In the wake of the rise in fuel prices, the BJD’s agitation is not meant for the benefit of the common people. The BJD under the guise of fuel price hike is conspiring to launch a political onslaught on Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, said BJP State vice-president Sameer Mohanty at a Press meet here on Saturday.
To decrease the fuel prices, petroleum products should be included in the Goods and Services Tax (GST). If the petroleum products are included under GST, there would be a decrease of 20 to 25 per cent in the fuel prices, Mohanty said.
Why Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is not raising this proposal in the GST Council and taking a lead in reducing fuel prices, he questioned.
The Central Government is returning 42 per cent of the taxes collected on the sales of fuel products to the State exchequer as Odisha’s share. Besides the tax by the Central Government, the Odisha Government is charging additional a tax of 26 per cent on fuel products, which is higher than the neighbouring States of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, he said.Presently, the Odisha Government’s tax on 1 litre of petrol is `13.29 and on diesel ` 12.50. The State Government is getting monthly `265 crore and `3,180 crore revenues, respectively, ever year from these petroleum products. During the UPA regime, fuel prices were high, but the tax benefits were not reaching the common people.
But during the Modi Government, the money charged as tax by the Centre is reaching the State Government to be used for welfare of the people, Mohanty pointed out.