Capt flays fuel cess, dubs it punitive taxation

Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday slammed the Punjab government for imposing Re 1 per litre cess on diesel and petrol. "The Akali-BJP government was passing the burden of its faulty economic policies on to the common man by way of punitive taxes," said Amarinder in a statement.

Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday slammed the Punjab government for imposing Re 1 per litre cess on diesel and petrol. "The Akali-BJP government was passing the burden of its faulty economic policies on to the common man by way of punitive taxes," said Amarinder in a statement.

The Amritsar MP pointed out that the VAT on diesel in Punjab was the highest in the country. "The additional cess on fuel will badly hit the agriculture and transport sectors," said Amarinder. The former chief minister said such measures were signs of an ailing economy that is on the verge of bankruptcy. "If the government thinks that it can retrieve the economy with such punitive taxes, it's badly mistaken," he said.