Hyderabad: Former minister T Harish Rao has demanded that the Telangana government immediately reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel by at least 10%, providing genuine relief to the people. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Monday, Harish Rao stated that the Congress government has failed to deliver on its repeated pre-election promises to lower fuel prices.
Financial Pressure on Citizens
Harish Rao highlighted that the poor, middle class, farmers, transport operators, small traders, and salaried employees are facing severe financial pressure due to the continuous increase in petrol and diesel prices. He pointed out that petrol prices in Hyderabad have reached Rs 115.62 per litre, while diesel stands at Rs 103.76 per litre. The former minister noted that repeated fuel price hikes across the country have also resulted in massive additional VAT collections for the Telangana government.
Additional Revenue for Government
According to tax calculations, Harish Rao said that Telangana is expected to receive nearly Rs 2,000 crore in additional VAT revenue annually because VAT is imposed as a percentage on fuel prices. He alleged that while people are suffering under inflation and rising household expenses, the government is earning huge revenues through higher fuel taxes.
Broken Promises
The BRS deputy leader reminded the Chief Minister that when he was the PCC President, he strongly criticized the previous BRS government over VAT on fuel and promised relief to the people by reducing taxes. However, after coming to power, the Congress government has not reduced VAT even by 0.1%, he said.
Call for Action
Harish Rao stated that a government claiming to believe in 'Praja Palana' cannot burden people with high fuel taxes while families are struggling to manage daily expenses. He demanded that the Telangana government immediately reduce VAT on petrol and diesel by at least 10% and provide genuine relief to the people. He also questioned whether the government stands with suffering people or with higher tax collections.
The BRS leader also sent a copy of the letter to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, requesting him to advise the Telangana Chief Minister to fulfill the promises repeatedly made by the Congress party on reducing VAT on petrol and diesel.
