Showing posts with label excise duty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label excise duty. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 May 2018

Petrol prices cut by 1 paise!


After completion of polling in Karnataka, Petrol and Diesel prices were increased relentlessly every day during past 30 days. In the last fortnight Petrol price at Hyderabad was hiked from Rs.79.37 to Rs. 83.13 (an  increase of 4.7% in 15 days). Today oil companies have announced reduction of petrol by Rs.0.60 today and quickly corrected it to Rs.0.01 (1 Paise) citing clerical error is a cruel joke on consumers. While reduction was announced by Oil companies routinely, the correction announcement is suspected to be at the behest of government for unknown reasons. With large scale usage computers and other technologies, citing clerical error is unacceptable non sense. If it is true, that clerk and his superior officers should have got suspension orders right away but no such thing has happened. While oil prices fell by 70% between 2014-17, both central and state governments merrily increased excise duty and VAT and ensured that consumer got the benefit of 15% only while 85% of low price benefit was grabbed by them. Now in 2018, while oil prices have gone up from $30 to $84 per barrel, neither centre nor state(s) are prepared to reduce their taxes and provide relief to consumer. They are insensitive to the inflationary effects their action and inaction.  Ironically, leakages suggested that government is mulling excise duty cut on petrol & diesel and wants states also to cut their VAT and consumers were expecting some big relief, for which Modi & Jaitley were never known for. 


Friday, 15 September 2017

Rising fuel prices indicates economy in mess?

  • Govt of India is the biggest cheater of nation and Prime Minister and his gang (read Cabinet) are worst cheats. 
  • During the past three years, crude oil prices in international markets have fallen to 1/3rd and more than 80% of it was knocked off by GOI in the form of increased excise duty.
  • Every fortnight Oil Companies adjust their tariff matching international prices in Shastri Bhavan and North Block announces increased excise duty within an hour.
  • Since few months fuel pricing was shifted from fortnightly to daily and consumers were to benefit from falling crude prices without any delay is what Arun Jaitley surreptitiously indicated to people of India. 
  • But what happened is opposite and reduction in excise duty was conspicuously never mentioned as if it is irrelevant item. It becomes relevant only to lay hands on people's money and not otherwise. Today fuel prices in India are one of the highest in the world. Worse than Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
  • Higher fuel prices resulted in higher commodities prices and cost of living is almost doubled, especially to workers and wage earners, during past three years of Modi regime while it was static throughout the world. Are these 'Achche din'?
  • For all these non sense activities of driving economy into mess, Modi & Jaitley neither has people's approval nor sanction of Parliament and this issue was never in the agenda of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Gross misuse of Executive powers by PM & Ministers. Why can't they stick to sanctioned budget and follow standard expenditure procedures?
  • What Modi and Co talk of 'bold fiscal reforms' and raising taxes any time they wish are contradictory to each other and none in world will believe our government. Our credibility is lost and who will come to our country with bags of dollars for investing?
  • With these bunch of rogues and cheaters at the helm, there is no way we can progress as a nation.

In a democracy, winning election doesn't confer on winner
autocratic powers to do nonsense things. He must confine to 'rule of law'

Government must confine its expenses with in the legislature approved  budget, in letter and spirit. Only emergency expenses could be met with executive orders. Ditto for modifying tax rates. Today Budget and Parliament are just formalities. Govt does what ever it wants to do, albeit whimsically, without following any procedure or laws and answers none. No rule of law for governments. It is only for the people. Once in a while, courts strikes down some actions of governments giving resemblance of existence of democracy. Our FM Jaitley has announced several times before GST roll out that its revenue model is neutral meaning some prices may go up and most prices will come down and overall government doesn't get more or less. Then why all commodities prices have gone up including food and essential items? Any answer?