SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Jan 25: Rattled by the apathetic attitude of the Jharkhand government, the petroleum dealers association of the state has announced a fight to get the Value- Added Tax ( VAT) on diesel reduced.
The Jharkhand Petroleum Dealers Association (JPDA), the frontal organization of 1300 petrol pumps operators of the State, president Ashok Singh and North Chhotanagpur Division Hazaribagh Petroleum Dealers Association (NCDPDA) general secretary Sanjiv Rana jointly said that the Jharkhand government has slapped the highest VAT on diesel in the country. “It has not only pushed petrol pump stations to the threshold of closure but also incurs heavy revenue loss to the state government,” they added.
The Association leaders said that VAT on diesel in Jharkhand is 22% but at the same time it is 17.08% in Uttar Pradesh, 17% in Bengal and 16.3% in Bihar.
The Jharkhand consumers get diesel Rs 5 cheaper in Uttar Pradesh, Rs 2.50 in Bengal and Rs 1 in Bihar. “In comparison to the three neighboring states, the diesel price in Jharkhand is the highest,” said the association leaders.
They said that due to costly diesel in Jharkhand industrial consumers of the state purchase 30,000 KL diesel per month from Uttar Pradesh and Bengal which incurs Rs 40 crores revenue loss to state exchequer per month.
“The Raghubar Das government in 2019 had taken cognizance of the costly diesel price in the state and gave Rs 2.50 rebate on VAT. But the Hemant Soren government immediately withdrew the rebate soon assuming power,” said Sanjiv Rana.
The association dealers expressed surprise that coalition partners of the present state government in their manifesto in the 2019 assembly election had announced to reduce VAT on diesel for all round development in the state but after forming the government forgot to implement the assurances.
The Congress had prominently assured of reducing VAT on diesel in its manifesto in the assembly election. JPDA president Ashok Singh, who is a senior Congress leader, had met national president of the party Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi in December and submitted a memorandum for implementing the manifesto of the party ( over VAT on diesel) in Jharkhand. “Kharge had assured us to take steps for implementation of the manifesto as soon as possible but no result is in sight,” he added.
“Now patience of dealers in the state has run out. Now all 1300 petrol pump stations of Jharkhand have decided to fight to finish for survival. Next week a meeting of the JPDA would be held at Ranchi where the date of phase wise agitation would be announced if the state government does not take cognizance of higher VAT on diesel,” said Ashok Singh.
