No immediate reduction of sales tax on oil: Bengal Minister

Kolkata, Jun 14 (UNI) Rejecting any immediate possibility for lowering state taxes on petrol, West Bengal Industry Minister Nirupam Sen today said the Left Front Government would think of it only if the Centre reduced duty on imported oil.

'' We will consider such a proposal when the Centre restructures the import duty on oil,'' he told the West Bengal Assembly.

He was speaking in response to a demand by members of the opposition Congress and Trinamool Congress that the State Government should reduce the sales tax and abolish the cess on petrol. Mr Sen said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum had suggested that the Centre restructure the import duty to neutralise the effect in the domestic market the price hike of international crude, and the West Bengal Government would like to take a cue from the Centre.

Earlier, Congress Legislature Party Leader Manas Bhunia demanded that the Government should follow the examples of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi to either withdraw or reduce the sales tax on petrol and diesel which was earning the state an annual revenue of Rs 1136 crore.

The sales taxes on petrol and diesel in the state was Rs 12.49 and Rs 6.74 besides a cess of Re one, he said.

By asking the Centre to restructure import duty on oil and refusing to lower the sales tax in the state, the Front Government had adopted a double standard, he alleged.

Trinamool Congress Legislature Party Leader Partha Chatterjee called upon both the State Government and the Centre to reduce taxes on oil to protect the people from additional cost burden.

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