By: Mohan Lal Verma
Himachal Pradesh government has decided to hike the price of diesel by 84 paisa and add 2% value added tax on it from today onwards.
Diesel that cost Rs 49.61 per liter earlier has been increased to Rs 50.45 per liter now. Prices of petrol and diesel were slashed by Rs 2 per liter as a result of slump in international oil prices.
The cabinet has decided to raise VAT on diesel from 9.60% to 11.5%, which is expected to bring in the revenue of Rs 27 crores to the hill state. This has been a second time hike in last three months by the state government.
This decision of the state government has been opposed by political parties like BJP, CPI(M) and Himachal Pradesh Lok Hit Party as they feel that land transport has always been the principle transport system in the hill state and that largely depends on the consumption of diesel.
