Backbreaking Hike In Excise Duty & VAT On Fuel Equal To 'Jiyaz Tax' Says Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala

Reducing the prices by Rs. 5 & Rs 10 per litre respectively is being called a Diwali gift, he asserted is deception, asserted Surjewala.

Randeep Surjewala (File Photo)

New Delhi: Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the "rapid and repeated backbreaking increase" in the excise duty and VAT on petrol and diesel is like the 'Jizyah tax' taken by the Narendra Modi government at the centre and ML Khattar-led government in Haryana.

"The rapid and repeated backbreaking increase in excise duty and State VAT on the two fuels are Jizyah Tax by Modi and Khattar governments," he said in a statement according to PTI.

He made this assertion amid various non-BJP-ruled states refusing to slash the VAT to further lower the fuel prices in the wake of the Centre lowering its excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs. 5 and Rs. 10 respectively with various BJP-ruled states lowering VAT on them.

Jizyah was a tax system in countries governed by Islamic law.

In his statement, he said, that in the first nine months of the year 2021 alone, petrol price was increased by Rs. 28 per litre and diesel price by Rs. 26 per litre. Reducing the prices by Rs. 5 & Rs 10 per litre respectively is being called a Diwali gift, he asserted is deception. 

"During the previous Congress government up till October 2014, VAT on diesel in Haryana was 8.8 per cent. Post-reduction and even on a date, VAT in Haryana is 18 per cent and additional VAT in the state is five per cent. This is a clear increase of over 100 per cent. Even after the so-called reduction of VAT on November 4, 2021, the VAT on petrol is 18.20 per cent and additional VAT is 5 per cent," he added.

He questioned whether Khattar-Dushyant Chautala will answer to the people for this brazen loot by their government.

The central government on Wednesday had announced a cut in the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively, bringing down their retail rates from record highs. Similarly, the Haryana government had announced a reduction in VAT on the fuels on Thursday, making them cheaper in the BJP-JJP-ruled state by Rs. 12 per litre.

Putting the price of petrol down from Rs. 106.94 to Rs. 95.27 per litre in the entire state. Also, the diesel price has come down from Rs. 98.60 to Rs. 86.51.

In reality, the Khattar government does not want to pass on the benefit of reduction in crude oil prices to the people of Haryana, Surjewala continued.

"The Khattar government is dishing out deceit by indulging in faking of numbers. The Haryana government has purportedly reduced the VAT on petrol by 6.5 per cent but put a rider of maximum reduction of Rs.1.12 only," he further claimed. 

"In the case of diesel, it is even more intriguing. The Khattar government has purportedly reduced VAT on diesel by 0.40 per cent but increased the maximum VAT amount from Rs. 10.08 per litre to Rs. 11.86 per litre," he claimed according to PTI.

Being a former Haryana minister himself, he asked the Haryana government to explain the logic behind restricting the reduction in maximum VAT relief to Rs. 1.12 per litre and increasing, instead of reducing, the maximum VAT amount on diesel by Rs. 1.78 per litre.

"The reason is clear - whenever the crude oil prices will fall, Khattar government will profiteer and people of Haryana will get no benefit. But if the crude oil prices were to increase, the burden of the same shall be put on the people of the state. This is particularly a draconian anti-farmer measure," he alleged.

In Punjab, petrol is Rs 105.02 per litre, in Delhi the price of petrol is Rs 103.97 per litre. Similarly, petrol in Himachal Pradesh is Rs 96.06 per litre which is higher than that in Haryana.