Roll back VAT hike on oil: Opposition
GUWAHATI: The Opposition parties in the State and the AASU (All Assam Students’ Union) have demanded the State Government to rollback the hike in VAT (Value Added Tax) on petrol and diesel with immediate effect.
Talking to the media here on Wednesday, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said, “During the lockdown the State government has to give some succour to the people who have lost their sources of income. Unfortunately, instead of giving succour to the people the State government and the Finance Minister have hiked VAT on petrol and diesel. Such a step will have its adverse impact on the people of the State. I request State government to roll back the decision.” APCC (Assam Pradesh Congress Committee) president and MP Ripun Bora said, “The people of the State have lost their earning sources. The State government, on the contrary, has hiked the prices of diesel and petrol. This is not acceptable. The hike in diesel price will affect farmers in operating pumps and transporting their produces. The decision has to be withdrawn immediately.”
Speaking in the same vein, AIUDF president and Dhubri MP Badruddin Ajmal has also appealed to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to roll back the hike in VAT for petrol and diesel.
Meanwhile, AASU president Dipanko Kumar Nath, general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi and adviser-in-chief Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the hike in VAT for petrol and diesel is an anti-people decision. The ASSU trio has demanded the State government to roll back the hike immediately and adopt other measures for revenue generation. The State government is out to earn more revenue by hiking VAT on petrol and diesel at a time the people of the State have been badly affected by COVID-19, the three AASU leader questioned.