The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Maharashtra has demanded the Uddhav Thackeray government to reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT) on diesel in line with the recent decision of Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government.
The Delhi cabinet on Thursday announced a reduction in the VAT on diesel from the existing 30 per cent to 16.75 per cent. The Kejriwal-led government said that this move will provide relief to people and help push Delhi’s economy amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“The Cabinet of the Delhi Govt today has taken a decision to slash VAT on Diesel to 16.75% from the present rate of 30%, which will result in diesel prices going down from ₹81.94 to ₹73.64,” AAP said in a statement.
The situation in Maharashtra is no different as the diesel price is ₹80.11 in Mumbai which includes a 24% VAT and an additional cess applied by the state government, Dhananjay Shinde, Maharastra AAP Secretary said.
He further added that the Kejriwal recently praised the Maharashtra government over its work in Dharavi to contain the spread of the coronavirus. “This isn't the time for petty political point-scoring but for governments to rise above party lines and match the best governance practices,” Shinde asserted.
Demanding the reduction in VAT on diesel, he further added, “When Delhi can learn from Maharashtra, why can't Maharashtra learn from Delhi?”
The Delhi government took this decision at a time when it is suffering from the burden of economic distress, inflation and other issues concerning people, the party statement read while adding that the condition in Maharastra is also the same.
The AAP recently took to Twitter and compare the price of diesel being sold in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chattisgarh. The diesel in Delhi now costs ₹73.64 per litre while in Mumbai it is being sold at ₹80.11 per litre. In May, the Maharashtra government had increased the cess imposed on two fuels - diesel and petrol, with a VAT of 24 and 26 per cent, respectively.
The AAP had earlier demanded the Maharashtra government to waive up to 200 units of electricity bills for the duration of lockdown. Taking a dig at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the centre, senior AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon said that providing relief to the people who are under economic distress isn’t the priority for the saffron party.
She questioned, “If the Delhi government can provide relief to the people, Why can't the Uddhav Thackeray led MVA government consisting of Shiv Sena-Cong-NCP slash VAT on diesel prices in Maharashtra?”
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