Mah to pardon fuel customers in sales tax

Mumbai, June 9 (UNI) Softening the blow of the fuel prices as the hike in petrol and diesel has hike on consumers in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has agreed that the Government will not charge sales tax on the increased cost.

Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora told mediapersons here today that Mr Deshmukh has agreed that the State would not charge sales tax on the increased cost of petrol and diesel.

''The State will implement this in such a way that their present revenue will not get reduced but simultenously the customers will not be burdened,'' he said and added that with this decision, the customers in Maharashtra will get a reprieve of Re one in petrol and Rs 0.75 on diesel.

''I have already appealed to all the Chief Ministers to at least forgo the increase in sales tax due to present increase in the prices and Maharashtra became the first State to react favourably to this appeal,'' Mr Deora, who hails from state's capital Mumbai, said.

The sales tax differs in all the States on petrol and it has not come under the VAT regime as the States had opposed this move, the Minister added.

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