Following the lead of Maharashtra and Gujarat, the Madhya Pradesh Government on Friday slashed the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on prices of petrol by 3 % and diesel by 5 %. An additional Rs. 1.50 have also been reduced on the same.
Earlier the Centre had announced that the excise duty on fuel would be cut. It had said that the move was an attempt to “cushion the impact of rising international prices of crude petroleum oil, and petrol and diesel on their retail sale prices”.
Following this, union petroleum minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, had asked the states to slash the VAT on fuel by 5 %.
“We urge the states to take the responsibility just like the Centre did, in direction of the consumer interest, so that they get more relief,” Pradhan said.
