Shimla, August 12 (PTI) The Himachal BJP on Wednesday slammed the Sukhvinder Sukhu-led Congress government for levying an ‘orphan and widow cess’ on petrol and diesel, saying the move would have far-reaching consequences for the people and would push up the prices of essential commodities.
On Tuesday night, the state government issued a notification on levying a cess of 60 paisa per litre on petrol and high-speed diesel at the point of first sale in Himachal Pradesh. The orders came into effect from midnight.
On March 23 last year, the Himachal Assembly passed the HP Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill 2006, seeking to levy a cess of up to five rupees per litre, despite opposition from the BJP, which staged a walkout.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said the cess was necessary to ensure a dedicated, stable and sustainable source of revenue for the effective implementation and strengthening of welfare measures for orphans and widows.
Reacting to the move, BJP state president Rajiv Bindal said the Congress government has been burdening the public with various taxes.
Addressing the media, he said that electricity tariffs are continuously rising, ration prices have been increased, yet supplies remain unavailable, while HRTC fares are also being repeatedly hiked.
He further claimed that cess will impact farmers, horticulturists, and the common man alike.
Echoing similar concerns, the state assembly’s Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, took a dig at the chief minister, saying he has been running the government by imposing levies in the name of “sukh” (welfare) — a wordplay on Sukhu’s name.
Thakur said the Congress made grand claims to gain power, yet upon assuming office, it launched a campaign to burden the public in various ways.
“After raising VAT twice, a 60 paise cess has now been imposed on petrol and diesel,” he said in a statement issued here.
“Attempts are being made to run the government by collecting money from the public under the guise of an orphan and widow cess. We said in the Assembly earlier that taxes on petroleum have a far-reaching impact, causing the prices of all commodities to rise,” he said. Thakur claimed that Sukhu had assured the House that they did not intend to implement it as it was merely a provision.
“However, true to form, his claim proved false,” he added. Prior to the imposition of the cess, the price of petrol in Kullu was Rs 102.49 per litre, which has now risen to Rs 103.20. As for diesel, the price was previously Rs 94.54 per litre and has now increased to Rs 95.23 per litre, Harish, a petrol pump operator, said.
The move to introduce cess has also left people fuming with the state government, calling it unjustified.
“Currently, the agriculture and horticulture season is underway in the Kullu district. The rise in fuel prices will lead to increased freight charges for trucks and jeeps, including for goods transported from other states, Rahul, a local, said. PTI BPL KSI KSI
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