Mumbai, (The Hindu): Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam on Monday demanded a reduction in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and surcharges levied on petroleum products by the State government, saying that Mumbai has the highest retail petrol and diesel prices in the country.

“I don’t know why the BJP and the Shiv Sena are oppressing the people who have elected them at the Centre, in the State and the BMC,” he said. The cost of petrol in Mumbai is now 81.17 per litre, and a litre of diesel costs  68.23.

Mr. Nirupam said the State levies the highest rate of excise, VAT and surcharge. “If you take all three together, the total tax is more than 50%,” Mr. Nirupam said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in the Union Budget, cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by 8 per litre, but also levied a road and infrastructure cess of  8 per litre, resulting in no impact in the price to consumers.

The former Lok Sabha MP also compared the amount of excise levied by the current government to the Congress-led government in 2014, when he said the rate was 9.30/litre and 3.48 per litre for petrol and diesel respectively. “In 2017, the excise on petrol was 21.48 per litre and on diesel was 17.27 per litre. They have reduced this to 19.48 and 15.35 respectively this year,” Mr. Nirupam said, demanding that petro products be brought under GST.

Protest today

Members of the transport wing of the Congress trade union INTUC will march to the Mumbai Suburban Collector’s office in Bandra at 2 p.m on Tuesday. The organisation has urged drivers for cab aggregators such as Ola, Uber and Meru, and autorickshaw and taxi drivers, to join the protest against the Centre’s inaction on the high petroleum product taxes.