Though the Haryana Government is yet to give its nod to the proposed hike in Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol to slash toll tax across the State, voices against the proposal are getting louder as two social outfits which have been resisting toll tax have announced to oppose the hike at the State level.
While the Toll Tax Virodhi Samiti Rewari (TTVSR) has convened a vital meeting on May 18 to decide further course of action against the move, the Toll Hatao Sangharsh Samiti Haryana (THSSH) has decided to launch ‘Shav Yatra’ (funeral procession) campaign across the State if the Government increases the VAT in lieu of reducing the toll tax at its Cabinet’s meeting that slated for May 14.
Virender Hooda, chief of the THSSH, said the campaign would be launched from Saanghi village here, the native place of Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, so as to expose his ‘misdeed’ among the people of his stronghold.
“The campaign will be carried out across the State under which ‘Shav Yatra’ of the Chief Minister would be taken out besides making the people aware of the ‘plot’ hatched by the Government to put extra financial burden on the common men,” said Hooda, adding that date of launching the campaign would be decided by holding a meeting of the Samiti after May 14. He maintained that increase in the VAT would take a toll on lakhs of two-wheeler owners who are legally out of preview of the toll tax. They would have to bear the burnt of the Government’s decision too without any fault. “We shall also make concrete efforts to associate two-wheeler owners with our ongoing campaign if the Government hikes the VAT on petrol,” said Hooda.
On the other hand, Rajender Singh Advocate, president of the TTVSR, said “There is no logic to increase the VAT on petrol to make up for revenue loss it will incur in case the toll tax is cut. Since the decision will affect common men to a large extent hence we shall oppose it effectively.”
He informed the TTVSR was already carrying out mass-contact programme in Rewari villages located nearby Gangachay Toll Plaza to garner the public support for getting the high toll taxes reduced but they had called a meeting on May 18 to chalk out strategy against proposed hike in the VAT too.