BJP’s Tiwari urges Delhi CM to reduce VAT on fuel prices

Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari claimed on Friday that the city petrol pumps have witnessed a 70-per cent reduction in sales due to higher rates and urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to reduce the VAT on fuel prices.

”CM Arvind Kejriwalji, the sale at petrol pumps in Delhi has gone down by 70 per cent.

Please reduce the VAT on fuel prices and start paying attention to Delhi’s problems. You had promised that petrol and diesel will be cheaper in Delhi than (the other) NCR cities but anyway, you keep breaking promises,” the former Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president said in a tweet in Hindi.

Compared to Delhi, the fuel prices are cheaper in its satellite towns of Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurugram.

The Centre last week reduced excise duty by Rs 5 per litre on petrol and Rs 10 per litre on diesel.

Following the cut in excise duty by the Centre, several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, slashed the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on fuel prices, thereby making the rates cheaper than in Delhi.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had last week said the city government already has ”less resources” in terms of revenue generation.

He had also pointed out that the Aam Aadmi Parti (AAP) dispensation was exploring what steps could be taken to provide relief in terms of reduction in the VAT on fuel prices.

Sisodia had said the Centre should further cut the fuel prices by at least Rs 15 per litre.