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Bring petrol-diesel under GST

Kashmir Times. Dated: 9/18/2018 11:18:14 PM

Dear Editor,
It refers to statement of Union Petroleum Minister advising states to cut taxes on petrol and diesel to overcome effect of regular price-rise. But one-time cut in tax-rate by states can in no way check regular price-rise in accordance with rise in crude-price. Rather it is absurd to harm public-exchequers by some states where polls are due in coming months by such cut in tax-rates only for political purposes. Instead Dharmendra Pradhan should make sincere initiative to bring petrol and diesel under GST to ensure uniform pricing throughout the country. Any subsidy in prices of petrol and diesel to overcome rising crude-price will be adverse to Indian economy. However some practical steps can help control the situation.
1. Since government is the biggest user of petroleum products, Union Government apart from cutting down its own expenditure should launch austerity drive by announcing stiff measures for a drastic cut in consumption of petrol and diesel including installation of GPS in all government-vehicles to check large-scale misuse of government-vehicles for private purpose.
2. Bigger and smaller sized cars should have dual rate-structure of GST according to ex-factory value rather than length, and any new car at cost of public-exchequer should be a small car even for heads of nation, legislature, judiciary and bureaucracy.
3. Car-loans should only for small cars.
4. Large overheads and publicity-budget should be curtailed by merger of all public-sector oil-companies in one unified company.
5. Discounts on petrol and diesel purchased by affluent class through credit-cards should be abolished.
6. Prices of petroleum products including GST should be in rounded in complete rupee rather than daily-change in paises.
7. Any relief due to fall in crude-price should be kept in reserve-fund rather than passing to consumers to overcome any future rise in crude-price.
8. Licence for auto-rickshaws should be freely given on demand so that middle-income people may switch to auto-rickshaws from cars. Present capping in Delhi makes auto-rickshaw drivers overcharging and denying going to desired destinations.
9. New-look translucent LPG cylinders made of fibre-glass ensuring tamperproof full-load supply of LPG gas per cylinders should replace old iron-cylinders with one time replacement-cost rather than charging rupees 300 extra for every re-fill.
10. LPG subsidy should be only on filing affidavits about combined family-incomes rather than government expecting voluntary surrendering subsidy from those with high family-income. --Madhu Agrawal
1775 Kucha Lattushah
Dariba, Chandni Chowk
Delhi 110006 (India)