prices of petrol and diesel were at Rs 100, he

wondered.