Bhattacharjee urges Centre to reduce tax on petroleum products

Kolkata, Jun 11 (UNI) The Left Front government in West Bengal today urged the UPA government at the Centre to reduce its quantum of taxes on petroleum products before asking the state governments to do so.

''The UPA government should first reduce the taxes and cess it had imposed on petroleum products before asking the state governments to reduce their share of taxes and cess on petrol and diesel,'' Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told UNI.

Mr Bhattacharjee said the Centre had made a mess by increasing the prices of petrol and diesel. "Now the Centre wants the state governments to clean up mess.'' He said the state government would not hesitate to reduce the quantum of its taxes on petrol and diesel if the Centre took a lead and did so. ''If the Centre reduces the taxes it has imposed on petrol and diesel, we will unilaterally announce our decision to reduce the quantum of tax and cess imposed by us on the two products,''Mr Bhattacharjee said.

Echoing the observation of the Chief Minister, CPI(M)'s state unit secretary Biman Bose said the Centre had been "playing narrow political games" by asking the Congress-led state governments to lower the taxes and cess on petrol and diesel.

Sources within the CPI (M) said the UPA government had failed to play effective role in oil politics and had succumbed to the US pressure for which it had increased the prices of petrol and diesel.

Reaffirming the party's stand for widespread agitation against the hike in prices in petrol and diesel, the sources said the UPA government would be forced to reverse the hike in prices of the two products.

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